[Minghui Net] On the afternoon of May 11, 2001, police from the Sanhehuang County Police Station, the Beicheng Police Station, and the Criminal Enforcement Squad surrounded the house of Zhao Lianjun, a practitioner living in the Hewan District. Another practitioner, Li Yonglian, escaped from Zhao's house, but she was chased by the police and arrested in the end. The police also arrested two other practitioners: Tan Suhua and Zhao Xie. Zhao Xie had just stopped by Zhao's house to visit. She had Falun Dafa materials on her, so she was arrested.

The police were unable to open Zhao's door so they forced it open with a jack hammer. They arrested Zhao Junlian as well as her guest Li Fengxia, a fellow practitioner. The police also searched Zhao's house and confiscated some of her family property.

Another practitioner, Zhao Shuying, was visiting her friend who lived in the Hewan District. When Zhao left, she accidentally ran into the police officers that were arresting Zhao Lianjun. Since Zhao Shuying was a Falun Gong practitioner, they arrested her too. In addition to these arrests, the police searched several practitioners' homes and insulted their family members.

After the practitioners were arrested, they were sent to the Beicheng Police Station. Several police officers, including Shi (the deputy head of the station), Yan Jianshu (dirctor), Ai Guanglian (the deputy head of the station), and an officer from the Huangzhuang Police Station, all beat the practitioners. One police officer, Ai Guangliang, was particularly bad; he continually cursed at the practitioners while beating them. He had no humanity at all.

During the night, police sent the practitioners to a detention center. Because Zhao Shuying refused to be searched by the police, she was taken to a room where she was searched by force. One man pressed his foot to her head while another man pressed on her body; a third person searched her. Because Zhao Lianjun refused to sign her name, Shi, the deputy head from the Beicheng Police Station, kicked her stomach violently.

In the detention center, the practitioners held a hunger strike to protest the violation of human rights; they became weak as a result. As of May 18, several practitioners have been released.

If any of the practitioner's lives are endangered, it is a result of the policemen's violent treatment rather than the practitioners' committing suicide. We are calling for all the kind-hearted people in the world to support our human rights and freedom of belief. We are appealing for the end of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.