(Clearwisdom.net) In the run-up to the Beijing Olympics, under order from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the authorities in Hengshui City, Hebei Province carried out intensified persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

Officers from the Liubei Police Station in Hengshui City forced Wang Qimu, a manager at Falun Gong practitioner Yang Qiaoling's former workplace, the Hengshui City Meat Factory, to write a guarantee statement to assure that Yang Qiaoling would not "make any trouble" during the Olympics. If Yang Qiaoling were to participate in any activities, Wang Qimu would be immediately fired. Under pressure, Wang Qimu assigned employees (neighbors) to monitor Yang Qiaoling.

During the Olympics, Hengshui City First Paper Mill head Song Shichang, deputy head Wang Xinfa, and the security section chief Yang Shusuo demanded that practitioners in the factory hand in their identification cards. They told the practitioners, "We do not have any other options. The upper management is afraid of you going to Beijing [to appeal]." After the practitioners refused to comply with this unreasonable demand, they then used the pretext of issuing new salary cards to have all employees hand in their identification cards. The real motive was to hold practitioners' ID cards to prevent them from traveling during the Olympics.

Mao Xiuqing Harassed

On August 8, 2008, right before the Olympics Games Opening Ceremony, practitioner Mao Xiuqing from the Hengshui City Third Railroad Bureau had just finished her dinner when she heard someone knocking on her door. Upon opening it, she saw many people outside her home. They showed her a search warrant. After they entered the room, one person attempted to take a photograph of the portrait of Master Li. Mao Xiuqing pushed them out right away. A few minutes later, those people contacted Hexi Administration Office head Liu (located in the residential area) and demanded that Mao Xiuqing open the door. She refused to cooperate with them. At last, those people left. It was reported that there were two police vehicles, more than ten policemen and three plainclothes agents present.

Seventy-year-old Woman Persecuted

Prior to August 8, 2008, Hexi Administration Office head Liu had harassed practitioners Ms. Liu Yifen and Ms. Shan Yulan several times. Liu Yifen wanted to attend her grandson's wedding in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. Right before she left, head Liu led some perpetrators to her house, to demand that she register her whereabouts and demanded her son's phone number. Liu dispatched several people to follow Liu Yifen when she went out shopping. That same night, Liu and several people came to her home again. Liu Yifen asked, "What do you want? Who gives you the right to keep me under surveillance and follow me? Can't I even go out grocery shopping?" Liu said, "If something happens during the Olympics, I would have to take full responsibility." Ms. Liu Yifen said, "What would happen? I practice Falun Gong and strive to become a better person. You do not do any good deeds and always persecute good people. You spend so much money and effort to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. Wouldn't it be great if you could spend the money to help people in the disaster areas? From now, do not harass me any more! I am seventy years old. Why are you afraid of me? What is the CCP afraid of?"

The Ruling Regime Even Harasses Family Members of Deceased Practitioners

Married couple Ms. Wen Jiazhen and Mr. Yang Zhaoxiang and their son Yang Yun died as a result of persecution and torture by the CCP. Prior to the Olympics, the regime harassed the couple's other two sons who do not practice Falun Gong. The sons were forced to register their names. Hexi Administration Office head Liu is also responsible for this.

Persecution of Zhi Xiuqiao

At 8:00 p.m. on July 27, 2008, elderly practitioner Ms. Zhi Xiuqiao was arrested close to the Zhonghua Street Administration Office as she told people about the persecution of Falun Gong. When she was taken to the Administration Office, she went into spasms. The perpetrators then dragged her to the yard. She was shouting, "I want to go home." Several abusers pushed her to the ground. A doctor measured her blood pressure and found it was 180. They were afraid she would die there, so they released her. That same night, several people monitored Ms. Zhi for the whole night. At 4:00 p.m. the next day, several policemen arrested Zhi Xiuqiao again and held her in Hengshui Detention Center for 15 days and extorted 1,000 yuan from her. While in the detention center, guards kept shouting at Ms. Zhi and threatened to send her to the Gaoyang Forced Labor Camp. They also insulted Falun Gong and Master Li. Ms. Zhi Xiuqiao's body kept twitching. The guards took her shaking hands and pushed her fingerprints on a guarantee statement.

After Ms. Zhi returned home, Wang Fuju, the principal from Zhi Xiuqiao's workplace, the Hengshui Thirteenth Middle School, sent school employees to keep Zhi Xiuqiao under day and night surveillance.

Liu Yingjie Followed

During the Olympics, practitioner Liu Yingjie from the Taocheng District was monitored and followed 24 hours a day. There were six persons from Hexi Administration Office following her even as she went shopping. After she became aware of this, Liu Yingjie started telling them the facts about Falun Gong and the persecution. The people following her said that it was their job to keep her under surveillance.

Chen Zhenglei Arrested and Dismissed from Work

At around 3:00 p.m. on July 24, 2008, practitioner Mr. Chen Zhenglei, an employee from the Jiheng Chemical Engineering Corporation in Hengshui City, went to a fellow practitioner's home. Mr. Chen was searched by the police from Kangfu Street Police Station, who were monitoring the fellow practitioner around the practitioner's house. The police took away Mr. Chen's MP4 and arrested him. They then went to Mr. Chen's home and ransacked it at night and took away many personal belongings. While in detention, Chen Zhenglei was interrogated and tortured. Guard Zhang beat his back with a wooden stick until 2:00 a.m. They tied him to a metal chair overnight until 9:00 a.m. the next morning. During his 15-day detention, the abusers extorted 1,000 yuan from his family. Mr. Chen was released on August 9. However, agents from the security office in his company detained him afterwards and forbade him to return home.

On September 1, company officials notified Chen Zhenglei that since he had been absent from work for 15 days, he had been dismissed. They also forced him to write a resignation application. Chen Zhenglei refused to do so. He explained the facts about the persecution and Falun Gong to the staff. They refused to listen and continued trying to force Chen Zhenglei to write the resignation application.

Xiao Qiusheng, Jiheng Chemical Engineering Corporation board head: 86-318-2123752 (Office), 86-318-7956698 (Home), 86-13903185198 (Cell)