Latest News From China - 03/05/2000

[Changsha City, Hunan Province] Show-trial of Book Dealer

The show-trial of some Falun Gong practitioners who were accused of selling Falun Dafa books was concluded in less than half an hour on March 2.á

The trial sentenced three people, Mr. Feng Fei, Ms. Tan Mi-mi and Ms. Tan's father who worked for the bookstore. The lawyer appointed by Feng Fei's family did not show up.á The lawyer said that his appearance and defense would be useless. The lawyer appointed by Tan Mi-mi's family did not make any statement during the trial. The judge only asked the defendants a few questions such as "Have you ever sold Falun Gong books?" before giving them perfunctory sentences.á

Feng Fei and Tan Mi-mi's father were sentenced 5 years in prison. Tan Mi-mi was sentenced 3 years in prison. In addition, they three were all fined heavily. Their families could not afford the fine and were told that their homes could be ransacked and their houses could be confiscated if they don't pay the fine.

The whole trial appeared more like propaganda. The state-run Xinhua News Agency and local TV stations were ordered to cover the trial. Seventy-seven local book dealers were required to attend the trial and were warned that any book dealer will be given such heavy sentence if he or she sells Falun Dafa books.á

[Beijing] Retired Instructor of the China Air Force Command Institute Defend Falun Dafa

Zhang Jian, a retired instructor of the Air Force Command Institute, started practicing Falun Gong in 1992. He has always conducted himself according to the principles of Falun Dafa and has been a well-known good person.á

Although facing great pressure from the society and the military, he went to practice Falun Gong on Tiananmen Square on February 28 in order to tell people that Falun Gong is a righteous cultivation way.

He was taken away by police and got released after one-hour interrogation. Later, Mr. Zhang went back to his hometown to exchange experience with local fellow practitioners.á

It was said that Mr. Zhang is now under home arrest in the Institute.

[Harbin, Heilongjiang Province] Persecution in a Women Detention Center At the End of 1999

The Gu-xiang Women Detention Center of Harbin included two sub-centers, the phone number of the second one is 011-86-451-4303215. At the end of 1999, Falun Gong practitioners experienced the following persecution in this center.

[1] The police did not allow some female practitioners to use sanitary napkins. They had to tear bed sheets into pieces as substitute.á

[2] Because too many practitioners were escorted back to their hometown from Beijing, Gu-xiang Women Detention Center has become extremely crowded. Over 30 people live in a room that is usually for only 12 people. Over 30 people slept with one touching another. One could not move around all night.á

[3] This women detention center is not supposed to be that kind of labor camp where the detainees are forced to work.á However, the police forced Falun Gong practitioners to work in order to make profit for the center. (The forced labor has been stopped now.)

[4] At the end of 1999, from November to December, the detention center tortured those practitioners on hunger strike with "anus-feeding". It is unknown how many practitioners were tortured like this, but the staff in the detention center admitted that they indeed used that type of physical torture.á

[5] Before the Chinese New Year (February 5), many practitioners were "bailed" out after their family members paid heavy fine. This type of fine is not the bail specified by the laws.á Instead, it is negotiable. The family members of a practitioner, who were not Falun Gong practitioners, negotiated the fine to less than 40,000 Yuan after a lot of effort. A poor practitioner who lived in the countryside was also fined 10,000 to 20,000 Yuan.á That detention center also made their own rule that if a practitioner wants to bail other detained family members, he must first pledge that he would give up Falun Gong.á

The practitioners who have ever gone to Beijing to appeal were fined 3000 up to 50,000 Yuan. The ordinary families in Harbin City could not afford such heavy fine at all. Even after paying the heavy fine, most of practitioners got released only after they signed the pledge that they would not go to Beijing to appeal again.á

According to a conservative estimate, some government agencies and individuals have collected several million Yuan by imposing fine on practitioners who have gone to Beijing to appeal.á This amount does not yet include other fines and money robbed by the police under various kinds of circumstance.