Latest News from China - 07/22/2000

[Langfang]

Because practitioners in Langfang City have been going to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong one after another, a communist official in charge of "thoughts transformation" declared in a meeting attended by officials from different counties: "It is okay we don't arrest the murderers and thefts, but we must arrest Falun Gong practitioners. A murderer can at most kill a couple of people, and we will eventually catch him. But we must severely punish Falun Gong practitioners, because it is related to the stability of our political power." Such ill-intentioned statement has been communicated to all the work units of the city.

A few practitioners in a village went to Beijing to defend the righteousness of Falun Gong. After they were escorted back, the authority arrested all the practitioners in the village, and forced them to write pledge to recant. They would not be released if they refused to promise that they would not go to Beijing. After they were freed, they were still under surveillance.

In a county, dozens of practitioners went to Beijing for several times. Lately, they also practiced Falun Gong exercises in public areas. After they were arrested, the police beat them madly with electric batons and leather whips. The police even beat an old lady in her 70s. Due to lack of manpower, the police station hired many young thugs from the villages to persecute practitioners.

[Beijing]

At 1am of July 20, Ms. Gu Xuefen, a retired official from Internal Trade Bureau, was arrested by three police officers at home. The police asked her: "Are you still practicing Falun Gong." Ms. Gu answered: "Yes!" Then the police took her away. On the next morning, Gu's husband went to the police station to inquire about the situation of Gu, but he was told that Ms. Gu had already been sent to the Qinghe detention center where many Falun Gong practitioners were suffering ill-treatments. Ms. Gu's current situation is unknown.

From July 18 to July 20, Haidian Police Station of Beijing arrested many Falun Dafa practitioners from their homes. They are being detained in the Qinghe detention center. It was said that thousands of people were being detained there.

Practitioners Wang Bing and Zhang Yong from Academia were also arrested on the same day.