Eighteen Practitioners Arrested, One Dies of Torture

Prior to October 1st, 2009, officers from the National Security Division of Dezhou City Police Department in Shandong Province, as well as township police stations and 610 Offices (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) arrested 18 practitioners and ransacked their homes. Three were sentenced to forced labour. Ms. Ma Hongwei died from the torture. The other practitioners were released after large sums of money were extorted.

The following belongings were confiscated: at least 9 computers, 13 printers, 5 paper cutters, DVD burners, Falun Gong books, and money. The officers imprisoned the practitioners in detention centres and tried to force them to write the so-called Guarantee Statement not to practise Falun Gong. The officers also demanded money from the practitioners' families or else the practitioners would be sentenced to forced labour. They extorted over 200,000 yuan¹, which doesn't include additional cash, dinners, and presents that family members gave to the officers. Many practitioners' families were then faced with financial difficulties.

Crimes Committed by Dezhou City Police

1. Ms. Han Qiaofei from Wucheng County, Shandong Province, became homeless to avoid being arrested. She stayed in the Daliuzhuang Residential Area in Dezhou City. On July 18th, 2009, officers from the Dezhou City Police Station and Wucheng County Police Station arrested her. They confiscated two computers, one printer, one DVD burner, Falun Gong books, and other personal belongings. They detained Ms. Han at the Dezhou City Detention Centre. Several days later she was taken to the Wucheng County Detention Centre. In August she was sentenced to two years of forced labour and taken to the Zhangqiu Detention Centre in Jinan City.

2. Ms. Zhang Yuling was employed at a petrochemical plant. In the evening on July 21st, 2009 she was arrested by the doorkeeper at the Yayuan Residential Area. She was reported for distributing Falun Gong materials and later arrested by officers from the Dongdi Police Station in the Decheng District. The officers handcuffed her to radiators and turned the temperature of the air conditioner to the lowest setting for the entire night. The next morning she was unable to speak. The police threatened and intimidated her to try to make her report on other practitioners. She was later detained at the Dezhou City Detention Centre. The police extorted 10,000 yuan from her, promising to release her. In 2007 Ms. Zhang experienced similar persecution.

3. Mr. Ma Yuqing was arrested at 6 a.m. on August 11th, 2009, at home. Those involved in the arrest included an officer with the surname Ji from the Dezhou City 610 Office, Duan Huijuan from the Decheng District Police Substation, the head of the Yuguandun Police Station, and around a dozen officers. They confiscated Falun Gong books and Falun Gong materials. His mother tried to stop the police from taking her son away. The officers told Mr. Ma's wife to sign the arrest warrant, but she refused. They grabbed her hand and forced her to fingerprint the arrest warrant. They asked her if she practised Falun Gong. She replied that those that practised Falun Gong kept fit and were good people. She said they had no money to pay for medical care. Then the police wanted to know who gave them the Falun Gong materials. She said that they were placed outside her and everyone else's doors. The police accused her of making trouble. They arrested Mr. Ma Yuqing and detained him at the Dezhou City Detention Centre in a dark isolation cell. There were all kinds of instruments of torture in the cell. They forced him to take his clothes off. They demanded he give them information on other practitioners. Mr. Ma insisted that it was not wrong to believed in the principles of Truthfulness- Compassion-Forbearance and refused to co-operate. Mr. Ma's family went to the Decheng District Police Substation to request his release, but officers Liu Dawei and Duan Huijuan did not agree. Mr. Ma was released after his family paid 15,000 yuan.

After July 1999, Mr. Ma was repeatedly persecuted. Prior to October 1st, 1999, he went to Beijing to appeal. He was arrested and escorted back. The local police held him in the Dezhou City Detention Centre. He was released on February 1st, 2000, after the officers had extorted 4,000 yuan from him. On March 16, 2007, 12 days after his wedding, Mr. Ma was arrested and imprisoned in a detention centre once again. He was only released after paying 5,000 yuan.

4. Mr. Chen Zhizhong (also called Chen Zhihua) was from the Jingfeng Company Residential Area, the Decheng District. On the evening of September 16th, 2009, Zhang Xikun (male), head of the Political and Security Section of the Decheng District Police Subdivision; officers Liu Dawei (male) and Duan Huijuan (female); two deputy heads of the Changzhuang Township Police Station with the surnames of Xia and the Ren; and several others broke into Mr. Chen's home and arrested him. Also arrested were Mr. Wang Jianping and Mr. Shao Minghui from the Dezhou Petrochemical Plant who were visiting Mr. Chen. The police confiscated a computer, a paper cutter, six printers, pliers, wrenches, mobile phone batteries, and 13,200 yuan. When the family members tried to stop the police, they said that the money and goods were contraband. They even wanted to arrest Mr. Chen's wife but failed. Mr. Chen Zhizhong, Mr. Wang Jianping, and Mr. Shao Minghui were held in the Dezhou City Detention Centre.

Mr. Chen Zhizhong's wife and relatives went to the Decheng District Police Substation to request his release. Officer Liu Dawei began to argue and fight with Mr. Chen's wife. Liu attempted to detain her unsuccessfully. One month later, when Mr. Chen's family took some clothes to the detention centre, they were told that Mr. Chen had been transferred to the Zhangqiu Forced Labour Camp in Jinan City. Mr. Chen was found to have high blood pressure, so the forced labour camp refused to take him. Officer Liu Dawei used the money taken from Mr. Chen's home to bribe the forced labour camp officials.

After July, 1999, Mr. Chen was forced to leave home to avoid being arrested. On February 10th, 2002, one day before the Chinese New Year, officers from the Dezhou City and Tiexi Police Station of Decheng District arrested Mr. Chen and held him at the Wangcun Detention Centre for three years.

5. Officers detained Mr. Wang Jianping and Mr. Shao Minghui for nearly one month and released them only after having extorted over 15, 000 yuan from their families.

6. Mr. Hou Zhaoli was from the Jiachengjingyuan Residential Area, Dezhou City. On September 17th, 2009, when Mr. Hou Zhaoli returned home, officers arrested him. Those involved included Zhang Xikun, head of the National Security Division in Dezhou City; Liu Dawei; and officers from the Xihedong Police Station in the Decheng District. The police ransacked his home and arrested his wife, also a practitioner. They were detained at the Dezhou Detention Centre. Five days later they were released after the police had extorted 40,000 yuan from their families.

7. On the same day Zhang Xikun and Liu Dawei from the Decheng District Police Substation also arrested Ms. Li Junlan, who was from Lingxian County and lived at the Jiachengjingyuan Residential Area in the Decheng District. They confiscated her electric motorbike, mobile phones, and other items. She was sentenced to one year of forced labour. After one year and six months, Ms. Li suffered severe symptoms of heart disease and was in a coma. The police still did not want to release her and took her, instead, to a woman's detention centre. The forced labour camp did not want to be held responsible for her and refused to take her in. Only then did the police release her.

On September 30th, 2009, Ms. Li's niece, Ms. Li Yunfeng, went to Decheng Police Substation to request the release of her aunt. Officers Liu Dawei and Zhang Xikun detained Ms. Li Yunfeng. When Ms. Li Yunfeng tried to reason with the officers, she was beaten and then detained in the Dezhou City Detention Centre. On October 24th, she was released after her husband paid 20,000 yuan.

8. Ms. Lian Xiurong was from the Shizhi Residential Area. On the evening of September 16th, 2009, officers from the Beidecheng District Police Substation broke into Ms. Lian's home, but she was not there. The following morning when she left her home, she was arrested. The officers confiscated three printers, one computer, paper cutters, paper, and personal items. Ms. Lian was detained for nearly one month and was released only after the police extorted 15,000 yuan from her family.

9. Ms. Sun Jingrong was arrested on September 17th, 2009. Zhang Xikun, head of the Political and Security Section of Decheng District; officers Liu Dawei and Wu Zhenyuan; Tang Guoqing, head of the Hubing Beilu Police Station in the Decheng District; and officer Li Guozhi ransacked Ms. Sun's home. On October 16th the police released Ms. Sun after extorting 20,000 yuan from her family. Officers from the Hubing Beilu Police Station continue to harass her.

10. Ms. Liu Huilan is a practitioner from Lingxian County. At around 2:30 p.m. on September 17th, 2009, she was visiting practitioner Ms. Dou Linang. Liu Yuanhe, political instruction officer; officers from the Lingxian County Police Substation; officers Liu Dawei and Zhang Xikun from the Decheng Police Substation; and Ji Jiajun from the Tiexi Police Station went to Ms. Dou's home and arrested Ms. Liu. They confiscated a computer, a printer, and other personal items. Ms. Liu was detained at the Dezhou City Detention Centre. Twenty-six days later, the police released her after extorting 20,000 yuan from her family.

11. Ms. Dou Linfang was arrested by officers Zhou Jinggang and Liu Haipeng from Lingxian County Police Station. She was released 27 days later after the police extorted 10 ,000 yuan from her family.

Officers from Lingxian County Police Station also arrested Ms. Zhang Junxia and confiscated two computers and one printer. She was released 27 days later after the police extorted 10,000 yuan from her family.

12. Mr. Jiang Kexin and his wife were from Caocun Village, Dezhou City Development Zone. On September 18th, 2009, they were arrested by officers from the Dezhou City Police Station. The police confiscated a computer, a printer, and some other personal belongings. Mr. Jiang's brother, who was not a practitioner, and two of his brother's children asked the police for Mr. Jiang's release because there was no one to take care of the children. They told the police that if there was anything wrong, the police department would be held responsible. The police released Mr. Jiang's wife only after they extorted 5,000 yuan from his family. Mr. Jiang Kexin was taken to the Zhangqiu Forced Labour Camp and sentenced to one year and six months of forced labour.

In 2001 Mr. Jiang Kexin was arrested and sentenced to three years of forced labour. Fan Suyun, deputy head of the Dezhou City Police Department, was involved in the arrest and detention.

13. Mr. Ma Hongwei is a practitioner from Dezhou City. In the morning on September 21st, 2009, officers Liu Dawei and Zhang Xikun from the Decheng Police Substation and an officer with a surname of Zhang from the Changzhuan Police Station broke into Mr. Ma Hongwei's home and arrested him. They confiscated one computer, 2,580 yuan and a 30,000 yuan deposit certificate. They imprisoned him in the Dezhou City Detention Centre. The prison guards demanded that he renounce the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and write the so-called Guarantee Statement. They also ordered inmates to deprive him of sleep. After 16 days of torture, Mr. Ma, who was a very healthy man, spit up blood and suffered other disabilities. He was taken to a hospital. Zhang Xikun called his wife to sign documents. However, the doctors said there was no way they could save him. Mr. Ma Hongwei passed away on November 5th .

On November 7th, the day of Mr. Ma's funeral, his home was surrounded by officers who attempted to find other practitioners.

Note

1. "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/2009/12/25/215032.html