Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in Laishui County, Hebei Province

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After the Sichuan earthquake, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) County Council and the local government, 610 Office1, Public Security Bureau, National Security Team, and all levels of village and town Party committees created a special squad dedicated to arresting and harassing Falun Gong practitioners under the pretext of "protecting the Olympics." They used a list of practitioners from 1999. Moreover, the local television station was used to manipulate local citizens into monitoring and reporting practitioners, and promised, at least in name, a reward of 5,000 yuan2 for each report.

Party henchmen have also broken into practitioners' homes by breaking their locks and jumping over their fences. Once in, they ransack every cupboard, drawer, and shelf, stealing anything they can find. Every TV, DVD player, radio, and mobile phone belonging to practitioners gets stolen. Even young children's school bags and books are not spared. Close to ten practitioners, including Yan Haidong, Wei Youtong, Zhao Shuying, and Li Zilai, were arrested. Yan Haidong's parents were both persecuted to death. Yan himself was sent to a labour camp twice and has only recently been released. Now he has been arrested again.

At noon on June 2nd, two practitioners in Wanggezhuang--Zheng Xiuyun and Zhao Xia--were distributing leaflets exposing the persecution and telling people the facts about Falun Gong in Guogezhuang when they were reported to the authorities. Both practitioners were taken to the local police station. However, the police did not find any Falun Gong leaflets on them, so they broke into the practitioners' homes and found Falun Gong books and leaflets. Both practitioners were released only after having 800 "yuan" extorted from them.

Between June 6th and 8th, the Laishui County special squad made a concentrated effort to persecute Falun Gong practitioners in Songgezhuang Township. They went to every single practitioner's home on their list. They conducted searches, harassed citizens, and frightened the public.

In the afternoon on June 6th, about two dozen people from the Laishui County special squad, along with members of the Songgezhuang Township Party Council, arrived in three police cars at a practitioner's home in Wanggezhuang Village. No one was home. Instead of leaving, the gang broke open the lock and stole a dozen Falun Gong books, CDs exposing the persecution, and a set of satellite dishes.

The gang then went to the home of Guo Fuyun in the same village. Similarly, they stole a set of satellite dishes, a VCD player, and many Dafa books as well as leaflets exposing the persecution.

At around 1 p.m. on June 7th, two dozen people went to practitioner Liang Huilan's home in Wukongsi Village, Songgezhuang Township. They stole Falun Gong books and leaflets. Four policemen carried Liang Huilan into their car. Liang was taken to the police station and was only released after handing over 3,000 yuan.

At around 1 p.m. on June 8th, the same gang went to Wei Youtong's home in Wanggezhuang and stole two dozen Falun Gong books, and many leaflets. A set of satellite dishes and a DVD player were also stolen. Wei Youtong was arrested.

The same day, Zhao Yaping, Guo Xiuhai, and several other practitioners' homes were also broken into.

At around 7 p.m. on June 7th, practitioner Zhou Jingchun from Zhoujiazhuang Village was forcibly arrested and taken to the station by policemen Niu Zhigang and Xu Hongwei's gang from Yongyang Town Police Station. Many of his personal belongings were also stolen by the police.

It is now harvest time for wheat, and Mr. Zhou Jingchun is the only able man in his family. Both his parents are 86 years old and there is no one else to work the fields. His distraught parents went to the detention center to request Zhou's release. Instead of sympathizing with their plight, the policemen refused to see them. They were told that Zhou will be released once he "behaves well," meaning when he starts defaming Falun Gong. Of course, a practitioner would never do such a thing.

On June 8th, practitioner Yi Zemin from Jushi Village Yongyang Town, Laishui County, was also arrested, his home was broken into, and he is currently detained in the police station.

Note

1. "The 610 office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.

2. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.cc/mh/articles/2008/6/16/180339.html

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