Falun Gong practitioners Ms. Liu Yanlei and Her Husband Detained

On the afternoon of May 13th, 2012, Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Liu Yanlei, an employee of the Shandong College of Electronic Technology, was reported while she was distributing leaflets exposing the persecution and telling people the facts about Falun Gong around the Hongjialou Cathedral. She was arrested by officers from the Dongfeng Police Station. That same night, Ms. Liu's husband, Mr. Zhang Guangping, was also arrested. Husband and wife are currently held at two different detention centres.

Around 9:00 p.m. on May 13th, more than a dozen officers from the Dongfeng Police Station, the Xinqiao Police Station of Gaoxin District, and the Licheng District Police Department broke into Ms. Liu Yanlei's home on South Xianwenzhuang Road. The officers arrested Ms. Liu's husband, Mr. Zhang Guangping, and ransacked the couple's home. They also took away a large amount of personal property. Around 5:00 p.m. on May 14th, Ms. Liu was sent to the Zhonggong Detention Centre, and Mr. Zhang was sent to the Licheng Detention Centre.

Ms. Liu, 42, is an employee at the Shandong College of Electronic Technology, where she is in charge of student management. She enjoys good health and is always willing to help others. However, before practising Falun Gong, Ms. Liu 's health was terrible. She suffered from a severe kidney disease when she was in her 20s, which later developed into hematuria (blood in the urine), and she was dangerously underweight. Ms. Liu's husband was told that practising Falun Gong is good for one's health, and with a faint hope, he asked his wife to go to his classmate's home to learn the practice. Amazingly, a week later Ms. Liu was cured of hematuria. She regained a healthy appetite and started to build up her strength. Inspired by the benefits and principles of Falun Gong, she has since remained determined to practise. Having witnessed his wife's great improvements, Mr. Zhang also began practising Falun Gong.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) commenced its large-scale persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999, and Ms. Liu, like many other Falun Gong practitioners, petitioned to her provincial government against the persecution. However, she was later detained at the Licheng Brainwashing Centre.

The couple's arrests have caused great trauma to their family. Their property has been confiscated, while their son, who is preparing for his senior high school entrance exam, has been distracted from his studies.

To fabricate evidence in persecuting Ms. Liu and Mr. Zhang, the police claimed that a dozen bankbooks confiscated from their home were proof of “financial support” for Falun Gong activities. In fact, the couple does not have much extra money. Mr. Zhang has been self-employed ever since he was fired from a state-owned company because of the persecution. Ms. Liu's salary is mainly used for supporting their parents and son. The police fabricated an excuse to put the money into their own pockets.

Parties involved in persecuting Ms. Liu Yanlei and Mr. Zhang Guangping:
Zhang Yongcheng, head of the Dongfeng Police Station: +86-531-85086436, +86-15505311167 (Mobile)
Du Jie, instructor of the Dongfeng Police Station: +86-531-88901076, +86-15505311077 (Mobile)