Illegal Detention and Imprisonment

  • Beijing Practitioner Still Detained Despite His Precarious Health Condition

    Just five months after his release from eight years of imprisonment in May 2013, Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Wang Zicheng was arrested again along with his wife Zhang Aiping on October 29th. He had developed a debilitating leg problem as a result of torture during his earlier incarceration, and the latest arrest worsened his condition. Nevertheless, Pinggu District Court went ahead with a trial of him and his wife on June 26th, 2014. Unable to walk, he was still shackled and handcuffed, and was literally dragged into the courtroom by four bailiffs.
  • Sixteen Falun Gong Practitioners in China Arrested for Their Belief

    When police officers in China arrest Falun Gong practitioners, their actions are unlawful, because these people have not broken any law. Policemen frequently break into practitioners' homes and steal anything they want. Though it is called “confiscation,” they actually rob practitioners of their personal belongings. Sixteen Falun Gong practitioners from Fushun City, Liaoning Province were arrested on June 20th, 2014. While seven have been released, the rest are being held at the Fushun Detention Centre.
  • Ms. Wang E Brutally Tortured and Her Whereabouts Unknown

    Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Wang E was shopping at the market on the morning of June 4th, 2014 when she was arrested by police. She had bought items with money that had Falun Gong information written on it. Ms. Wang was brutally tortured in an attempt to extort a confession from her.
  • Ms. Bao Yan Severely Injured while Trying to Escape Arrest

    To escape arrest, Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Bao Yan from Shenyang City jumped out of the fourth floor window of her residence and was injured severely. Police arrested her son Mr. Zhang Lei and ransacked their home. Ms. Bao needed money for medical treatment, however, the 10,000 yuan she had left at home was stolen by the police.
  • Mr. Wang Yushi Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison Without Trial

    Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Wang Yushi, 26, was sentenced to a seven-year prison term on May 23rd, 2014. He has appealed to the Tianjin Intermediate Court. His family hired a lawyer to plead not-guilty for him. Mr. Wang was arrested at work by police on July 16th, 2013. He was beaten after being taken to the Nankai Police Station. About seven officers ransacked his home and confiscated many Falun Gong materials exposing the persecution and personal belongings.
  • First Half 2014: 413 Falun Gong Practitioners Put on Trial

    During first half 2014, 413 Falun Gong practitioners in China were unjustly tried in courtrooms across the country. The communist law enforcement, including the police departments, Procuratorates, and courts, used a variety of means to interfere with the lawsuit processes. They threatened the family members of practitioners, suppressed their lawyers, and held trials without notifying the lawyers.
  • Twenty-one Falun Gong Practitioners in Dalian, China, Sentenced to Prison in the First Half of 2014

    Twenty-one Falun Gong practitioners from Dalian, Liaoning Province, China were sentenced to prison between January and June 2014. The notorious Chinese labour camp system, which was used extensively in the persecution of Falun Gong, was abolished in 2013, but that didn't mean that the persecution was over. Falun Gong practitioners are now being sent to brainwashing centres and sentenced to prison. In handling suits against Falun Gong practitioners, law enforcement officials in Dalian interfere with the legal process, exert pressure on plaintiffs' lawyers, and have sent 21 practitioners to jail in the last six months alone.
  • Two Falun Gong Practitioners in Xuchang Thrown into Prison a Second Time

    Ms. Zhang Ronghuan and Ms. Li Shuhua, Falun Gong practitioners in Xuchang, Henan Province, have been sentenced to four years in prison and thrown into Xinxiang Women's Prison. This is the second time that these two practitioners have been unjustly incarcerated. Ms. Zhang had previously been imprisoned in Xinxiang Women's Prison for three years in 2006. The prison authorities subjected her several times to solitary confinement, and she has also been injected with unknown drugs.
  • 70-Year-Old Woman Sentenced to 3 Years for Practising Falun Gong; Denied Opportunity to See Elderly Mother Before She Passed Away

    Following her third arrest on March 29th, 2013, Ms. Jiang Lianying was sentenced to 3 years on August 21st, 2013 for practising Falun Gong. Though Ms. Jiang's husband and daughter were eventually allowed to see her, they couldn't bring themselves to tell her the sad news that her 103-year-old mother had passed away during her incarceration. After the suppression of Falun Gong started in 1999, Ms. Jiang was arrested and put in a forced labour camp twice for speaking up for Falun Gong and telling others about the persecution. She was incarcerated in a forced labour camp for a total of four years and three months.
  • Shenyang Police Arrest and Beat the Innocent

    When Mr. Meng Xianguang and his wife, Ms. Xu Xiaohua, explain the facts of Falun Gong to Zhao Guangcheng, deputy manager of the Nanhu Police Station in Shenyang City, on March 25th, 2014, Zhao did not listen. Instead, he pulled out a pistol, pointed it at them, then fired it in the air and arrested the couple. Zhao and other police officers severely beat and injured Mr. Meng, but turned around and charged him with assaulting the police. Mr. Meng is still in detention.
  • Guangdong Farmer's Appeal for Justice Continues, Lawyer Points Out Double Standards in Court and Demands Acquittal

    On May 8th, 2014, the Maoming City Intermediate Court continued the trial of Ms. Liang Guifen, a Falun Gong practitioner appealing her three-and-a-half-year sentence. Attorney Liu, Ms. Liang's defence attorney, pointed out that the chief judge “adopted double standards.” He alleged that the judge avoided investigating fabricated witness testimony and was merely going through the motions, without touching upon the matters of law.
  • Close to 1,700 Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested from March to May, 2014

    The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to arrest Falun Gong practitioners in 2014. Several coordinated raids took place from March to May, 2014. Such events were documented in all provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China except Tibet. The number of Falun Gong practitioners arrested has climbed sharply since March. According to information received as of June 3rd, 1,694 practitioners were arrested from March to May in 2014, a 30% increase over the same period in 2013.
  • Mr. Zhang Yinquan from Shanghai Detained—His Wife Severely Beaten

    Mr. Zhang Yinquan was arrested and detained by officers from Jiading Police Department, Jiangqiao Police Station, and Putuo Police Department on May 12th, 2014. Mr. Zhang's family finally received the notification three days after he was detained at the Jiading Detention Centre. Mr. Zhang’s wife went to the Jiangqiao Police Station to ask for the return of all confiscated items. Seeing that she was by herself, about six policemen beat her, handcuffed her, and shackled her. The police kicked her back during the violence, which caused her excruciating pain. They refused to unlock her handcuffs and shackles despite her repeated requests. After her release, she had a physical exam which revealed a fractured rib, and blood in the urine due to a kidney injury.
  • Torn Apart by the Persecution: Wife Recently Arrested after 13 Years on the Run, Husband Still Serving a 20-Year Sentence

    Ms. Xiao Yanhong and Mr. Li Wenming met through their mutual practice of Falun Gong and were married in July 1999. But their newly-wedded joy was rapidly crushed as the Communist regime began to persecute Falun Gong that very month. Little did they know that they would not see each other after that, for 12 years and still going. Mr. Li was arrested in September 2002 due to his efforts to inform people of the facts about Falun Gong through tapping into the cable TV network. He was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment and is still being held in Lanzhou Prison.
  • Author Dr. Yan Mingxia Arrested for Promoting Traditional Chinese Culture

    Dr. Yan Mingxia, Deputy Division Officer of the Guangdong Province Union Association and an associate researcher in Ethnic Studies at Guizhou Ethnic University, was arrested by police in Guangzhou City on May 2nd, 2014 for introducing to others her Shen Yun Performing Arts DVD. Her computer and personal belongings were taken, and she has been detained in the Liwan District Detention Centre. Shen Yun Performing Arts, a New York-based classical Chinese dance company, aims to revive 5,000 years of Chinese culture through performing arts. Dr. Yan strives to promote traditional Chinese culture. Her efforts to promote Shen Yun drew the attention of the Chinese Communist Party, which led to her being arrested.