A new round of persecution of Falun Gong practitioners by CCP in Weifang City, Shandong Province, under the pretext of "security" for the Olympics Games.
On July 9, 2008, authorities in Weifang City, with local CCP committee secretary Zhang Xinqi in charge, began a new round of persecuting Falun Gong practitioners under the pretext of "security" for the Olympics. Beginning at 6 a.m., officers from the 610 Office, the Police Department, and the State Security Bureau illegally arrested dozens of practitioners and confiscated their personal belongings.
During the past nine years, over 93 practitioners in Weifang City died because of the persecution. Nearly 1,000 practitioners were taken to forced labor camps, and almost 100 received different kinds of sentences. This time, officials arrested over 40 practitioners within just a few hours.
Selected details about the arrests:
1. Around 6 a.m. on July 9, 2008, a dozen officers surrounded the homes of Ms. Yu Guifang and her daughter, Ms. Chen Nana. Ms. Yu, in her 60s, is a former deputy director of Weifang City Justice Bureau. Ms. Chen is in her 30s. She was fired from a bank because she practiced Falun Gong. Police broke into their homes through the windows and confiscated a great deal of personal property. Mother and daughter were arrested. Ms. Yu's husband, Mr. Chen Maolin, was at Ms. Chen's house at the time of the arrest. He was brutalized by the police and required hospitalization.
2. At 6 a.m. on July 9, 2008, Gao, director of the residential committee of Zhonghe Small District, Kuiwen District, Weifang City, and police officers from the Dongguan Police Station broke into Mr. Li Gang's house without a proper search warrant or identifying themselves. The police confiscated Mr. Li's laptop, Falun Gong books, and truth clarification materials. They arrested Mr. Li and his wife, Ms. Xu Qin; Ms. Yang Wenying; and Mr. Zhai, all from the Small District. Their houses were ransacked and their personal property confiscated.
3. At 6:30 a.m. on July 9, 2008, officer Xu Xinping from Weifang City Police Department and nine officers from Kuiwen District and Weicheng District Police Branch and the Weifang City 610 Office broke into Ms. Cao Junping's house. The officers confiscated 300 Falun Gong books, 130 CDs, over 100 video tapes, about 50 banners, a printer, three laptops, two desktops, a digital camera, and a bank book. The estimated loss was about 50,000 yuan (US$7000). The police attempted to arrest Ms. Cao's husband and tried to force him to give her up. Her family refused to cooperate. At the same time, several police broke into the home of Ms. Cao's older sister, Ms. Cao Junfeng, and confiscated items worth 35,000 yuan (US$5,000). Ms. Cao Junfeng's husband had a heart attack and was hospitalized.
4. At 6 a.m. on July 9, 2008, personnel from the Weifang City 610 Office and police officers from Ershilibao Police Station opened the door of practitioner Mr. Shen Jili and Ms. Li Xueling's house with a universal key. The police handcuffed them and confiscated their personal property.
5. At 6 a.m. on July 9, 2008, police broke into the home of Ms. Li Xiyun and her daughter, Ms. Kong Qian, after Ms. Li opened the door for a woman who claimed she wanted to check the power meter. Ms. Li, in her 50s and a former guard in Weibei Prison, and Ms. Kong, in her 20s, lived in the dorm of the Weifang 3rd Power Plant. Police arrested them and confiscated Falun Gong materials and other belongings.
6. At 9 a.m. on July 9, 2008, officer Xu Xinping (female) from Weifang City Police Department mobilized many plainclothes officers and six police cars to surround practitioner Mr. Jiang Zhenbo's house. Mr. Jiang is in his 40s and used to be a guard in Weifang Prison. He was fired for practicing Falun Gong. The police broke in through Mr. Jiang's window on the second floor and his front door. The police arrested Mr. Jiang and his wife, Ms. Wang Hongxia, also a practitioner, and confiscated Falun Gong books and other items.
7. At 6 a.m. on July 9, 2008, police arrested Ms. Li Lingyun, who lived in Erzhuangxi Village in the economic development zone. Ms. Li is in her 60s. Her husband, Mr. Zhang Zhiyou, was a practitioner who died in 2000 as a result of torture by police. The police confiscated a laptop, three printers, Falun Gong books, and some truth clarification materials.
Many other practitioners were arrested on the morning of July 9, 2008, including Mr. Yu Wei (in his later 20s, from the economy development area), Ms. Wang Ronghua (in her 50s, a retired employee of the Weifang 3rd Power plant), Mr. Tan Foli (in his 70s, from Weicheng District), Ms. Li Suying (57, a dentist), Mr. Lu Xinliang, and Mr. Liu Bing. Others arrested included Ms. Guo Xiaohui; her husband; her mother-in-law, who was later released after paying 1,500 yuan; Mr. and Mrs. Li, Ms. Guo, about 60 years old; Ms. Ren Xianrong, in his 60s, from the Hanting District; Ms. Shi Xiuqin, 62; Ms. Xu Meifang, 53; Mr. Zhang Jinguo, 56; Mr. Zhang Shanyu, 52; Ms. Song Xiu from Gaomi City; Mr. Wang Zhibang; Li Hua; Ms. Guan Cuiling; Ms. Wang Haixia; Ms. Li Xiuzhi; Mr. Li Zhenfu; Sha (first name unknown); Zhao (first name unknown); two practitioners from Jiangzhuang Town; Ms. Wang Haijuan from Zhucheng City; Ms. Zhang Cuihua; and Mr. Zhao Yancheng, 70, from Changle County.
Many practitioners' houses were ransacked and personal items confiscated.
Most arrested practitioners are imprisoned in detention centers or brainwashing centers. According to a witness, Weifang Detention Center and the Brainwashing Center are overcrowded because of recently arrested practitioners.