Latest News from China - 04/12/2000

[Wuhan]

On February 2 of 2000, the police took 17 Falun Gong practitioners to Jian-gong Guesthouse and detained them separately in different rooms. During the day, the officers from the residential committee were responsible for "transforming their thoughts." At night, the local police were responsible for monitoring them. They were not allowed to leave their rooms, nor were their family members allowed to visit them. They were also required to write a pledge that they would not appeal, not associate with other practitioners and not practice Falun Gong in group in public areas. They could be baited out by their families with a deposit of 6,000 Yuan unless they agreed to write that pledge. Otherwise, they would be detained endlessly. However, no practitioners wrote the pledge.

On March 15 of 2000, Ms. Liu You-qing was sent to a women jail for 3 months of detention. She was told that she would be sentenced if she refused to give up Falun Gong in three months.

On March 17 of 2000, Ms. Tian Sha, 25 years old, was sentenced with a year of forced-labor "education" for no reason.

On March 18 of 2000, 22 practitioners were transferred to another detention center. Their daily schedule was as follows: in the morning, they would accept "thought education"; in the afternoon, they would do forced-labor; in the evening, they would be forced to watch CCTV news and then write a report of their thoughts. During the weekends, they would also do forced-labor. They could not close the door while sleeping.

On April 3, because no practitioners agreed to copy the unreasonable official rules, the police director punished the 26 practitioners physically by forcing them to walk a long distance (100 circles around the playground). The six practitioners who had wrote words such as "Falun Gong', "Cultivation" and "Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance" etc were kept outside for a whole night in the chilly weather. On the next day, these 6 practitioners were forced to walk 100 circles for up to 4 hours. Other three practitioners were also punished because of practicing Falun Gong exercises.

[Ji-lin Province] More Records on the Regime's Persecutions against Falun Gong Practitioners

1, Li XX, 42 years old. On February 14 of 2000, I went to the State's Appealing Office to petition for Falun Gong because I thought Falun Gong is good for both the people and the country. Later, I was taken to the liaison office of my hometown in Beijing. On that night, I was beaten up by three drunk police officers. My right eye was hurt during the beatings. On the third day, I was escorted back to my hometown and got detained for one month.

2, Zhang XX, 62 years old. I got detained in the Detention Center of Liao-yuan after appealing at Beijing on February 28 of 2000. I witnessed the following persecutions against my fellow practitioners.

Ms. Li Xiu-zhen was beaten up by a police officer because she said that she would continue to practice Falun Gong. The officer hit her violently from her waist down to her leg joints. During the second round of beating, Ms. Li Xiu-zhen fell down and lost her consciousness. She did not regain her consciousness even after the officer poured cold water on her. Before long when her family members came to visit her, the police did not allow her family members to see her because she had not recovered from the beatings.

Ms. Lin Yu-xian was also beaten up for practicing Falun Gong exercises. A police officer punched her violently and she fell down to the ground. She lost her consciousness for 2 to 3 minutes afterwards. Later, she was sent to Changchun Labor Camp to serve one year of forced-labor "education" because she refused to give up Falun Gong.

A male practitioner was once tortured like this: four police officers held his arms and legs, and then they dragged and stretched his arms and legs as if they were trying to tear up something. The male practitioner was almost dead from that.

There were many cases as listed above. The detention center forced us to do heavy labors every day. We could not sleep until 2 to 3 am in the next morning. Once practitioners were forced to run outside, and a practitioner fainted and fell down to the ground. Another time, because we practiced Falun Gong exercises in the detention center, the police forced us to stand outside in the snow for more than one hour without allowing us to put on coats.

3, Ms. Li. 29 years old, from Dong-liao County of Ji-lin Province. I started to practice Falun Gong in 1996. On October 28 after the government defamed Falun Gong as an evil religion, I went to the State's Appealing Office attempting to petition the government to correct its mistake. However, I was intercepted by the police and taken to a police station. At around 11 to 12 pm, I was taken to the detention center of Xi-cheng. After some interrogation, the police conducted a body-search on us by stripping off all our clothes. The police even humiliated us by forcing us to walk like a model without any clothes on. We were harassed for about 10 minutes. On the next day, a male police officer interrogated me again. The police accused me of disturbing the social order and required me to sign my name on the warrant for detention. I thought that appealing is the right conferred to a citizen by the Constitution. I had not disturbed any social order. Therefore, I refused to do that. Then the police officer started to beat me up. He demanded me to sign my name as he beat me up. I still refused to do that. Later, the police officer gave my leg joint a kick and I fell onto the ground and could not get up for two to three minutes. My face was beaten to swell to such an extent that I could see my own face. 4 days later, I was escorted back to the detention center of Liao-yuan city and detained for 15 days. On February 13, I went to Beijing to appeal again. I got arrested as soon as I appeared in front of the Appealing Office and was then sent to the Tiananmen Square police station. After some interrogation there, I was then sent to the Liao-yuan City liaison office in Beijing. There, the police officer beat me and 3 other fellow practitioners for more than half an hour. On the next morning, I found that my face looked like a ball with purple and black colors. I could not open my mouth. I could hardly open my eyes. During the three days there, we helped the staff clean the basement and the carpet on the corridor. I was sent back to the detention center of Liao-yuan City for one month of criminal detention. I was released on March 16, 4 days earlier than the due date.

4, Ms. Yuan. 35 years old, from Liao-yuan City of Ji-lin Province. I got arrested at home on December 9 of 1999. I was detained in the cell 219 of the detention center of Liao-yuan City, together with another 10 fellow practitioners including Ms. Ding Wen-rong.

On December 21 of 1999, Ms. Ding Wen-rong and other 3 practitioners were taken to the police department of Dong-liao County. The police there slapped their faces with a bamboo strand (which could make one very painful). After the bamboo strand was broken, the police then used a bamboo block to beat them. Later, the police punished them physically using all kinds of tortures such as "flying" and "hip-splitting" etc. Ms. Ding Wen-rong got many blisters on her face and hands. Another practitioner lost consciousness because of beating.

Because they continued to practice Falun Gong in the detention center, 3 male fellow practitioners, Mr. Qu Hong-kui (he was later sent to labor camp for one year of forced-labor "education"), Mr. Chen Zhen-fu and Mr. Meng Fan-qiang, suffered inhumane mistreatments. The police beat up their bottoms using clubs and leather belts after taking off their pants. The police also punished them physically by the means mentioned above. Later, they were put on shackles. After we knew the inhumane treatments they received, we started group hunger strike. The detention center then temporarily allowed us to practice Falun Gong.