Over 100 Falun Gong Practitioners, Including a 98-year-old Woman, Arrested in One Day in Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province

(Minghui.org) Over 100 Falun Gong practitioners in Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, were arrested on July 12, 2022, eight days before the 23rd anniversary since the Chinese Communist Party began to persecute the spiritual discipline on July 20, 1999. This mass arrest was an attempt to force the practitioners to renounce their faith and prevent them from speaking out ahead of the anniversary.

According to a police officer, the authorities had begun to follow and videotape the practitioners as early as nine months before the operation. The date of the arrest effort was not announced until a week prior. The officers did not give out their names, precincts, or their contact information while making the arrests, claiming that such information was a state secret.

Most of the arrests were made early in the morning between 5 and 7 a.m. when the practitioners were home. Many of their personal belongings were confiscated, particularly Falun Gong books, photos of Falun Gong founder, laptops, cell phones, and fliers that the practitioners used to raise awareness about the persecution. These items would be used as prosecution evidence for the police to pursue prison sentences against them.

Most of the arrested practitioners are women. Among the over 20 practitioners who are 70 or older, more than 10 are in their 80s and one is 98.

At the time of this writing, eight practitioners remain detained in Daqing City Second Detention Center. They are Ms. Du Chunxiang, Ms. Zhang Linying, Ms. Feng Yunjuan, Ms. Feng Lianxia, Ms. Cai Xiuying (from Harbin City), Ms. Tang Zengye, Ms. Cheng Qiaoyun, and Ms. Chen Shuhua.

The following are details of how the officers from 15 branches of Daqing City Police Department arrested and ransacked the homes of the practitioners on July 12, 2022.

1. Gaoxin Technology Development Branch

The officers from the Gaoxin Technology Development Branch of Daqing City Police Department arrested over 20 practitioners.

Over Ten Practitioners in Daqing Oil Field Housing Complex Arrested

A woman knocked on Ms. Wang Fengzhen’s door at 5: 30 a.m., claiming that she was from the quarantine center. As soon as Ms. Wang opened the door, a group of police officers charged in. They ransacked her place and arrested her. She was released around noon after her daughter signed her case document on her behalf.

Ten other practitioners in the same housing complex were also arrested and released on the same day. The police also ransacked the home of an eleventh practitioner, who wasn’t home when the police came.

Two Elderly Practitioners Arrested and Harassed

Ms. Yang Guilan, 76, is a retiree of Daqing Electric Pump Company. Four officers entered her home and arrested her. She was released in the afternoon.

Several officers entered the home of Ms. Liu Zhenlan, 85, and ordered her to sign a statement to renounce her faith. After she refused to sign, the officers attempted to seize her. She resisted and the police called her daughter to sign the statement for her.

Five More Arrests

Mr. Zheng Liyan, in her 60s, was arrested and has been released.

After the police arrested Ms. Su Yuanxiang, her husband signed her bail document. She was then released.

Ms. Liu Li was released on the same day of her arrest.

Ms. Li Dongju was arrested and detained. The police submitted her case to the local procuratorate around August 12, 2022.

Ms. Zhang (first name unknown) in Jingcheng Subdivision was arrested.

Five Incidents of Harassment

The police harassed practitioners Ms. Chu Zhanjuan, Ms. Liu Xingyun, Ms. Zhang (first name unknown) in her 70s, and two other practitioners from Gaoxin District.

2. Longnan Branch

The officers from the Longnan Branch of Daqing City Police Department arrested over 20 practitioners, including a 98-year-old practitioner.

Four Practitioners in Hongwei Village Arrested

Before 6 a.m., the police deceived Mr. Gao Xijiang into coming out of his apartment building with the excuse that they scratched his car. As soon as he stepped out, the police arrested him and ordered a locksmith to try to break into his home, after his wife, Ms. Wei Jun, refused to open the door for them. While the locksmith broke one of Mr. Gao’s door locks and the metal railing outside of his windows, he still couldn’t open the door after two hours. Mr. Gao was released on the same day on bail.

The police arrested Mr. Xu Fujun at work and ransacked his home. The police called his wife, Ms. Yin Fengzhi, to go to the police station, and she refused. Mr. Fu was released on bail later that day.

The police arrested Mr. Chen Jingjie and Ms. Pang Tonghua, and ransacked their homes. They were released on bail on the day of the arrest.

Ms. Zhu Jianyun avoided the arrest as she did not open the door for the police when they went to her home.

The police ransacked Ms. Zhao Xiuping’s parents’ home. Ms. Zhao wasn’t there and the police returned that afternoon and made her brother sign her bail release document.

Five Practitioners in Daqing Oil Field 9th Factory Arrested

The police arrested Ms. Dang Qiu’e, Mr. Li Yequan, and Ms. Ding Guiying, who live in the housing complex of Daqing Oil Field 9th Factory. They ransacked the practitioners’ homes and released them on bail hours later.

The other two practitioners arrested were Ms. Zhang Shuyun and Ms. Cheng Qiaoyun.

Six More Arrests

The police arrested Mr. Jin Baojin and his wife Ms. Zhu Jianli, Ms. Wang Xuemei, Ms. Du Chunxiang and her husband, and 98-year-old Li (first name unknown). All were released on bail hours later.

84-year-old Harassed

The officers went into 84-year-old Ms. Li Guilian’s home and turned her place upside down. Many of her Falun Gong-related items were taken away. She refused to go to the police station with them, and the police forced her to fingerprint certain unknown documents.

3. Longgang Branch

The officers from the Longgang Branch of Daqing City Police Department arrested 12 practitioners.

Six Practitioners from Leyuan Subdivision Arrested

The police arrested Ms. Sun Shufang, Mr. He Jiashu and his wife Ms. Li Yongxiu, Mr. Zhao and his wife, and Ms. Jiang Shuhua. Ms. Sun and Ms. Li were released later that day; Mr. Zhao and his wife returned home on July 25, and Ms. Jiang on July 26.

Six Practitioners from Chuangyecheng Subdivision Arrested

A group of officers charged into Ms. Li Yuelan’s home as soon as she opened the door that morning. Two officers showed their IDs. Ms. Li’s husband, who had just been discharged from the hospital a few days ago after having major surgery, was terrified and suffered a heart attack. It happened that their daughter came at that moment and she took him to the hospital. The officers stayed at Ms. Li’s home and confiscated many of her belongings. She was held in Longfeng Detention Center for five days and fined 200 yuan.

Other practitioners arrested include Ms. Liu Yan and Ms. Lin Fengyu, who were both released on the same day.

The police harassed Zhou (first name unknown), Zhao (first name unknown), and a practitioner in his/her 80s, and ransacked their homes.

Police Ransack 78-year-old’s Home Twice and Harassed Her Son

Three officers broke into Ms. Zhao Guizhi’s home, claiming that she was reported by another practitioner for giving her a Falun Gong book, although they couldn’t provide any evidence. After this group of officers left after the home raid, another group of four officers from a different police department came. One of them interrogated Ms. Zhao while the others ransacked her home again. They harassed her son in an attempt to make her sign her deposition and her bail notice.

4. Dongguang Branch

A couple in Their Late 70s Arrested

The officers broke into Mr. Zhang Zihan’s home and ransacked the place. They took Mr. Zhang, 79, and his wife to the police station and released them later in the evening.

Seven More Practitioners Arrested and Harassed

The police broke into Ms. Xu’s home in Longfeng District. Ms. Xu, a teacher, fell on her sofa and started twitching uncontrollably. The officers, instead of getting her help, had a local official sign the list of confiscated items for her. The officers tried to arrest Ms. Xu, but relented following her daughter’s protest over her physical condition.

Two practitioners who happened to be visiting her, including Ms. Yu Shuang and another one whose name wasn’t known, were also arrested. Ms. Yu was released in the evening.

Six officers went into Ms. Wu Yumei’s home and ransacked the place. They took her to the police station and interrogated her. She was released on the same day.

Four officers seized Ms. Zhang Xiufen as soon as she left home. They held her down and ransacked her place. Ms. Zhang refused to sign the deposition and was released the same day.

As soon as Jin (first name unknown) got home, four officers showed up and snatched his/her keys. They ransacked the home and arrested Jin. Jin was released the same day. The next day the officers had Jin’s son sign the bail notice. The police also ordered Jin not to leave the city of Daqing.

The police went to Ms. Jia’s (first name unknown) home to harass her.

5. Wolitun Branch

The officers from the Wolitun Branch of Daqing City Police Department arrested over ten practitioners.

The police raided Mr. Jin Miaoqing’s home after they had a locksmith break the lock. The police arrested Mr. Jin and his daughter Ms. Jin Wei. At the police station, there were at least ten other arrested practitioners, including Ms. Sun (first name unknown) and Mr. Yao (first name unknown). They were all released on bail.

6. Dong’an Branch

The officers from the Dong’an Branch of Daqing City Police Department arrested six practitioners.

Three Practitioners in Daqing Oil Field 3rd Factory Arrested

The officers arrested Ms. Tang Zengye from her home at 4 a.m. and put her in a detention center. Ms. Tang went on a hunger strike and the officers force-fed her concentrated saline. She became weak and was hospitalized a few times due to the torture, yet the police would not release her. Currently, she’s been officially arrested. She refused to sign any document.

Two other practitioners arrested were Ms. Li Shuhua and Ms. Li Shuying. They were both released.

Three Practitioners in Ranghulu District Arrested

The officers restrained Ms. Ma Xiuqing’s husband as he left the house and broke into their home. The officers arrested Ms. Ma. She refused to answer questions or sign documents at the police station. She was released that night.

The police arrested Mr. Jiao Chunfu and his wife Ms. Zhang Yanfang. Ms. Zhang has been released.

7. Honggang Branch

The officers from the Honggang Branch of Daqing City Police Department arrested four practitioners.

Four Practitioners in Daqing Oil Field 4th Factory Arrested

The officers arrested Ms. Feng Lianxia at home and ransacked her place. They put her in Daqing City Detention Center under criminal detention and denied her family visits. Three months ago, on April 20, the officers had previously arrested Ms. Feng for posting information on the persecution of Falun Gong. She was released on bail that day.

The officers arrested Ms. Wang Yan and Ms. Liu Qiongfang and ransacked their homes. They took the two practitioners to Daqing City Detention Center. Ms. Liu was released the same day after she failed the physical examination.

Ms. Wang Yanping was arrested and released on bail hours later.

Practitioner in Daqing Oil Field 5th Factory Harassed Multiples Times

Ms. Wang Shuqing was harassed and videotaped several times recently. Her home was ransacked once.

8. Lindian County Branch

The officers from the Lindian County Branch of Daqing City Police Department arrested three practitioners in the Longfeng district. Four of a practitioner’s relatives were also arrested.

The officers arrested Ms. Zhao Li from home and ransacked her place. They put her in Daqing City First Detention Center. Ms. Zhao asked a detainee who was set to be released soon to tell her family that she had 25,000 yuan cash at home at the time of her arrest. Her family only found 16,000 yuan in cash, and her gold necklace went missing.

A dozen officers went to Ms. Feng Yunjuan’s home to arrest her and ransack her place. The next day her son went to the police station to look for her and was told that she was transferred to Daqing City Detention Center at 3 a.m. The police arrested four of Ms. Feng’s relatives, who were later released.

The police arrested Mr. Yan Shaoyi while he was on his way to work. A dozen officers smashed his door lock and ransacked his home. He was detained for 15 days and released on July 28.

The police went to Ms. Wu’s (first name unknown) home and harassed her multiple times. They harassed her neighbors as well.

9. Dumeng Branch

The officers from the Dumeng Branch of Daqing City Police Department arrested two and harassed four practitioners in Dumeng County.

The deputy chief of the branch and eight officers arrested Ms. Chen Yazhi at home and ransacked her place. She was released on bail that evening.

The police arrested Ms. Li Tieying, and later released her.

Three officers went to Ms. Lan Wenhua’s store claiming to search for suspicious persons. They left without finding anything.

Four officers from Zhongxin Police Station ransacked Ms. Zhang Zhimin’s home. They came back later trying to arrest her but did not succeed due to strong protest by her family.

The officers went to Ms. Li Mingxiu’s home and ransacked her place. Without finding anything related to Falun Gong, they tried to arrest her. Her family resisted and the arrest failed.

Another practitioner, Dong (first name unknown), was harassed at home on July 11.

10. Datong Branch

The officers from the Datong Branch of Daqing City Police Department arrested five practitioners.

Elderly Practitioner Arrested and Home Ransacked Twice

Nine officers went to Ms. Du Guocong’s home and ransacked the place. They arrested Mr. Du, in his 70s, and his daughter. The police interrogated him and he refused to respond. The police then forged his deposition. They ordered him to sign the statements to renounce Falun Gong, which he refused. He and his daughter were released in the evening. When they arrived home and tried to clean up the mess, two officers came and ransacked their place again.

Four Family Members in Daqing Oil Field 8th Factory Arrested

The police arrested Ms. Du Jinyan and her younger sister Ms. Du Jinbo from their home in Daqing Oil Field 8th Factory. Ms. Du Jinyan was transferred to Daqing City Detention Center. Her sister was released that day.

The police also arrested Ms. Du Jinyan’s in-laws, Mr. Wang Dianwen, 82, and Ms. Tian Guiqin, 80, from their home. Both were released on the same day.

11. Ranghulu District Branch

Officers from the Ranghulu District Branch of Daqing City Police Department arrested one practitioner and harassed another practitioner.

Four officers raided Ms. Li Tieyingher’s daughter’s home, where she was temporarily staying, claiming that she was reported for practicing Falun Gong. They ransacked the place and arrested Ms. Li after finding three Falun Gong books. Meanwhile, another group of officers went to Ms. Li’s home in Dumeng County and found more Falun Gong books. Ms. Li was later released on bail.

Six officers went to Mr. Cui Hongyi’s home and started to search his place without identifying themselves. After Mr. Cui protested, an officer showed his ID and said that someone had reported him for practicing Falun Gong. They confiscated 45 of his Falun Gong books. When his daughter tried to stop the police, they threatened to arrest her instead.

12. Huizhan Branch

The officers went to Mr. Chen Zhilong and his wife Ms. Sheng Liyun’s home in Yuanwang Subdivision. They arrested the couple and their son Chen Lei and daughter Chen Rong. Both children were released that night.

13. Tieren Branch

The officers arrested three practitioners: Ms. Liu Fenglan, Ms. Zhao Yuhua, and Ms. Nie (first name unknown). Ms. Zhao and Ms. Nie were released unconditionally, and Ms. Liu on bail later that day.

14. Lamadian Branch

The police arrested Ms. Qu Shengzhi and ransacked her home. She was released on bail.

15. Donghu Branch

Several officers raided Ms. Shi Shuhuan’s home. The officers took her to the police station and attempted to force her to sign a statement to renounce her faith. She was released the next morning.

16. Twenty More Arrests

Mr. Xie Zhengyong and his wife Ms. Xie Shuzhen were arrested and had their home ransacked.

Ms. Yang Guiying in her 80s was arrested and released on bail.

Ms. Li (first name unknown) was arrested and had her home ransacked.

Ms. Wang Jinlan was arrested and had her home ransacked. She was released the same day.

Ms. Yin Xiulan, 80, and her daughter Ms. Xu Ying were arrested and later released.

Mr. Zhang Xuguang, his wife, and his child were arrested. His wife and child were released that night.

Ms. Zheng Yulan and her husband Mr. Chen Xiaohui were arrested. Over 20 officers raided their home that day.

Li Xinli and several practitioners in Hongqi Subdivision were arrested.

Ms. Liu (first name unknown) in her 80s from Chuangyecheng 10th District was arrested. She was released the same day.

Ms. Li Li, Ms. Zhao Yuzhi, and Ms. Li Shulan were also arrested.

17. Nine More Incidents of Harassment

Mr. Wu Shunzi, 83, refused to open the door for the police. He questioned them, “What kind of people’s police are you?” They eventually left.

The police called to harass Ms. Lu Shouhe, Zheng (first name unknown), and Guo (first name unknown).

The police went to look for Ms. Lou Yanxia and she was not home. The police then called to harass her son.

An officer tried to photograph Ms. Zhang Guilan and she refused to cooperate. The same officer also harassed Ms. Fu Qingzhi on the phone.

The police went to look for Ms. Wang Xiuling and she was not home.

Two officers went to Ms. Yuan Xueli’s home on July 14. She refused to open the door. Two women came to knock on her door 12 days later and left after she refused to answer. Later a woman came and asked to see her house registration. After that woman left, another officer and four other women came and ordered her to stop practicing Falun Gong.

A month after the mass arrest, officers from Dong’an branch took Mr. Meng Fanzeng from the Sartu District to a brainwashing center on August 11 or 12, 2022. Mr. Meng refused to answer any questions or sign any documents. He has been released on bail.