Since July 22, 1999, practitioners in Fushan District have endured extremely harsh persecution, and the people's right to study and practice Falun Gong has been deprived. Many practitioners have lost their freedom, their jobs and their income. Despite all of this, many practitioners continue their practice. They are doing all they can to protect and promote Falun Dafa. The following are seven of their stories:

1. Many practitioners were detained repeatedly without legal procedures. Some, including Gao Hongyu and Zhai Libo, were sent to mental hospitals. Others, like Hou Guoqing and Yu Zhong, were sent to labor camps. Some people were sent to "re-education camps" for long-term illegal detention immediately after their release from police detention. Each practitioner was forced to pay a 2,000 Yuan (about US$250) fine plus a "tuition" cost of 40 Yuan per day.

2. Government units imposed an arbitrary fine, stripping practitioners of their money. The money of all people arrested while making an appeal in Beijing was confiscated. Officials of the Fushan liaison office in Beijing and the police confiscated all of their money without making any records or doing any paper work. To protest the inhuman treatment in the detention center, Zhao Qiuxian went on a hunger strike for 19 days. After her release, she was forced to check into the "re-education camp" and pay a heavy fine. Fearful for her life, Zhao's family had to give them their home property deed for her release.

3. The physical abuse from the government units and police included beating, torture, and public humiliation. Some people were fired from their jobs and lost their fundamental right to work and live.

4. In a "re-education camp," the Party leader Zhu Xiangping, and government leader Sun Guofu (Fushan District), instructed their employees to beat people. Sun Guofu told his people to "beat the hell out of them, anything goes as long as you don't kill them." Zhai Libo (24 years old) went to Beijing to appeal four times and was harshly punished. In November of 1999, Ji Xuemao, head of the Fushan liaison office in Beijing repeatedly slapped Zhai's face with a shoe. Zhai's face was badly injured. Upon his return to Fushan, Zhai was beaten while handcuffed by the heads of the detention center, Chen and Sun. Determined to protect Falun Dafa, he again traveled to Beijing, and was arrested and taken to a mental hospital. He was force-fed medication and suffered both physically and mentally.

5. Many female practitioners are abused badly. Hu Haifeng, Sun Yan and Sui Chengxiang were handcuffed in the detention center. Pan Yongqing was arrested for practicing Falun Gong exercises in June 2000. Police officer Liu Lizhi used a high voltage electric baton to repeatedly shock her until she lost control of her bladder and bowels and vomited violently. To protest this, Pan Yongqing went on hunger strike. But on the 5th day, police officer Sun Jun beat her while she had on handcuffs and he also grabbed her hair and slammed her head against the wall. Police officer Zhang Zemin and his partner used cruel tortures to harm Liu Yufeng. They used archaic tortures such as "Hanging Airplane" and "Tiger's Bench" as well as face slapping and an electric baton. During the torture, Zhang said with a wild laughter: "We are wolves in police uniforms." His partners said: "We are indeed just stand-ins for thugs." The torture continued until 11:00PM.

6. Some practitioners were brought outside to be publicly humiliated on the street, reminding people of the horrors of the Cultural Revolution. On July 18, 2000, the handcuffed Hou Guoqing and Yu Zhong were both led out to the street and subjected to public humiliation and insults before they were sent to a labor camp. At that point, Hou Guoqing (60 years old) had been on a hunger strike for more than 30 days, but the police would not spare him.

7. Seven practitioners at the Yantai Decorative Fabric Company were fired from their jobs; the Yantai Fushan Municipal government issued a severe warning (a disciplinary penalty) to one practitioner; while two other practitioners at the Yantai Packaging Factory were suspended from work.

These violent acts against Falun Gong practitioners have angered many people as well as the heavens. The criminals will pay for their actions; truth and justice will eventually prevail.

Falun Gong Practitioners in China

October 2000