Practitioner Ms. Liu Hongmei from Heilongjiang Province Repeatedly Arrested and Brainwashed

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Liu Hongmei, 42, was an employee of the Agricultural Administration. She worked at Farmland Number 858, Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province. After the persecution of Falun Gong began on July 20th, 1999, the 858 Farmland pressured local Falun Gong practitioners to give up their beliefs in Falun Gong. Because Ms. Liu refused, under the pressure from the 610 Office¹ and local police station of the 858 Farmland, she was arrested and sent to brainwashing centres many times.

Before Ms. Liu started practising Falun Gong she suffered from rheumatism, for which she sought medical treatment numerous times, but with no relief. After she began her practice of Falun Gong in 1997, she recovered from her illness without the need of any medical treatment. She benefited from her practice of Falun Gong both physically and mentally. She always measured herself against the Falun Gong principles "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" and treated others kindly. Recognized as a good person among her colleagues, she was awarded the title Advanced Worker at her workplace in 1999. Despite this, she was still persecuted for her belief after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started to persecute Falun Gong.

On March 20th, 2000, Ms. Liu was arrested by officers Mi Jianhua and Mou Yingchun from the 858 Farmland Police Station. She was sent to a brainwashing centre run by the 858 Farmland. During forty days in the brainwashing centre, she was mistreated and forced to pay 2,000 yuan² for her living expenses. She was not released until the police confiscated 5,000 yuan from her husband's salary.

In July 2000 Wang Yuqin, deputy chief of the 858 Farmland, and Song Lixue, chief of the Propaganda Section and the 610 Office at the farmland, attempted to force her to give up Falun Gong and promise not to go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong, by threatening that she would be dismissed from her job if she did so. Ms. Liu refused to make any such guarantee or promise. Wang Yuqin then ordered the subordinate of the Wandashan Food Producer in 858 Farmland, where Ms. Liu worked, to dismiss her. He later sent Ms. Liu to the Detention Centre of the Agricultural Administration of Mudanjiang City, where she was detained and mistreated for 53 days.

On December 8th, 2000 Ms. Liu went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. She was arrested by Wang Yuqin and policemen Han Zhaohuan and Wang Zhibin. She was escorted back to the police station of the 858 Farmland. At night she was hung with her hands cuffed to the wall by Tang Jingtian, secretary of the Discipline Committee of the 858 Farmland, and Song Lixue. On the third day she was sent to the Detention Centre of the Agricultural Administration and was later sentenced to a one-year term at the Wanjia Forced Labour Camp in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province.

During her incarceration at the Wanjia Forced Labour Camp Ms. Liu was forced to work, sit straight on a small bench for long periods of time and read articles and watch videos slandering Falun Gong. She was even locked in a room with male prisoners for four days. Because she remained steadfast in her belief in Falun Gong she was isolated and mistreated in a dark and humid cell for long periods of time. As a result she developed scabies all over her body and became unable to look after herself. Being afraid that she might die, the labour camp ordered the 610 Office official from her workplace and her relatives to take her back to the 858 Farmland.

In October 2002 Zhao Dexiang, deputy secretary of the Communist Party Committee of the 858 Farmland, along with Shan Hongshan, director of the police station also in charge of the 610 Office of the farmland, again sent Ms. Liu to the brainwashing centre of the Agricultural Administration of 858 Farmland. Due to the joint resistance by the Falun Gong practitioners held in the brainwashing centre the brainwashing class was dismissed forty days later.

During the time Ms. Liu was held in the labour camp, the officials at her workplace confiscated over 6,000 yuan from her husband's salary as compensation for the costs of arresting the couple when they went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong.

Because of her practice of Falun Gong, Ms. Liu was deprived of her right to work. She has appealed to the farmland authorities numerous times to resolve this situation but has received no response.

People involved in persecuting Ms. Liu Hongmei:
Du Jifu, former secretary of the Communist Party Committee of the 858 Farmland
Wang Yuqin, former deputy chief of the 858 Farmland
Tang Jingtian, secretary of the Discipline Committee of the 858 Farmland
Song Lixue, chief of the Propaganda Section and the 610 Office of the farmland
Xie Jinhe, former chief of the Police Station of 858 Farmland
Han Zhaohuan and Wang Zhibing, officers from the police station of 858 Farmland
Zhao Dexiang, deputy secretary of the Communist Party Committee of the 858 Farmland
Shan Hongshan, director of the police station at the 858 Farmland also in charge of the 610 Office of the 858 Farmland
Shi Yingbai, chief of the Wanjia Forced Labour Camp, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province
Zhang Bo, head of the 12th Squadron of Wanjia Forced Labour Camp

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.ca/mh/articles/2009/7/1/203762.html