EFIC Press release (supplement): Persecution of Relatives or Friends of European Residents

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Case 1: Sister of UK resident detained in labour camp

European Resident(s): Bao-sheng Zhu, East London Resident, UK
Name of Victim: Bao-Lian Zhu, 36, female
Relation: sister of Mr. Bao-Sheng Zhu
Location of incident: Beijing, China
Description:

My sister, Bao-Lian Zhu, is 36 years old. She lives in Beijing, China. She was arrested on 15th December 2000 when she was distributing Falun Gong leaflets.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient and advanced system for improving body, mind and spirit. It involves the practise of gentle, meditative exercises and the improvement of one’s spiritual awareness according to the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance.

Bao-Lian started practising Falun Gong in 1994. She became a more helpful person at home and at work. She gave up her smoking and drinking.

In July 20th 1999, the Chinese Government banned Falun Gong and began a campaign of brutal persecution against it. Bao-Lian lost her job several times but she was still practised Falun Gong.

When Bao-Lian was arrested, my elder sister had asked friends to help us. It took us a long time to find out that she was been detained in the police station of Chaoyang District, Beijing. The police allowed no one to visit, unless Bao-Lian signed the “reform” statement. But Bao-Lian refused.

After eight months, they took Bao-Lian (and other Falun Gong practitioners) to court without informing our family. Bao-Lian was given a 4 years sentence. My elder sisters, and my father, who is over 70 years old were allowed to visit her before they put her in prison.

Bao-Lian Zhu, Falun Gong practitioner, is now detained in Beijing Women’s Prison

Bao-Lian is only one of the thousands of unlawfully detained Falun Gong practitioners in China. As far as we know hundreds of practitioners have been abused in mental hospitals, and sentenced to up to 18 years imprisonment, tortured. Some of them have even beaten to death.

I do hope that the British Government and people can help to free my sister and all imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners in China. (Bao-Sheng Zhu)



Case 2: Sister of Israeli resident detained in labour camp

European Resident(s): Xiong Zhiyuan, 36, male, Israel
Name of Victim: Xiong Wei, 32, female
Relation: sister of Mr. Xiong Zhiyuan
Location of incident: Beijing, China
Description:

Xiong Wei was born in 1970. She studied economics from 1993 to1999 at the Technical University (TU) of Berlin. She continued her training in an institute in Germany, serving as a special assistant specialising in Chinese affairs, leaving in 2000 to work for a German company first in Germany, and later in China. When Falun Gong was banned in China, she quit her job in order to avoid compromising her employers’ position in the country. China discriminates against firms employing Falun Gong Practitioners.

On the 5th of January in 2002, Xiong Wei was arrested in Beijing while distributing flyers telling about the persecution of Falun Gong. Although threatened with brainwashing, she did not give up her beliefs. She was not given a trial. She was refused a lawyer. Since March 2002, she has been “sentenced” to 1.5 years of “re-education.”

First she was brought to the Tuanhe Labour Camp in Beijing, which is known for its inhumane treatment and torture of inmates. Se was later brought to the Xinan women’s labour camp (formerly Tian Tang He women’s labour camp), in the township Daxing, close to Beijing, where she is still being held.

It took her father until May 2002 to get permission for a single visit. From telephone calls with her family members in China one could get a feeling of their fear that activism on their part would in turn expose her to even greater suffering.

More Information about the Xinan women’s labour camp can be found in the article: “Atrocities committed at Xinan women’s labour camp” http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/200202/2946.html

Xinan women’s labour camp, central Telephone number: 0086-10-6027 5858 or 0086-10-6027648


Xiong Wei was among the earliest Falun Gong Practitioners in Germany. She was instrumental in telling Germans, especially the people of Berlin about Falun Gong. Many of us who knew her remember her kindness and consideration of others. Her release is of the greatest urgency and deepest concern to us. Xiong Wei speaks currently German and would be able to live and work in Germany. TCD student Zhao Ming was released due to international pressure on China in April of this year. He was also detained and suffered unspeakable tortures for 22 months at Tuanhe labour camp. This labour camp is notorious for its cruelty and inhuman treatment of practitioners. Criminals are encouraged to commit horrendous torture against Falun Gong practitioners. Graphical pictures of torture methods in Chinese labour camps are available at http://www.faluninfo.net/devstories/torture/index.asp.


Case 3: The Persecution of Family of Dutch Sisters

European Resident(s):
Xianghe Wang, 49, female, Dutch citizenship
Huahe Wang, 47, Female, Dutch citizenship
Name of Victims:
1. Guozhen Li, female, 86, a resident of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province
2. Yuanhe Wang, male, 56, a resident of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province
3. Guihe Wang, male, 54, a resident of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province
4. Yu Zhong, female, 38, a resident of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province
5. Yuli Wang, female, 16, a resident of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province
Relation: Family members of Ms Wang sisters
Location of incident:
1. A detention centre in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province
2. Tiananmen Square, Beijing
3. A detention centre in Beijing
4. Nanchang 2 7 North Road Detention Centre, Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province

Guizhen Li
Yuanhe Wang and family
Yuli Wang

Perpetrators:
1. The director and the policemen of Nanchang Police Department, Jiangxi Province
2. The director and the policemen of a detention centre in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province
3. The policemen in Tiananmen Square, Beijing
4. The director and policemen in Nanchang 2 7 North Road Detention Centre, Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province
Description:

Background - Miss Xianghe Wang is a resident of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Her entire family has been persecuted in China. The following is an account of the persecution experienced by her family.

Late on September 16, 1999, the police broke into Mr. Guihe Wang’s home and arrested him, his mother (Ms. Guozhen Li), his wife (Ms. Yu Zhong) and his daughter (Ms. Yuli Wang). The police gave said that the reason was their practice of Falun Gong.

His mother and daughter were released the following day, however they found all of the money in the house to be gone and all Falun Gong books and materials to be missing. Ms. Zhong, Mr. Wang’s wife, was released after more than 20 days in police custody. She later described being locked up and beaten with dozens of Falun Gong practitioners. She also reported that the police poured urine on them.

Mr. Wang was detained at Nanchang Labour Education School and due to governmental pressure, his company fired him on the second day of his arrest. After asking the police about his arrest, the only response was that he would not be released soon since he was an active Falun Gong practitioner.

Three months later, the Jiangxi Province police department informed Mr. Wang’s family that he had been sentenced to one-year of forced labour. His wife was told that although he did not break any law, the police could make a judgement at will.

On December 25, 1999, Mr. Wang’s family was allowed to see him. They found his appearance to be completely changed after brutal torture in the labour camp. Mr. Wang told them he was forced to do as long as eighteen hours’ hard labour every day.

Ms. Zhong was arrested again in February 2000 after making two phone calls to her overseas relatives (also Falun Gong practitioners). Her 83-year-old mother-in-law and her 12-year-old daughter were left at home without any money, which had been confiscated. Ms. Zhong was released after more than 2 months torture.

Mr. Wang was not released until July 2000.

On December 16, 2000, Mr. Wang’s family, including his mother, wife, older brother (Mr. Wang Yuanhe) and her daughter went to Beijing to peacefully appeal to the government for Falun Gong. Mr. Wang Yuanhe was arrested the following day and the others were arrested on Tiananmen Square three days later. In the police car, the police used baton to beat Mr. Wang constantly.

Mr. Wang’s daughter was sent back to hometown, Nanchang city, and was left at home alone. It wasn’t until January 10, 2001 that Mr. Wang’s mother-in-law and brother were sent back home. Mr. Wang’s mother and daughter were again arrested after they arrived back home, and detained in Nanchang Detention Centre. The police told their family members that unless they paid 40,000RMB [500RMB is the average monthly wage of an urban worker in China. 1RMB = 0.12$.] they would be detained for three months. Also about a week after he was sent back home, Mr. Wang’s brother disappeared.

Mr. Wang and his wife have both been sentenced to a forced labour camp. The police refuse to tell their family where they are detained.



Case 4: Sisters Sentenced to labour camp for Persisting in practising Falun Gong

European Resident(s): Dongxue Dai, 35, Computer Engineer, Ireland
Name of Victim: Xialing Dai, 41, Chinese female
Qiuxia Dai, 39, Chinese female
Relation: Both are Miss Dai Dongxue’s Sisters
Location of incident: Shandong Province, China
Description:

Miss Dongxue Dai is a Falun Gong practitioner, residing in Dublin, Ireland. Her two sisters’, Quixia and Xialing are currently in Jinan labour camp in mainland China.

To date, Quixia (left) has been detained since December 2000 in Jinan Female Labour camp. She had previously lost her job and her husband was forced to divorce her, both because of her persistence in practising Falun Gong. During the six-month time period between when Quixia lost her job and was placed in Jinan labour camp, she had to support both her daughter and herself with no income or social welfare support. She was released in August.


Miss Dai’s other sister, Xialing (right), had also been fired from her company due to governmental pressure. She had previously been detained eight or nine times, over a period of two years, during which she was force-fed after she protested her detention with a hunger strike.

In December 2000, police attempted to arrest and send her to a forced labour camp. She was forced to jump from the 3rd floor of a building to escape. After leaving home to avoid arrest, the police arrested her after about 8-months and also sent her to Jinan labour camp. She has a 14-year-old daughter who is currently attending school.

After learning of her children’s arrests, Miss Dai Dongxue’s mother passed away on the 15 October 2001. Neither Miss. Dai Dongxue or her sisters were permitted to attend their mother’s funeral.



Case 5: Uncle of Belgium Resident Put in Labour Camp in China

European Resident(s): Yu He, Ph.D, Belgium, (Canadian permanent residence status)
Name of Victim: Zhonglin Luo, Chinese male
Relation: uncle of Mr He
Location of incident: Chongqing, China
Description:

Mr. Zhonglin Luo was living in Wanzhou City, Sichuan Province, China. He has been sentenced to three years in a labour camp in Chongqing City for continuing to practise Falun Gong.



Case 6: Brother of Russian Resident Put in Labour Camp in China

European Resident(s): Chenguang Li, male, 39, businessman, Russia
Name of Victim: Chenyang Li, 39, Technician, Chinese
Relation: Brother of Mr. Chenguang Li
Location of incident: Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
Description:

Mr. Chenyang Li was employed as a technician at the Ha’erbin Branch of the People’s Bank of China. He was twice detained in November 1999 and February 2001, both times after appealing for Falun Gong in Beijing.

Mr. Li was later forced to leave home to avoid further persecution. He was again arrested in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province when he clarified the truth to people there. He was sent to a labour camp in Zhengzhou, where he is still detained.



Case 7: Wife of German resident lost home after tortured in labour camp

European Resident(s): Mr. Zhang Zhentong, Resident, Germany
Name of Victim: Wang Xiaoyan, 31, female
Relation: Wife of Mr. Zhang Zhentong
Location of incident: Dalian, China
Description:

Wang Xiaoyan was arrested in the end of 2000 when she was spreading Falun Gong materials. She was detained in Yaojia detention centre, Dalian. Xiaoyan then was sentenced to Masanjia labour camp to be transformed forcefully. During the detention time in Masanjia, she was both physically and mentally tortured by other prisoners. She was released for medical treatment temporarily in October 2001, but she was still closely monitored by the local police and Chunahai Street committee, Dalian. Xiaoyan’s passport was confiscated so that she was unable to return Germany to join her husband. Xiaoyan had to leave her home and wander about to avoid further persecution.



Case 8: Mother of German resident lost home to avoid further persecution

European Resident(s): Mr. Chen Gang, German Resident
Name of Victim: Ms. Pan Huiqin, 60
Relation: Mother of Mr. Chen Gang
Location of incident: Beijing, China
Description:

Pan Huiqin, born in 1942, was working for Capital Steel Company, retired, began to practise Falun gong in 1995.

After the persecution began on 20 July 1999, my mother refused to sign the petition that the Chinese government organised to defame Falun Gong because she had benefited from the practice so much. She was considered as important ‘member’ by the local police, and was on the wanted list. My mother had to leave home to avoid the persecution. She has left home and wandered about since October 2001. The police have been to Hebei province where my mother was originally from to search her whereabouts. The police have also interfered with many relatives and friends there in order to find where she is.



Case 9: ‘Non Practitioner’ Sister-in-Law Suffers Persecution in China

European Resident: Xuezhi Zhu, 49, male, businessman, Denmark
Name of Victim: Name withheld to prevent further persecution
Relation: Sister-in-law of Mr Zhu
Location of incident: Denmark and China
Description:

Mr. Zhu Xuezhi is a resident of Denmark. As a result of his practice of Falun Gong, his daughter and his wife’s relatives in China have received pressure from the Chinese authorities.

After the birth of his daughter in Denmark, Mr. Zhu applied, on her behalf, for a Chinese passport and citizenship. The Chinese embassy staff however has been using various excuses to delay, or prevent his daughter from obtaining Chinese citizenship. They have also declined to give Mr. Zhu a reason for the delay. To date, his daughter is stateless.

Mr. Zhu’s sister-in-law [name withheld to prevent further persecution] has also experienced persecution as a result of his practice. His sister-in-law works as a clerk in Mr. Zhu’s company in Tianjing, China. She has never practised Falun Gong.

On the 2 August, she had arranged to travel to Denmark on a business trip. Her visa had already been granted. However after boarding the flight to Copenhagen, she was asked to leave the plane by members of the Chinese Public Security Bureau with the excuse of “co-operating with their work”.

The Chinese Public Security Bureau also trumped up charges of Mr. Zhu, although still in Denmark, besieging and attacking an overseas Chinese embassy and assaulting an employee their. There was no evidence.

His sister-in-law was questioned for several hours and later brought back to Tianjing and placed under house arrest. She was again arrested by Beijing authorities and brought back to Mr. Zhu’s home in China. Security agents searched the house and confiscated all documents related to Mr. Zhu’s business.

Police have also ordered his sister-in-law to report to the local police station before and after work.



Case 10: Young Couple Deprived of a Reunion for Two Years

European Resident: Qing Deng, 26, computer engineer, the Netherlands
Name of Victim: Fan Xu, 30, Chinese male
Relation: Husband of Ms Deng
Location of incident: Beijing / Guangzhou, China
Description:

Ms. Qing Deng, Ph. D., is a computer engineer from Geldrop in the Netherlands. She has not seen her husband, Mr. Fan Xu for two-years.

Mr. Xu was studying for a Master’s Degree in Mexico before he returned to China in August 1999. It was also around this time that he began to practise Falun Gong.

Because he practised the Falun Gong exercises in public in Guangzhou, Mr. Xu was expelled from Zhongshan University. He was later arrested in Beijing after Falun Gong books were found in his bag. He was sentenced to 18-months in Tuanhe labour camp.

Reports are scarce on what happened to Mr. Xu in Tuanhe. However, he was released in May 2002 before his term ended. Mr. Xu himself has not spoken in depth about his experiences, because he fears a threat of a further 3-years detention.

While in Tuanhe, Mr. Xu’s passport expired, leaving him with no way to obtain a visa and rejoin his wife in the Netherlands. Ms. Deng commented; “The last time I saw him was two years ago, I don’t know when I will be able to have a reunion with him”.

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