Five Practitioners Detained, 628 Signatures Collected for Their Release

(Minghui.org) Six practitioners in Mishan City, Heilongjiang Province, were recently arrested after they distributed calendars and posters related to Falun Gong. Within several days, 628 signatures were collected calling to release these practitioners, but five of them are still detained.

Arrest and Detention

Mr. Fan Mingsheng and five women practitioners from Heitai Town went to Taiping Town to distribute calendars, paintings, and posters with words related to Falun Gong on the morning of December 14, 2016. Fan was the driver and other practitioners were Ms. Wang Yufeng, Ms. Yu Xiuxiang, Ms. Guo Xiuhua, Ms. Yang Shuxian, and Ms. Shang Yanhua.

They were stopped by three police officers Liang Hongrui, Ju Hongguang, and Yang Junyou on their way back. After taking these practitioners to Taiping Police Station, the officers contacted Domestic Security Division of Mishan County Police Department. Division director Yu Jinlin and assistant director Yu Haiying sent them to Mishan Detention Center with a term of 15 days.

Yu Jinlin and Yu Haiying on the 13^th day claimed this was a criminal case, and sent the five women practitioners to Jixi City Detention Center. Upon arriving there, Ms. Shang kept vomiting. Officials took her to Jixi Mine Hospital for a physical exam and her four limbs did not function well. Seeing the detention center refusing to accept Ms. Shang, Yu Haiying extorted 5,000 yuan from her family and released her. Ms. Shang' son and daughter-in-law took her home afterwards.

Signatures Calling for Release

After hearing about this, 628 signatures were collected within several days from neighbors, friends, and local residents, urging Yu Haiying to release those five practitioners who are still detained.

With an appeal letter and the signatures, family members of these five practitioners went to the Mishan City government to report the reckless arrest by Yu Haiying. They said the arrest had no legal basis. Li Dexiang, appeal office director in the Commission for Inspecting Discipline, read the materials and ignored the request. He handed the appeal letter to a security officer and instructed him not to let the family members come in the building later on. The security officer then drove them away.

The family members went to Mishan Procuratorial Office. An officer who read the letter said the office was not in charge of the police department and refused to accept the case. The family members then visited the mayor's office, but a security officer did not let them in.

Contact information:Li Dexiang, appealing office director in the Commission for Inspecting Discipline: [phone]Yang Junyou, police officer: [phone]Li Jinlin, Mishan Domestic Security Division Director, [phone] (office), [phone] (home), [phone]Yu Haiying, Assistant Director of Mishan Domestic Security Division, [phone] (office), [phone] (home), [phone]