(Clearwisdom.net) In November 2008, practitioners Ms. Guo Shuzhen and her daughter Tian Xiaoxuan from Shuangyashan City of Heilongjiang Province were sentenced to seven and eight years in prison, respectively.

Ms. Guo Shuzhen

Tian Xiaoxuan

Ms. Guo's other daughter Tian Lijun has exposed details of the persecution. Even though Tian Lijun is not a practitioner, she was illegally detained for 24 hours during the incident.

Shuangyashan Detention Center of Heilongjiang Province is the main place where Falun Gong practitioners are detained. The detention center held over two hundred practitioners in 2002.

Han Xiaoqiu is the Deputy Chief of Shuangshan Police Station located in Shuangyeshan City. The police station falls under the jurisdiction of the Jianshan Branch of the Shuangyeshan City Public Security Bureau. On January 9, 2008, ten months before Ms. Guo Shuzhen and her daughter Tian Xiaoxuan were illegally sentenced, Han Xiaoqiu led policemen Peng Jianqiu and Hong Wei to the home of Ms. Guo. They forcibly broke in and ransacked her home. The police took away 7,000 yuan, a laptop computer, a printer and copier, several Falun Gong books and other publications.

The police forced Tian Lijun to lead them to the home of her mother Ms. Guo. Without providing any legal documents, the police took away Ms. Guo, her husband, Tian Lijun and Ms. Tian's son. After being detained for 24 hours, Ms. Guo's family members were released, but she was not.

Tian Lijun was shocked by how the police treated her 64-year-old mother in the Shuangshan Police Station. Ms. Tian said, "During the 24 hours of detention, the police interrogated my mother. I was detained in the next room. I never thought that the police could deal with her in such a way. My mother is 64 years old. The police's attitude was extremely hostile. They made loud noises while interrogating my mother. Since they closed the door, I did not know exactly what was happening, but it sounded like either they were slamming their fists on the tables or throwing things. For the three days my mother was detained at the police station, she was put in handcuffs and shackles. She was also deprived of sleep. There were no obvious wounds on my mother's body, but she looked exhausted and was in very low spirits."

Ms. Tian Xiaoxuan is Tian Lijun's younger sister. On June 11, 2008, the Domestic Security Division of Baoqing County, Shuangyashan City in Heilongjiang Province arrested Ms. Tian Xiaoxuan and took her to the Baoqing County Public Security Bureau. On June 15, Tian Lijun visited her sister Ms. Tian Xiaoxuan. After the visit Lijun said, "My sister looked very tired, depressed and on the verge of a mental breakdown. The police did not inform the family when they arrested her. After being detained, my sister strongly demanded to see me, and the police finally allowed it."

From January 2008 to January 2009, due to the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong, the overall financial loss of the Tian family has been 140,000 to 150,000 yuan. Lijun said, "Since my mother and sister were arrested, we have had to cover all kinds of costs. The police station ordered us to pay for the daily necessities for my mother and sister. Hiring lawyers also takes money, and the police illegally confiscated some of our money and equipment when they ransacked our home. The overall financial loss we have had so far is 140,000 to 150,000 yuan. The equipment that was taken away alone is worth around 100,000 yuan."

Lijun continued, "At Shuangyashan City Detention Center, a meal box is 8 yuan. They give two boxes a day, so it's 16 yuan a day. We also have to send in some additional cash. The detention center doesn't allow people to send in daily necessities. People have to send in cash as a 'deposit' to buy all the necessities provided by the detention center. The items inside are usually very expensive. That is how I pay for my mother and sister's time there."

On November 18, 2008, Baoqing County Court of Heilongjiang Province held a trial of nine practitioners. Tian Xiaoxuan was sentenced to eight years imprisonment. Attorney Tang Jitian from Haodong Law Office in Beijing submitted a plea of not guilty. Tian Lijun was allowed to be in the court as Tian Xiaoxuan's family member. Lijun recalled, "In the court, our attorney wanted to prove that my sister had not done anything to jeopardize social order. Whether she practiced Falun Gong before or not, she did not do anything to interfere with social order. But the court interrupted our attorney and did not let him speak. When the police arrested my sister, they did not find any evidence to show that my sister was involved in any wrong deeds. The court sentenced my sister to eight years in prison with no evidence."

Lijun said, "My mother used to have vertigo. Every year she had to take intravenous injections. After she started practicing Falun Gong, she no longer needed to take the injections, and she has never been hospitalized or taken shots since then. I am her daughter and I know this. My sister's health was not good, so my mother suggested that she also practice Falun Gong. What my mother and sister have done is just for seeking good health. My father had lumbar intervertebral disk protrusion. After practicing Falun Gong, he became healthy and strong. He is over 70 years old, but now he can still work in the fields. I think Falun Gong helped my father a lot; he is very healthy. People around us have witnessed that my innocent family has been persecuted because they practice Falun Gong. They all said that my family members are good people. Some said that there is nothing wrong with practicing Falun Gong."

As a family member of Falun Gong practitioners, Tian Lijun said, "I'm asking for people around the world to please help the persecuted Falun Gong practitioners. Please help them come back home as soon as possible."