Update on Recently-Arrested Practitioners in Jiamusi City

Under the direct command of the Heilongjiang Province Public Security Bureau, the Jiamusi City Public Security Bureau and Security Bureau arrested fifteen Falun Gong practitioners and their family members in the week following February 8th, 2009. To date they have arrested another nine practitioners and their family members. Amongst them are practitioners who are over sixty or seventy years old, as well as family members of practitioners who are not Falun Gong practitioners. Moreover, friends of practitioners have also been arrested.

In order to determine if the correct person was arrested, all those abducted were forced to curse Falun Gong. In order to arrest other practitioners, they used their family members as hostages and overtly extorted cash from the families. Practitioners were taken to a secret place called a "training centre," for further persecution and torture. The 610 Office¹ (an illegal organization set-up by the Jiang regime to persecute Falun Gong Practitioners, whose power resides above the Public Security, Procuratorate and People's Courts), Public Security Bureau, Security Bureau all participated in the process, using high-tech mobile phone GPS systems to track down and monitor practitioners' mobile phones. Some practitioners' homes were also under 24-hour surveillance.

At around noon on February 17th, Mr. Luan Diancheng received a call from his mother's mobile phone while at work. Someone who called himself Wang said that he was from the works company and that his home had been flooded due to some heating problems. Wang asked Mr. Luan to go home immediately. However, when Mr. Luan asked the phone to be passed to his mother, Wang refused and said, "Your mum is too frightened to answer the phone." After much persuasion, Luan Diancheng did not go home but instead hung up his phone.

Information obtained by sources report that the Public Security Bureau had abducted Mr. Luan's mother as a hostage to try to lure Luan. Later, Mr. Luan's mother was released after paying more than 2,000 yuan² in extortion money. Later, Mr. Luan's second sister, Luan Guixia, was also abducted by the Xiangyang Division Bureau as a hostage, and released after paying 2,500 yuan. According to sources, the Division Bureau Chief surnamed Jiang directly participated in the persecution, and the family members were even under threat to get Luan to write a guarantee statement to renounce Falun Gong.

On the afternoon of February 17th, Ms. Shan Yuqin came to Mr. Liu Xiaobin's rented apartment and saw two cars parked in front of the building. The two cars were filled and in one of the cars, there was a circular device. When she entered the door, a number of hurried knocks on the door followed. Then, around a dozen people jumped in from the window, amongst which were henchmen from the Xiangyang Division Bureau in Jiamusi City. Soon after, Chen Wanyou and a group from the Jiamusi City Public Security Bureau also arrived.

Ms. Shan Yuqin was first taken to Songlin Police Station, but Mr. Liu Xiaobin's whereabouts are unknown. According to sources, the cars had been waiting outside Liu Xiaobin's apartment for days. On February 18, Mr. Sun Qinghe called Liu Xiaobin but no one answered. On his way home, he decided to drop by Liu's apartment but was arrested by people who were lying in wait for him.

Mr. Wu and his son, from Beijiaohua New District were also arrested. Even though the father has returned, his son's whereabouts are currently known. Practitioner Li Xiurong have been missing since February 19th, and has been taken to a detention centre.

Two elderly practitioners Zhang Peiqing and Zhang Guizhi have already returned home. On the night of February 16th, Ms. Song Yuzhi was severely persecuted to the point of losing consciousness. She was sent home by the police later. Ms. Shan Yuqin also returned home on February 19th, after two days of imprisonment at the Songlin Police Station. Another practitioner from Huanan County Yu Xiaoling also returned on February 20th. With the exception of these five and several other family members, the remaining practitioners are still imprisoned. Some of them are still suffering from inhumane torture and persecution.

The Chinese Communist Party has been heightening the persecution under the so-called "security concerns" for the 24th Winter Universiade 2009. Once again we call out to all righteous voices in mainland China and overseas: Please lend a helping hand, voice your concerns and stop the Chinese Communist Party's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

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.