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4.5 Other Persecutions/Mistreatment (Continued)
4.5.61 Large scale suppression of Falun Gong practitioners
Message received: August 8, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners
Location of incident: China
Description:
In various regions, action to deal with Falun Gong is in progress, the news media generating much public debate, using the impending trial of main persons in the Falun Gong practice as news items. Some units commenced preparing lists of Falun Gong practitioners classifying them as members, incorrigibles, stubborn persons, etc. Some units even arranged meetings for practitioners to have a last chance to save themselves and to express their views. Many practitioners vowed that they would continue to practice Falun Gong. It is their way of defending the practice.
Some practitioners are forced to resign from their employment, some by beseeching parents and tearful relatives. Some practitioners are faced with the prospect of being sacked from the Communist Party, school, army, public office etc.
In Tongzhou, the Yong Shun police went to a rented room of 5 practitioners from outside the city and detained them for interrogation.
4.5.62 Practitioners required to write promise break ties with Falun Gong
Message received: August 5, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners
Location of incident: China
Description:
Currently, the suppression of Falun Gong in China is escalating constantly. All Falun Gong practitioners are required to write the promise to depart from Dafa by different levels of the government from the central government to the local police departments. If the practitioners do not write the promise, they will use both hard and soft tactics coupling threats with promises. At the same time, they use practitioners’ relatives and friends to shake the morale of the practitioners until practitioners unwillingly write the promise.
4.5.63 Graduate students detained while speaking for the truth
Message received: July 26, 1999
Victims:
1. Han Xudong
2. Teng Yan (currently in Beijing, Falun Gong
practitioners. 2nd year graduate students in
Changchun Optical Instruments Institute.)
Location of incident: State Council Appeals Office, Beijing, China
Description: The following is a description by the practitioners.
At 10:00am on July 26, we went to the State Council Appeals Office to report the truth about Falun Gong. After the officer asked about our intention, he said, “You are against the law to speak for Falun Dafa.” He thus contacted the Changchun Liaison office in Beijing and asked the officers there to pick us up. After we arrived at the Changchun Liaison office in Beijing, we lost our freedom. At 7:00pm, they took us to Beijing Train Station and transferred us to those policemen on the train. We were taken to the Changchun Police school under the “protection” of these policemen. The police said that we could go home as long as we wrote a pledge. We went home after we wrote the pledge.
4.5.64 Teachers detained for Falun Gong practice
Message received: July 22, 1999
Victim: Zhang Yu, currently in Beijing, Falun Gong practitioner, a teacher at the Nursery School of Dehui, Jilin Province
Location of incident: Dehui, Jilin Province, China
Description:
The following is a description by the practitioner.
On July 22, when I learned the news that the government had declared a ban on Falun Gong, I could not understand the government’s decision. Learning that I wanted to continue to practice Falun Gong and wanted to go to appeal, the officials of my school threatened me, “If you continue to practice Falun Gong, we will fire you.”
On September 10, Li Hongxiang, who is a fellow practitioner in my workplace, and I were both detained for 12 hours without any explanation. We weren’t allowed to go home until 11:00pm. My personal freedom is still being restricted and my human rights are being violated. My work and family life have been disrupted. Currently, many practitioners have lost their personal freedom. Even when they go to the supermarket, they will be followed and videotaped by the police.
4.5.65 Rejected by landlords, practitioners forced to sleep on grass in cold weather
Victim: Xu Wenjun, female, 40 years of age, currently in Beijing, Falun Gong practitioner from Nanchang, Jiangxi province.
Location of incident: Jiangxi provincial government, China
Description:
The following is a description by the practitioner.
On the afternoon of July 22, after I watched the TV program that slandered Mr. Li HongZhi and Falun Dafa, I went to Beijing that same night. On my way to Beijing, I was arrested and interrogated by the police. The police said, “Those who practice Falun Gong are forbidden to go to Beijing.” Many practitioners were thrown out of the train. In Beijing, the police did not allow us to appeal. In the hotel, when the attendant discovered we were Falun Gong practitioners, they would say, “Please go. The police have ordered us not to accept any Falun Gong practitioners. We will be fined and our license will be suspended if they find out.” We had to sleep on the grass in the country. We could be arrested at anytime. When it was cold, I went to the country to find a place to stay. When the renter knew that I was a Falun Gong practitioner, he said, “Please go. Now in our village, we are given a quota of 600 practitioners that we need to capture. If they find you, I will be fined 2,000 Yuan.” Up to now, I am still waiting for the opportunity to appeal to the government to request that they release those innocent practitioners, to rescind the arrest warrant for Mr. Li Hongzhi and to return justice to Falun Dafa.
4.5.66 Middle school teachers forced to write untruthful report against their will
Victim: Liu Yong (not clear of gender), currently in Beijing, Falun Gong practitioner, teacher from Siping City’s Fourth Middle School, Jilin Province.
Location of incident: Siping City’s Fourth Middle School, Jilin Province, China
Description:
The following is a description by the practitioner.
At 3:00pm on July 22, 1999, Falun Dafa was denounced as an “Illegal Organization”, and our rights of studying and practicing Falun Dafa were deprived. I was deeply shocked. Many people including myself have had our mind and body purified after taking up Falun Dafa practice. However, in August, the officials in our school applied all means to continuously press us to write our understanding of the “harm” of Falun Dafa. When I wrote down the truth; that is, Falun Dafa is well-grounded in all virtues and that the TV reports were all lies, they forced me to be “consistent” with the central authorities, and did not allow me to tell the truth. Legal appeals were banned too.
4.5.67 Air Force and government officials were disappeared after interrogation by police
Message received: July 1, 1999
Victims:
1. Yu Changxin, affiliated with Institute of Air
Force Administration
2. Liu Zhichen, former Department director in
an Airforce Institute, senior engineer
3. Zhou Dechen, former director of Political
Department in General Staff Office
Location of incident: Beijing, China
Description:
Professor Yu Changxin, Liu Zhichen, and Zhou Dechen were led away from their homes for interrogation. Their whereabouts are now unknown.
4.5.68 Students were forced not to participate in the morning group practice
Message received: June, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners in Shanghai
Location of incident: Shanghai, China
Description:
In a recent period, our morning practice was frequently disturbed. For example, some uniformed policemen came on campus to keep an eye on us. The school authority forbids the teachers and the students to practice together; some students with Party membership were demanded by their teachers to quit Falun Gong; some students were forced not to participate in the morning group practice. It’s a shame that such disgraceful conducts are happening in such a metropolis as Shanghai. When we were practicing in Waitan, some people hit our heads. We silently endured all these in compliance with the principles of “Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance”. Eventually, those people felt embarrassed and said Falun Gong practitioners were truly good people.
4.5.69 Practitioners harassed, practice sessions disrupted, practice sites occupied
Message received: June 28, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners
Location of incident: Beijing
Description: In Beijing, the police force has neglected their duty in light of the recent actions to restore social security and instead have concentrated their effort on the harassment of Falun Gong practitioners -- tailing practitioners, controlling movements of Falun Gong contact persons, going from door to door seeking out Falun Gong practitioners to make a list of practitioners, etc. At several dozen Falun Gong practice sites, police and non-enlisted persons were there to occupy sites and disrupt practice sessions and generally to cause trouble.
4.5.70 Secretary of the Provincial Committee vowed to eliminated Falun Gong
Message received: June 28, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners
Location of incident: Shandong Province
Description:
In Shandong Province, the Secretary of the Provincial Committee personally took part in announcing that within two to three years, Falun Gong will be totally eliminated in Shandong and it will be prohibited from spreading to farming areas.
4.5.71 Participation in Falun Gong activities prohibited
Message received: June 28, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners
Location of incident: Liaoning Province
Description:
In Liaoning Province, departments concerned with security have visited every unit and gave instructions that Falun Gong practitioners must be denied any place for practice. Those who disobeyed this directive would be severely dealt with. All Chinese Communist Party members and cadres shall henceforth cease participation in Falun Gong activities. Those who disobeyed this would either be asked to leave the Party or be sacked from membership. Any Falun Gong materials such as books found will immediately be destroyed.
4.5.72 Falun Gong practice prohibited in all institutions of higher learning
Message received: June 28, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners
Location of incident: Jiangxi Province
Description: In Jiangxi Province, all institutions of higher learning received directives from the highest authority prohibiting the practice of Falun Gong under any circumstances. Some directives even disregarded the Constitution and directed that any gathering of more than 3 persons will be considered an illegal act.
4.5.73 Falun Gong practice sessions disrupted, practitioners dispersed Falun Gong
Message received: June 28, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners
Location of incident: Hubei Province Description:
In Hubei Province, the regional Public Security personnel, under the pretext of performing their various duties went to Falun Gong practice sites to disrupt and disperse Falun Gong practitioners in their exercise sessions. They took away Falun Gong materials and destroyed them.
4.5.74 Practitioners harassed at 13 practice sites
Message received: June 26, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners
Location of incident: Beijing
Description:
(From Chinese World News) Since June 26, the Beijing authorities commenced operations against Falun Gong practitioners along the Changan boundary. Starting from 5 am, more than 3,000 Beijing City Police used force at 13 Falun Gong practice sites on both sides of Changan Street and harassed practitioners. The practitioners who defied the police action were forcibly dragged away. The Police action was in accordance with the reason of the “pre-October 1” public order. From that day on, Falun Gong practitioners were forbidden to practice in any public place. From the boundary of Changan Street, Beijing Police would continue to take further large-scale action against Falun Gong practitioners found in the City.
4.5.75 Practitioners were harassed in park
Message received: June 25, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners
Location of incident: Heilongjiang Province, China
Description:
Provided by Falun Gong practitioners from Heilongjiang Province
On May 23, 1999, as always, a few dozens of us came to XXX Park to do early morning practice at 5 o’clock. We had been doing morning practice in this same place for 4, 5 years. As soon as the practice started that morning, four people approached us and identified themselves as the Park security personnel. They told us that they had instructions from their superior to prohibit Falun Gong practice in the Park in the spirit of a City Government Announcement; After some time, they told us that the instruction to drive Falun Gong practitioners out of the Park came directly from the city government officials and if they failed to do so, they would lose their jobs. Under pressure, the Park security personnel and others began to harass us. We have listed below what they have done to us in the Park from May 23rd to June 20th 1999:
1. They tried to stop us from practicing Falun Gong in the Park by dragging, pulling and lugging us when we were doing Falun Gong exercise and by throwing our shoes far away.
2. They grabbed from us the Falun Gong exercise audiocassette tapes, tape player and they have not returned the tapes.
3. They surrounded us at the practice site with hays and built fires to choke and burn us; some of the fires were less then a foot away from us. They also threw firecrackers into the fires.
4. They blasted the practice site with rock and roll/disco music on high-powered speakers.
5. They shouted and made loud noises at the practice site constantly.
6. There were plain-clothed policemen roamed around the practice site taking pictures, videotaping and taking personnel information of us.
4.5.76 Gaoan City authorities’ brutality against Falun Gong practitioners
Message received: June 23, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners in Gaoan City
Location of incident: Gaoan, Jiangxi Province, China
Description:
Provided by some Falun Gong practitioners from Gaoan City
Prohibit Group Practice
There were about 40 practice sites in the city. In most of practice sites, policemen and local government officials prohibited from practicing or forced not to have outdoor group practice.
Restrict Personal Freedom
Supervisors of some state companies asked their employees not to allow Falun Gong practitioners to go in and out. Some arranged security guards to change the lock of gate, and not to allow practitioners to go out and practice. Some policemen even went to practitioners’ homes every few hours to check if they were at home. They implied that you must check with the security guards if you want to go out. Some policemen told practitioners not to go out and wander around. Ying Kuang and some city institutes ordered that the “Four Kinds of People” (Communist Party members, Young League members, cadres in office or retirement) should stop practicing Falun Gong, or they are responsible for any consequences.
Infringe Upon Personal Dignity
Many practitioners in companies of many regions are threatened by the supervisors with loss of job, transfer of location, discharge of Communist Party membership or loss of salary. One practitioner has a practice site at his home, policemen and county officials went there and threatened, “You will be arrested if you practice again.”
Break into Practitioners’ houses
A few county officials and policemen broke into practitioners’ houses illegally. They confiscated Falun Gong books, pictures, and exercise tapes and tape players used for practice. Some even took away the books practitioners were reading by force. One female practitioner was insulted and beaten when she went to county government asking for the tape player back.
Some county officials said what’s on the newspapers were used for deceiving people, now political movement is coming.
4.5.77 Further actions taken against Falun Gong in Shangdong Province
Message received: June 22, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners
Location of incident: Shangdong Province, China
Description:
Excerpt from the Memorandum of the office of XXX committee of Chinese Communist Party of Shandong Province, Notice on Taking Further Actions to handle the Issue of Falun Gong.
According to the instructions and spirit of the central committee of the party and higher authority, the following should be focused on at present in order to handle Falun Gong problem successfully:
1. Study and fully understand the instructions and spirit of the central committee and the leaders of the central committee. Treat the issue of dealing Falun Gong as a serious political struggle.
2. Persuade the members of the Communist Party and the Communist Youth League, cadres and retiring cadres to quit. And then let them help persuading their relatives and other practitioners to quit. In this event, every cadre practicing Falun Gong whose administrative level is higher than that of county must state clearly and quit practicing voluntarily. Anything other than quitting cannot be regarded as “passing”.
3. To the key persons who are willing to cooperate, we should help them to quit practicing Falun Gong. To those people who do not accept the persuasion and want to gather illegally, we must strictly reprimand them and demand them to stop the illegal activities immediately. To those who continue with the organization of illegal gathering, firm actions must be taken to stop it. In addition, attention should be paid to collect evidence and information.
4. Strengthen the information collection and closely watch the development. All levels of Party and government authorities and police department should do their best to obtain inside, predictive, and high level information of Falun Gong.
4.5.78 Falun Gong practitioners were unfairly treated in Nanchang City
Message received: June 21, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners in Nanchang City
Location of incident: Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China
Description:
Universities prohibit Falun Gong practitioners from practicing within the school property. Two days after the news reports of the Key Points, Jiangxi Medical School started to disperse Falun Gong practitioners in the morning and turned off cassette players by force. The security guards at the State University of Education stopped morning practices and prevented commuting instructors from entering the university campus to practice. At an official meeting, the Party Secretary declared that “Falun Gong is absolutely not allowed to exist on the university property”. Some university students even received warning of expulsion if they continue practice Falun Gong and were ordered to turn in their Falun Gong books and tapes. However, these two universities allowed every other qigong practice on campus.
Officials from Jiangling Factory told Falun Gong instructors not to practice together, and also said any gathering of three or more people is considered one with suspicion of conspiracy.
The practice site on Nanjing Avenue received threats from the police that the cassette players would be confiscated if there’s more practice.
In the morning of June 21, police cars appeared at all practice sites and began surveillance.
Recently, the leaders of all work units gave individual oral reports to practitioners on the six guidelines that defined a withdrawal from Falun Gong organization. No documents were shown. And the six guide lines are, not to join group practice, not to have any formal contact with Falun Gong organizations, not to publicize Falun Gong, not to instruct the movements, turn in all books, audio tapes, and videotapes, and report any Falun Gong related events.
The same day the Key Points were broadcast on news, Jiangxi Postal Service Agency was wired instructions for tighter management for preventing Falun Gong practice gatherings on government properties.
4.5.79 Illegal treatment received when appeal to central government in Beijing
Message received: June 20, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners in Shengyang City
Location of incident: Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
Description:
I am a Falun Gong practitioner in Shenyang City, Liao Ning province. After I saw Abstracts of the conversation between officials from the Central Government Appeal Bureau and Falun Gong Practitioners from TV on June 16, I felt it was necessary to let the government officials know the facts I have personally seen and heard about the suppression of Falun Gong.
Around 3:00pm on June 18, I arrived in the Appeal Bureau with two other practitioners whom I met by accident. There came three people rudely asked us to follow them. When we registered in the Bureau, they came to harass us again and said, “Don’t register.” We said, “We want to report to the central government, you shouldn’t stop us, or we will include this in our report as well. They followed us into the Bureau. The receptionist told us that they are from Police Department of Liao Ning province.
We stayed in some hotel in Beijing. The next morning, when the Falun Gong practitioners tried to leave the hotel, they saw policemen in uniform with police cars forbidding them to leave. Only until 1:00pm, we were notified to leave the hotel. We got on their bus upon their request. After we arrived at the Appeal Bureau, we learned that there were already some practitioners from Henan and Benxi brought there by prisoner bus. They closed the door after everybody arrived. We asked to leave freely. They refused to do so. Then they started to push Falun Gong practitioners. Later, one of them shouted, “Two to one, drag them onto the bus.” A male practitioner from Benxi was forced to sit on the stairs at the door of the bus, his lower back hit on the stairs. An old female Falun Gong practitioner shouted, “We must forbear and control ourselves.”
Among practitioners, there was a child of about 5 years old with the mother. His nose started to bleed during the pushing. Some policemen even attempted to strangle the neck of practitioners and pull them onto the bus. Later, we were brought to the police department and they wanted to confirm that we were Falun Gong practitioners.
4.5.80 Weifang City government steps up to “fight against Falun Gong”
Message received: June 19, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners in Weifang City
Location of incident: Weifang, Shangdong Province, China
Description:
At 6:30pm June 18th, 1999, every institution and enterprise directly controlled by Weifang city government was informed of the decision made regarding Falun Gong in a meeting. Provincial Communist Party Secretary Wu Guanzheng’s speech on “Falun Gong Issue” was used as the guideline for the meeting. Both Falun Gong and Mr. Li Hongzhi were attacked and insulted in this meeting. Weifang City Communist Party Secretary Cao Xiucheng stated in his speech as follows:
The city government will start focusing on the city and county level institutions and enterprises. Special attention will be taken to deal with key organizations such as Political, Propaganda, and Personnel units within the city government where Falun Gong practitioners will have to abjure allegiance to Falun Gong or lose their jobs. The city government will utilize media, radios, TV stations and newspapers to defame Falun Gong with the intention to “divide and conquer” and in the end to demolish Falun Gong in its entirety. All Communist Party members, Communist Youth League members as well as cadres must withdraw from Falun Gong and hand in all Falun Gong related materials by the end of June 1999, or their lives, work and even their living will be severely affected.
No organization or institutions are allowed to provide facilities for Falun Gong practices.
4.5.81 Police broke into the homes of practitioners
Message received: June 17, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners in Qinhuangdao City
Location of incident: Qinhuangdao, Shangdong Province
Description:
Some practitioners’ telephones were monitored, some others were tailed. Every morning, police would watch us practice. Some police asked companies to cut off electricity at the practice sites, and force practitioners off the sites. Police constantly asked to have talks with practitioners to disturb regular routines. They often monitored and broke into the homes of practitioners. Some companies that followed the directions from police placed restrictions on normal travel and vacations. They won’t even allow visits to ailing relatives. As you can see, the practitioners have obviously lost to a large extent the basic human freedom.
4.5.82 Pressure from the “Upper Level” to suppress Falun Gong
Message received: June 17, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners
Location of incident: Tianjin, China
Description:
1. A young Falun Gong practitioner who taught class at a college had the following talks with his superior, “President Jiang recently said that Falun Gong is superstition and is against materialism”, “Party members do not believe in God. You have to make a choice”, etc. He demanded the teacher to quit the practice and not to practice openly from then on.
2. During a talk between an employee who is a Falun Gong practitioner and the division head of a big state-owned enterprise, the supervisor said, “It’s not our intention to talk with you. It’s from the upper level. The Party membership or Falun Gong, which one do you choose?”
3. The head of a publishing house warned a Falun Gong practitioner who insisted on group practice and study of the Falun Dafa, “If you won’t change, I’m afraid you’ll have to submit a letter of resignation.”
4. The public security department in a certain district forced Falun Gong practitioners to write “letters of repentance”. Even if they have stopped practicing, they are required to turn in the books and videotapes.
5. A practitioner working in a provincial representative office in Tianjin was warned by his superior, “If you continue to practice openly, I will call the governor of your province to bring you back.”
6. It’s also a common practice in many state-owned enterprises that managers are required to ask the employee practitioners to report in written form four times a month, to talk with Falun Gong practitioners and to submit statistics as to how many have quit and how many still continue. In some districts and counties, practitioners are dispersed at practice sites and no more than 5 people are allowed to practice together.
7. Some voluntary Falun Gong instructors are still being tailed. Their telephones are wiretapped. Even on their son’s wedding days, they were forced to stay at home by police and plainclothesmen.
4.5.83 Falun Gong was banned in Benxi City on Jun 16, 1999
Message received: June 16, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners
Location of incident: Benxi, Liaoning Province, China
Description:
Excerpt of practitioners’ letter to President Jiang Zeming and Primer Zhu.
We are Falun Gong practitioners in Benxi City, Liao Ning Province. As to the Abstract of the Conversation between officials from the Central Government Appeal Bureau and Falun Gong Practitioners, in the first part, it states that “Some Falun Gong practitioners say that the security department is going to suppress Falun Gong practitioners, and for members of the Communist Party, Young League and officials, their memberships and government occupations will be dismissed if they choose to practice Falun Gong? those are totally vicious rumors out of nothing.” We can show this is not a rumor, but facts.
On May 19th, an emergency meeting of all supervisors of state-owned local companies regarding Falun Gong was held. The following were brought out:
1. No practice in public squares, bus or train stations, parks and school campuses;
2. No group practice by joining practice sites;
3. No renting of public space like cinema, meeting room, etc. (not allowed to provide any public place for Falun Gong);
4. No practice with posters;
5. No promotion by Falun Gong practitioners from other areas;
6. No selling of all Falun Gong related books or audio/video products, etc;
7. No one allowed to go to Beijing and any other areas to promote Falun Gong;
8. Communist Party members and officials not allowed to join group practice.
This “8-Nos” was required to make known to every person in the city. Soon after, there was a forced dispersion of Falun Gong morning practice on a large scale. In this enforcement, there were institutes of Communist Party, Labor Unions, Armed Police, etc. This task was divided to areas, institutes and individuals; some institutes even had regulation that stated Communist Party members and officials and Communist Youth League members would lose their membership if they keep practicing; civilians were threatened by loss of job, salary; officials were threatened to be out of office; peasants were threatened by fines and confiscation of the land; practitioners were required to write and sign a statement of not practicing Falun Gong.
4.5.84 Fuzhou City treated Falun Gong practitioners unfairly
Message received: June 16, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners
Location of incident: Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China
Description:
Falun Gong practitioners in Fuzhou have been frequently treated unfairly by some government bodies. For example, many Falun Gong coordinators’ telephones were wiretapped; during their investigation, the people from the government required practitioners to turn in photos and names. In addition, enterprises were required to exert pressure on practitioners they employ. Some criticized Falun Gong at meetings of all occasions. Some were forced to choose between Falun Gong and their employment and housing; some required the Party and League members not to practice Falun Gong and asked those that are practicing to write letters of repentance. All colleges in Fuzhou have gone ahead and banned practice on campus. On May 22, all practice sites are haunted by plainclothesmen that even outnumbered the practitioners in some places. At one practice site, a security agent deliberately gave out false news to create disorders. Falun Gong books were illegally confiscated in bookstores, which was threatened with fines for selling the books.
4.5.85 Public Security departments in Fuxin City illegally dispersed Falun Gong study groups
Message received: June 16, 1999
Victims:
1. Yu Xiaode in Dalian
2. Chen Shasha in Shenyang
and other Falun Gong Practitioners
Location of incident: Dalian City and Shengyang City, Liaoning Province, China
Description:
1. Public Security and Political Security agents tailed Falun Gong practitioners, wiretapped their telephone conversations, and limited their personal freedom.
2. Public Security Departments in Dalian and Shenyang openly arrested Falun Gong practitioners.
3. Practitioner Yu Xiaode in Dalian and Chen Shasha in Shenyang were put in illegal custody by Public Security departments for up to 20 and 27 hours.
4. Public Security agents tailed practitioners, illegally confiscated practitioners’ money and belongings, and arrested practitioners.
5. In Chaoyang district, Public Security department openly arrested Falun Gong practitioners at practice sites.
6. Public Security departments in Fuxin City illegally dispersed Falun Gong study groups and banned practice at places other than parks. They also declared that Party members and cadres were not allowed to practice Falun Gong.
4.5.86 City government’s brutal treatment of practitioners in Linyi, Shandong
Message received: June 15, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners
Location of incident: Linyi, Shandong Province, China
Description:
Excerpt of practitioners’ letter to Primer Zhu
We are Falun Gong practitioners from Linyi of Yimeng region in Shandong province. Since May 1, not only our routine morning practice has been harassed, but also almost every Falun Gong practitioner has been asked to talk with his supervisors and demanded to write a letter of guarantee to quit Falun Gong.
On June 11, at the Dongfanghong Park practice site, the Urban Countenance Bureau robbed our cassette player and sprayed our practicing site with water while we were practicing. On June 12, Zhu, director of the Urban Countenance Bureau, cursed Master Li with a loud voice at our practice site; robbed another cassette player from us and announced, “any Qigong practice is allowed here but Falun Gong. Falun Gong is an evil religion.” On June 13 morning, even more people crowded to the practice site to harass the practitioners. Those people came in more than 60 automobiles, over 20 three-wheel motorcycles, and many regular motorcycles. Secretary General of the Politics and Law Committee of Linyi municipality came to the practice site too. He instructed the Police Department, the Urban Countenance Bureau, and the Municipal Gardening Bureau, Residential Committee and supervisors of Falun Gong practitioners to attack and insult the practitioners with force. Below are just a few examples:
One practitioner brought his 11-year-old son to practice with him. They were attacked and insulted by 20 some people. Some of them kicked the little kid, lifted him up and placed him on his father’s head who was sitting in meditation. Still not pleased, they began to kick the father repeatedly on three separate instances, then continued to slap his face, legs, neck and head. The father endured all these silently. One of the men who beat him yelled proudly, “How wonderful! It has been a long time since I beat someone this way. It really makes me feel good.”
Some practitioners were lifted up by two people and then dropped hard onto the ground. Some practitioners were raised and thrown in the air and their pants tore when they hit the ground. Some were dragged for more than 20 meters on the ground and thrown in the middle of the street. For fear of blocking the traffic, the attackers took them away from the street and attempted to throw them in the trash containers. Since those people could not find any trash containers nearby, they left the practitioners on the sidewalks. Some attackers even pinched the little practitioners’ mouth. Some little practitioners could not bear the insult and physical abuse and ran away from the practice site crying.
After a young female practitioner’s clothes were pulled up, her chest became exposed. The harassing crowd burst into uproarious laughter at the sight. Facing all these atrocities, the practitioners did not complain a single word. After finishing the practice, the practitioners evens picked up all the cigarette buds and trash left by the disturbing party.
4.5.87 Public Security Departments harassed Falun Gong practitioners on group practice site
Message received: June 15, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners
Location of incident: Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
Description:
As far as we know, in Xinyang of Henan province, while some practitioners were in their normal practice, local public security departments came in to interfere. More than 10 police cars and 100 policemen encircled practitioners, grabbing their cassette player and a banner for Falun Gong introduction. It was only when a senior female held the banner and cried to explain the benefits she had received from the practice that the police released the hold of the banner. When the police found a practitioner video taping at the practice site, they grabbed the video camera and destroyed the tape. Several people besieged the practitioner with the surname of Yu, twisting his arms, seizing him by the throat and beating him up. Their conducts seriously violated the citizens’ legal rights. The fact that the people of law enforcement violated the laws shocked and enraged even the spectators nearby. Some schools demanded the teach-ers practicing Falun Gong to quit the practice and submit a letter of guarantee. Otherwise, the teachers were required to resign or threatened to be sent to work in rural villages. A head of a foreign trade company in Zhengzhou talked to a Falun Gong practitioner and said he was passing notices from the Party that, “Party members must get out of the ‘Falun Gong Organization’”; non-Party member practitioners will be talked out of the “Falun Gong Organization”. He also demanded the practitioner to show his stand on this issue. It is learned that many work units in Zhengzhou have announced similar notices.
4.5.88 Police and county officials were breaking into practitioners’ homes
Message received: June 15, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners
Location of incident: Gaoan, Jiangxi Province, China
Description:
1. Two state institutes, 13 county governments, police departments and city institutes started to interfere, criticize and assault practitioners.
2. Practitioners are being threatened with loss of job, salary and discharge from the Communist Party.
3. Police and county officials were breaking into practitioners’ homes and stealing all Falun Gong books, tapes, posters and other materials.
4. One female practitioner was insulted and beaten when she went to the government to ask for her tape player back.
4.5.89 The Urban Countenance Bureau in Linyi City harassed Falun Gong practitioners
Message received: June 13, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners
Location of incident: Linyi, Shangdong Province, China
Description:
The urban Countenance Bureau stole the practitioners’ cassette players, and sprayed the people with water while they were practicing.
An 11 year old practitioner was kicked and placed on top of his father’s head (who was sitting in meditation). Still not pleased, they began to kick the father repeatedly on three separate instances, then continued to slap his face, legs, neck and head. All this was endured with silence.
4.5.90 Public Security Bureau began to confiscate books from practitioners in Guangdong Province
Message received: June 13, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners
Location of incident: Cities of Shenzhen and Dongguan, Guangdong Province, China
Description:
1. Illegal arrests of practitioners by local public security bureaus occurred. Only after practitioners reported the incident to local governments and bureau leaders, did the bureaus release the practitioners.
2. Jinchen Public Security Bureau in Nanjing district began to confiscate books from practitioners without following any legal procedure or showing any legal documentation.
4.5.91 Officials in Qidao City harassed Falun Gong practitioners
Message received: June 11, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners
Location of incident: Qidao, Jiangsu Province, China
Description:
1. Public security agents monitored Falun Gong practitioners’ telephones, tailed them and openly claim that “we know all your conversations”.
2. Some officials in a town ordered practitioners not to go to Qidong stadium on May 22. Having obtained oral promise, they forced practitioners to submit written guarantees.
3. An official in a town forbids practitioners to practice together. He threatened that anyone who’s found practicing in a group of more than three would no longer receive their retirement pension payments.
4. Starting early morning on May 22, public security members blocked major road intersections in the city, searched passengers, and confiscated any books or practice costumes they could find about Falun Gong.
5. On May 29, officials of some functional departments blindly blamed Falun Gong practitioners as a factor for social instability at a meeting. They demanded Party and League members and cadres to quit Falun Gong, and claimed to “isolate a few illegal figures”. The law-abiding Falun Gong practitioners were described as a “cold-blooded, practice-only-minded and lazy group” and “evil religion followers”. They also made up and spread rumors to defame Master Li Hongzhi, founder of Falun Gong. In such spirit, many work units conducted so-called “forceful education”, threatening to expel practitioners from the Party, fire them, and stop paying them salaries if they continue to stay in the “organization”.
4.5.92 Public security agents wiretapped Falun Gong practitioners’ telephone lines
Message received: June 11, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners
Location of incident: Qidong, Jiangsu Province, China
Description:
1. Public security agents monitored Falun Gong practitioners’ telephone calls, tailed them and openly claimed that “We know all your conversation”.
2. An official forbids practitioners to practice together. If practitioners were practicing in groups, they were told that they would no longer receive their retirement pension.
4.5.93 Police tailing practitioners and wiretapping telephones
Message received: June 10, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners
Location of incident: Daqing, Hilongjiang Province, China
Description:
Since the end of May, some local functional departments constantly harassed normal practice at practice sites. They also tried to curb practice by talking with practitioners, asking practitioners to attend meetings and register. Recently, they resorted to such disgraceful measures as tailing practitioners and wiretapping telephones, which also go against the Constitution and laws, and hurt the image of the Party and the country.
4.5.94 Falun Gong practitioners received threats from police
Message received: June 9, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners
Location of incident: Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China
Description:
1. Universities prohibit Falun Gong practitioners from practicing on the property. Students received warnings of expulsion if they practiced Falun Gong.
2. Officials from Jiangling Factory told Falun Gong practitioners if they practiced together they would be under suspicion of conspiracy.
3. Practitioners received threats from police and were told to stop practicing.
4.5.95 Practitioners detained, tailed, interrogated and requested to write report
Message received: June 6, 1999 Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners Location of incident: China Description:
(Agence France Presse) The residents of Beijing said that on that day, the officers from the Public Security Department in a western Beijing suburb detained several bus loads of Falun Gong practitioners. A Falun Gong practitioner from Guangzhou said, “The situation in Guangzhou is slightly better. Practitioners are tailed and interrogated, or requested to write reports. But in Beijing, officers and cadres occupied practice sites, and often used trailers to drive into practice sites to disperse practitioners.
4.5.96 Practitioners will lose their Party membership and jobs, military personnel and their family members strictly prohibited from practicing Falun Gong
Message received: June 3, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners
Location of incident: Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, P.R. China
Description:
Even more confusing and shocking is that while public security departments at all levels are announcing notices to “reveal the rumors”, they are acting upon the “rumors”. While they are declaring that expelling practitioners from the Party and office is rumor, they demand Party members and cadres to stop practicing; Otherwise they will lose their Party membership and jobs. Even so, they are prohibited from practicing Falun Gong, and their books and practicing tapes are confiscated. Military personnel and their family members are strictly prohibited from practicing Falun Gong.
4.5.97 Some work units demand their employees to quit practicing Falun Gong
Message received: June 2, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners in Wuhan City
Location of incident: Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
Description:
Practitioners in a certain area had been practicing Falun Gong in a nearby primary school. But they were no longer able to do that now. The reason was that “the above” prohibits providing venues for practicing Falun Gong. Some work units frequently talk with employees practicing Falun Gong, ask them “do you know the Beijing event”, “how are you organized”, “who is your head”, “what time do you practice”, etc. Some work units demand their employees not to practice Falun Gong. Otherwise, they will have to abandon the Party membership. Some inquired about practicing activities while pretending to check residency legitimacy. Some came to practice sites from time to time asking “who is your leader?” “where did you buy the book?”. Some practitioners were tailed and forbidden to leave their homes. Insecurity was among the people.
4.5.98 Falun Gong practitioners in Wuihai City were harassed on practice site
Message received: May 30, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners in Wuihai City
Location of incident: Wuihai, Shandong Province, China
Description:
On May 22, 4am, while practitioners at Jingyuan practice site were practicing in the People’s Square, suddenly half dozen people arrived in 2 cars and said, “since we’ll have public activities right here, practice is not allowed now.” When asked how long was the wait they replied “Three days.”
On May 27, 3am, 200 practitioners were practicing at the People’s Square. Four street cleaning vehicles reeking of pesticide parked in front of the square. At ten after four, uniformed gardeners and civil agents came and shouted, “leave! Everybody leave!” They tried to make the practitioners leave by generating noise, but after they saw no one was moving, they came up with the excuse of cleaning the square. Some practitioner asked if they could wash the square half section at a time, but all proposals were rejected. Then some one asked if an arrangement could be made so we can avoid time conflicts. They said,”if we practice all the time, then they’ll be sure to clean the square all day and night.” Since we didn’t get favorable answers, we continued the practice. Then someone shouted, “spray on them, let’s see whether this practice is waterproof or not.” They sprayed us for five minutes. Many practitioners were wet but none made any sound or movement. It wasn’t until when an elderly bystander shouted to them, “ how could you do such sordid acts?” they finally stopped and went inside their cars. Two reporters from other places happened to be able to videotape this heart-felt event.
May 28, 3:00am, 300 practitioners were practicing at the People’s Square. A few gardeners under one person’s command started to spray practitioners with water. Practitioners’ belongings got wet, but everyone was calm, only endured in silence. After the practice was over, the practitioners even helped them clean the Square. Afterwards, some practitioners asked their director, “would your morals permit such action?” They replied,” there’s nothing we can do, we are only following the orders from above.”
4.5.99 Public Security Bureau pressed work unit to denounce Falun Gong
Message received: May 29, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners
Location of incident: Hubei Province, China
Description:
Public Security Departments conducted strict investigations in the whole prefecture but did not find any mis-conduct of Falun Gong practitioners. On the contrary, most people spoke highly of Falun Gong practitioners, they even admitted that “98% practitioners are good people”. They asked work units to restrict open practice. They also pressured work units to announce the “name list of the organization” at staff meetings and declared that Falun Gong was “almost like an evil religion”. Their conducts have aroused misunderstandings among some people who were informed of ill-purposed information, who came to believe that Falun Gong was an “anti-revolutionary sect”. Some public security bureaus even distributed forms to work units, residential committees and production teams in rural villages for registering Falun Gong practitioners. The registration stirred up people’s anxiety across the county. They also asked Party members and cadres to stop practicing Falun Gong, the cost for failing to do so is revoking of their Party membership and jobs.
4.5.100 Practice site was shut down by police
Message received: May 22, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners in Shanghai
161
Location of incident: Shanghai, China
Description:
Provided by a practitioner in Shanghai.
On May 22, I went to the practice site as usual. Many policemen were patrolling the streets. When I arrived at the practice site, I found the Chongwenmen New World Shopping Mall where we used to practice was shut down by canvas. Policemen guarded all entrances. Several police cars were also parked nearby. The canvas read “Construction”. However, to my surprise, I couldn’t see any construction activities inside when peeking through the canvas (a few days later, the canvas was removed). Then we found another empty space and continued our practice for that day. Very soon, some police cars arrived and kept a close watch on us. Actually, there have been numerous things like this happened in recent days.
4.5.101 Members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army prohibited from practicing
Message received: April 27, 1999 Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners Location of incident: China Description: Government Announcement
In connection with the gathering of over ten thousand Falun Gong practitioners at Zhongnanhai, the spokesperson of the Communist China External Affairs Department, Yuxi Sun, pointed out, that after careful consideration, every government office concerned did not prohibit any healthy exercise and activities; in fact personnel from the State Department did meet and negotiate with the Falun Gong practitioners.
The General Political Department of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army did command that members of the military are prohibited from practicing Falun Gong. It also ordered that all military personnel, inclusive of serving and retired in the military system are prohibited from taking part in Falun Gong activities.
4.5.102 Practitioners’ identification cards were confiscated
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners in Shenyang City
Location of incident: Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
Description:
The police in Shenyang went to the homes of Falun Dafa practitioners to confiscate their identification cards to prevent them from going out of town.
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