Issued by Clearwisdom Net

On August 1, 2007, more than 40 Falun Gong practitioners were illegally arrested. One was tortured to death. Currently, there are more than 30 practitioners still illegally imprisoned.  The practitioners suffered physical and verbal abuse of different kinds including beating, torturing and deceiption.

Using the upcoming Olympic Games and the Seventeenth Conference of the Chinese Communist Party as an excuse, authorities arrested many Falun Gong practitioners in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture since August, 2007.  They have been trying to force the practitioners to give up their belief with all kinds of means.

On August 1, 2007, more than 40 Falun Gong practitioners were illegally arrested. Practitioner Hu Yanrong was tortured to death. Currently, there are more than 30 practitioners still illegally imprisoned. Eight practitioners, including Li Jingfang, Guo Fengxian, Dong Xiuqin, Zhang Guiju and others, were transferred one after another to Lingyuan First Detention Center (the criminal detention center of Lingyuan City). Other practitioners were illegally imprisoned at Lingyuan Second Detention Center (the civil detention center of Lingyuan City).

At the Second Detention Center, practitioners suffered physical and verbal abuse of different kinds. The police used deceitful ways to extort money from the practitioners by promising that they would be released after 15 days. In addition, they distributed forms to the practitioners and promised to release those who filled out the forms. Some of the practitioners believed them at first and cooperated in completing the paperwork. However, their sentences were all extended to an additional 15 days of detention the next day.

In addition, the guards used different methods to deceive the practitioners. They said that if a practitioner would "confess everything," and as long as they promised that they would practice Falun Gong only at home, and not visit other practitioners, and tell the guards all they knew, they would be released the next day. The guards said that if they felt that any "confessions" were inconsistent, then they would need to continue the detention. Thus, some practitioners confessed some matters, including how they got there, who told them to go there, whom they knew, and how they knew each other, etc. Then the guards collated the records of related practitioners. This resulted in some imprisoned practitioners suffering further persecution.

At the Second Detention Center, the illegally imprisoned practitioners were only given diluted rice porridge to eat every day. Some cells only had one meal a day at 7:00 p.m. The families were forced to pay a 25-yuan boarding fee and more than 300 yuan for other costs every two weeks. Those practitioners whose families paid the money were detained separately from those who didn't pay. The practitioners without money could only have thin porridge and sleep on a bare bed board. They were only given corn flour buns after their families paid money.

Under the brutal persecution aimed at both the body and soul, some practitioners exhibited disease symptoms. Among them, Zhang Guiju collapsed, unconscious. When two older practitioners saw this, they rushed to her and tried to help. However, they were dragged away by the guards. They were then handcuffed to a heater and were beaten and cursed. Therefore, Zhang Guiju was not taken care of by anyone. After a long time, she woke up on her own. Practitioner Yin Shuhua had symptoms of paralysis that led to a coma. She was sent to the hospital, and after the symptoms were slightly alleviated she was illegally taken back into custody. Another elderly practitioner suffered untold humiliation when they illegally took down a personal record by abusing and insulting her. She then fell unconscious. She was also sent to the hospital and after the symptom was alleviated she was taken back into custody. Practitioner Li Yingzhi had a prior heart condition reoccur and almost went into coma. She informed the guard on duty about her condition. A female official, whose last name was Fang, cruelly cursed Li before giving her several "heart pills" then swaggered away. At the present time, whoever experiences sickness symptoms is ignored. The prison officials stated: "As there are so many Chinese people, it is nothing if several died."

In addition, when Hu Yanli and sister-in-law Guo Fengxian heard that their second sister Hu Yanrong was tortured to death, they cried out and asked to view her remains. They were kicked and cursed at by a tall policeman and a contract chef. They also used electric batons to shock Hu Yanli and Guo Fengxian and threatened to handcuff them if they "caused further trouble."

Supplementary information about the persecution death of practitioner Hu Yanrong, who was from Lingyuan City:

On August 1, 2007, practitioner Hu Yanrong was illegally arrested. On August 5, she was tortured to death. On August 12, the Lingyuan City Police Department, Beilu Township government and Lingyuan City court, and other departments forced the family members to cremate Hu Yanrong's remains.

The above departments used coercion and threats to deter Hu Yanrong's family members. They said that if they did not agree to cremation, they would forcefully cremate their daughter and threatened to arrest all family members. Meanwhile, in order to accelerate the process and end the case, they enticed family members with 20,000 yuan as a relief fund. Therefore, under the strict monitoring of related government departments, Hu Yanrong's body was cremated and her ashes buried. Later, the village also gave Hu Yanrong's family members 20,000 yuan on behalf of "helping the poor funds." Thus, the government officials completely skirted their responsibility in the illegal arrest and persecution death of this practitioner.

Several days after Hu Yanrong was buried, Hu Yanrong's husband had to leave home to make a living and left his elderly father and young child behind.

Using the upcoming Olympic Games and the Seventeenth Conference of the Chinese Communist Party as a pretense,  all of police stations and community or neighborhood administrations began to register and investigate Falun Gong practitioners in every residence in and around the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in August, 2007. They held secret planning meetings in June, 2007.

In August 2007, a brainwashing center was established at the Yadong Police Academy in Helong City. Seven Falun Gong practitioners have been arrested and are detained there. They have been deprived of their freedom and all kinds of contemptible means and tricks are used to force them to give up their faith.

On August 15, 2007, Ms. Li Xiaoxia, a resident of Kaishantun Town, Longjing City, was arrested by police from the Kaishantun Town Station. On August 25, 2007, another practitioner from the same town, Mr. Wang Wenyuan, was arrested by agents of the Longjing City National Security Division. According to neighbors, agents from the Kaishantun Town Police Station and from the neighborhood administration have been asking for information about every Falun Gong practitioner, including Mr. Wang, since the middle of August. In addition, every police officer at the station was given the task of having to arrest three Falun Gong practitioners. Police collaborators who don't know the real story of Falun Gong were enticed to report on practitioners.

In the beginning of September, 2007, police from the Longjing City Criminal Section went to Laotougou Town and ransacked practitioners' houses. In the middle of September 2007, police from all Yanji City stations tried to break into many Falun Gong practitioners' houses using the pretense of wanting to check residence cards. They failed because many family members strongly objected.

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Jiang Sumei, who is in her fifties was arrested while waiting at the number 2 bus terminal in the Dayu Garden neighborhood on September 12, 2007. Many of her belongings, including computers and printers, were confiscated.

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Zhang Xingcai, 58, a resident of the Yanji City Development, was arrested by five police officers from the Yanji City National Security Division at around 8:30 a.m. on September 13, 2007.

On September 14, 2007, another Falun Gong practitioner (female) was arrested by several police officers who forced their way into her house near Yanbin Second Middle School.