Latest News from China - 07/28/2000

[Heilongjiang] Two practitioners from Hegang City were persecuted to death

Zhang Yuzhen, female, 46, Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province. At the beginning of February, the local police detained her in Lulinshan Detention Center of Hegang City, in order to prevent her from going to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. In April, she was transferred to the First Detention Center of Hegang City. Ms. Zhang once got on a hunger strike for five days, and she was beaten many times while in custody. She was released at the beginning of May. Because she suffered bad health due to long-term mistreatment in detention centers, she had to stay in the bed after she was released. She died on June 20, 2000.

Sun Shuqin, female, 58, Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province. In January, she and another practitioner whose surname was Shang went to Beijing Public Security Ministry to appeal for Falun Gong. On January 24, 2000, she was sent to the Hegang Detention Center. On February 14, 2000, she was transferred to the Yingbei County Jail. She went on a hunger strike for four days in April. She died suddenly in the Yingbei County Jail on April 27, 2000.

[Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province]

Currently, about 110 practitioners are being detained in the First Detention Center of Hegang, and about 40 practitioners are being detained in the second Detention Center.

The police and some criminals kept beating up those practitioners who continued to practice Falun Gong until they gave up Falun Gong. Almost all of them have been detained for half a year and most of them were taken away from their homes.

[Wuji] The ridiculous sentences

On the morning of July 24, 2000, the People Court of Wuji County tried Falun Gong practitioners Zhang Linyu and Gu Guoqiang.

Mr. Zhang Linyu, 26, started to practice Falun Gong in 1997. On March 3, 2000, he unfurled a banner of "Falun Dafa" on Tiananmen Square.

Mr. Gu Guoqiang, 37. On February 24, three Falun Gong practitioners visited Mr. Gu at his home. Gu told them that the session of the National People's Congress was going to be held. He also told them the contact information of Mr. Zhang Linyu. Because these three practitioners later went to Beijing to appeal, Gu was regarded as an "organizer".

On the court, the two practitioners talked about the benefits that Falun Gong brought to them, and insisted that Falun Gong is righteous, although the judge did not allow such discussions. Mr. Gu also pointed out in his defense that appeal is the constitutional right of a Chinese citizen.

The two practitioners did not hired lawyers. As a result, the court appointed two lawyers for them. The lawyers also pointed out that the accusations against the two defendants were unclear and inappropriate.

A dozen of Falun Gong practitioners audited the trial, including Mr. Gu's father, and the wife of Mr. Zhang. They all felt indignant about the trial against two good people.

It was said that the officer 610, which was responsible for persecuting Falun Gong, had already determined the sentences of the two practitioners. Mr. Gu could be sentenced to three years in prison, and the sentence of Mr. Zhang could be even harsher.

Currently, six practitioners were detained in the Wuji County Detention Center. Mr. Zhang's father had been detained for half a year. Right before July 20, 2000, he was detained again.

[Beijing]

On the night of July 18, 2000, Beijing Police Department started to arrest Falun Dafa practitioners over a large scale. Many practitioners were arrested at home. It was obvious that the police had made preparations for the massive arresting. They brought the arrest certificates, and claimed that the arrests did not need any legal justification. Arrested practitioners were directly thrown into the detention centers in different districts. These detention centers had already made preparations to detain practitioners.

For those who went on hunger strike, they force-fed them with high-density salt water. Many practitioners felt burning pain in their stomachs after force-feeding and they had to drink a large amount of water to dilute the salt in their bodies. Those practitioners who refused to drink water suffered even more. The guards often beat those practitioners who refused to be interrogated. In the detention center of Chaoyang District alone, about 500-600 practitioners were detained. It was said that a police officer would get a few hundred Yuan in reward for each practitioner he arrested.

[Harbin]

A few days ago, the TV station of Harbin City broadcasted that Falun Gong fliers were found on the streets. The police arrested some practitioners, and tortured them in order to find out the sources of the Falun Gong fliers. Some practitioners' arms were black due to electric shock. But still they refused to tell the police where they got the materials on the facts of Falun Gong.

[Chongqing]

On July 18, 2000, Falun Gong practitioner Liu Xinmei (female, 70) and her danghter Lei Zhengbi, and some other practitioners, Wang Shiqun, Hua Ying, Guo Xizhen, etc., were arrested for copying and spreading Falun Gong materials. The owner of the Kehai Copying Store, Zhang Yongqiang, and his father Zhang Dingguo (who was a teacher in the Banan Normal School) were also arrested, and the copying store was closed.

[Chongqing] The Changan Company in Chongqing City announced the following rules regarding Falun Gong practitioners:

1. The employees who insist on practicing Falun Gong will be fired. The family members of such people will also be fired.

2. The retired employees who insist on practicing Falun Gong will not receive the pension. They will only be paid their basic living fees.

3. Those who report practitioners who distribute Falun Gong materials will be rewarded.