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Some Falun Gong practitioners who were illegally detained at Sanhuan Hotel at Huitong Road, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province | A two-and-a-half- year- old child, left with nobody to take care of him, had to be placed in confinement with his relatives |
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The imprisoned boy was crying | This child was not given medical attention even though he was suffering from a fever |
Photo Description: On January 20, 2001, police from Qiaodong District Police Department in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, illegally took Dafa practitioners from their homes by either luring or kidnapping them, overriding the laws and basic human rights. They detained them at Dongfeng Road Detention Center, Shijiazhuang City. During the Chinese Spring Festival [
January 24, 2001], there were a total of 37 Dafa practitioners illegally imprisoned there, and two of them were later sent to a labor camp. As the detained practitioners were on a hunger strike, some of them were released on February 9, 2001, and all were forced to pay fines ranging from 5,000 Yuan to 10,000 Yuan [
about US$580-1160, average monthly wage in China is about $60]. Later, because UN General Secretary Mr. Annan was visiting China and the authorities were afraid of the negative political repercussions, more than 10 Dafa practitioners, including Zhao Fenge, Zhang Jinzhi, Gao Hanzong, Liu Zongqun, Liu Liqun and Qiu Lanfang , were transferred to Sanhuan Hotel at Huitong Road, Shijiazhuang City and detained there by the police from Penghou Street Police Station and officers from Penghou Street Administrative Office. The authorities threatened and extorted money from their victims, attempting to make them recant the beliefs for which they were being persecuted [
giving up their belief in Falun Dafa], but their efforts were in vain. Finally, they released these practitioners on March 15, 2001, after holding them for almost two months. However, even as they released the practitioners the authorities extorted payment from the relatives, making them cover all their hotel expenses, amounts from 1200 to 1900 Yuan.