(Minghui.org) The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched its “Two Sessions” (annual meetings of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference) in March 2023. In an attempt to prevent Falun Dafa practitioners from going to Beijing to protest the 24-year-long persecution, authorities in Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province began a mass arrest and harassment program targeting local practitioners.
By the time of writing, the Minghui.org website has confirmed that at least twelve practitioners were arrested from March to May 2023, four were in different stages of prosecution, and many more were harassed. Because of the information blockade, some details of the persecution can’t be reported in a timely manner, nor is all information readily available.
In addition to the arrests and harassment cases, three other practitioners were taken to prison to serve terms they received earlier for upholding their faith.
(1) Ms. Li Dongju is in her 60s and lived in Saertu District. Officers from the Gaoxin District Police Department arrested her on July 12, 2022, and she was subsequently indicted. After her hearing by the Sartu District Court on December 30, 2022, the judge sentenced her to a 5.5-year prison term. Ms. Li appealed her case and the upper court upheld the lower court’s sentence. The authorities informed her family on April 14, 2023 that she would soon be transferred to the Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison.
(2, 3) Officers from the Longnan Police Department arrested two practitioners on July 12, 2022, who lived in Honggang District, including Ms. Cheng Qiaoyun, 65, and Ms. Du Chunxiang, 67. Ms. Cheng was later sentenced to eight years in prison and fined 50,000 yuan. Ms. Du was sentenced to three years and four months. The two practitioners were transferred to Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison on April 20, 2023.
Officers from the Longgang Police Department, Ranghulu Police Department, Donghu Police Department, and Longfeng Police Department conducted a mass arrest on May 18, 2023. One officer from the Longgang Police Department said that 18 practitioners were arrested that day alone. But due to information censorship, Minghui.org has only been able to collect information about 12 practitioners.
(1) Four plainclothes officers from the Ranghulu Police Department broke into the home of 64-year-old practitioner Sun (first name and gender unknown) early on the morning of May 18, 2023 and arrested Sun. The police collected a 20,000 yuan bond from Sun and released Sun on bail for a year.
(2, 3, 4) Officers from the Longgang Police Department arrested Ms. Yao Qingyun, Ms. Zhang Guixiang, 65, and Ms. Tian Yingchun, 66, on May 18, 2023. That night Ms. Yao and Ms. Zhang were released on bail. The police attempted to detain Ms. Tian at Daqing City Lockup, but relented after she was denied admission for an unknown reason.
(5, 6, 7, 8) Four practitioners from the Ranghulu District were arrested on May 18, 2023, including Mr. and Mrs. Lyu Zhenrong (in their 70s) who lived in Changqing Community, Ms. Wang Lihua who lived in Xizhai Community, and Ms. Zhang Xiu’e, who is in her 70s.
(9) Ms. Li Rong, in her 50s, lived in Donghu 4th District. The plainclothes officers from Donghu Police Department were stationed outside of her home and arrested her on the morning of May 18, 2023.
(10) Officers from the Donghu Police Department broke into Ms. Wang Zhengyong’s home in Donghu District on May 18, 2023. They ransacked her home and arrested her. She was released that afternoon.
(11) Ms. Fu Chenghua, 64, from Dumeng County, lived in a rental place in Ranghulu District. The police arrested her and ransacked her place on May 18, 2023. She was later released on bail.
(12) Ms. Wu Yanhong, in her 50s, lived in Longfeng District. Seven officers from Longfeng District Police Department charged into her home on May 18, 2023. Ms. Wu demanded that they leave their names and badge numbers, and only two of them did. The police ransacked her place and terrorized her 83-year-old mother. She was released on bail three days later.
(1) Mr. Meng Fanzeng from Sartu District went to the Daqing Train Station on April 28, 2022. The police arrested him at the security check point after finding out that he was a Falun Dafa practitioner. Officers from the Dong’an Police Department put him in a brainwashing center, where he was tortured. Mr. Meng’s case was forwarded to the Gaoxin District Procuratorate on March 30, 2023.
(2) Officers from the Gaoxin Police Department arrested Ms. Shi Jianhua, 75, at her residence in Ranghulu District on June 6, 2022. She was released on bail. She was indicted and her case was forwarded to the Gaoxin District Court in March 2023.
(3) Ms. Guo Shuying, in her 50s, lived in Ranghulu District. Four plainclothes officers from the Dong’an Police Department arrested her on the morning of April 20, 2022. She was released on bail. She was indicted in April 2023.
(4) Ms. Han Jinxiu, in her 70s, from Ranghulu District, was arrested on April 28, 2022. Officers from the Ranghulu District Police Department released her on bail the next day. Her son received a call saying that her case was transferred to the Ranghulu District Court in April 2023.
The officers who were involved in harassing the practitioners in Daqing City came from Longfeng District Police Department, Longnan Police Department, Ranghulu District Police Department, Lamadian Police Department, Honggang Police Department, Huizhan Police Department, and the Dumeng County Police Department.
Ms. Liu Guifen from Longbei Community in Ranghulu District was arrested on April 20, 2022 by officers from the Huizhan Police Department. The police released her on bail. A year later the police attempted to arrest her, despite her being in a coma from a stroke.
Ms. Zheng Yulan was in her 80s and lived in Chengfeng 10th District. Officers from the Longgang Police Department broke into her home and tried to arrest her on May 18, 2023. Her daughter-in-law argued with the police and did not allow them take Ms. Zheng.
Officers from the Longfeng District Police Department, along with community officials, harassed the practitioners and their families in that district in February 2023. They either called or went to the practitioners’ homes with the excuses of conducting a census or routine checkups.
Officers from the Longnan Police Department harassed many practitioner in Longnan District in March 2023. Some officers tried to photograph the practitioners while others claimed it was just a routine checkup.
An official from Longgang Community called Ms. Tian Yufen’s child on March 9, 2023. The officer claimed that he wanted to find and take a photograph of Ms. Tian. The child refused to disclose her whereabouts.
The official also called Ms. Zhang Lijuan’s brother-in-law wanting to “ask questions about her.” On the same day five officials went to Ms. Sun Derong’s home to harass her and her family.
An officer from the Ranghulu Police Department, along with a community official, harassed the practitioners in Ranghulu District in April 2023. Their excuse was to check on the practitioners’ household registrations.
An officer from the Lamadian Police Department harassed the local practitioners in April 2023.
An officer from the Huizhan Police Department harassed 77-year-old Ms. Zhao (first name unknown) in April 2023, and demanded to photograph her.
Officers from the Honggang Police Department photographed several practitioners in the district in April 2023.
Two officers, one of them named Liu Xu, from Dumeng County Police Department went to Ms. Lan Wenhua’s store on April 12, 2023 to harass her. They tried to photograph her and asked for her cellphone number.
An officer from the Dumeng County Police Department called Ms. Gao Shuxian’s husband on April 13, 2023 and knocked on his door. The officer asked what Ms. Gao had been doing every day (to see whether she engaged in Falun Dafa-related activities).
An officer from the Dumeng County Police Department called Mr. Li Zhongfu’s son on April 13, 2023, and asked if his parents had gone out recently. The son refused to let the officer visit them at home.
Song Hongyuan (宋鸿源), director of Daqing City Police Department: +86-13836662345Ai Changjun (艾长君), deputy director of Daqing City Police Department: +86-13394664001, +86-13329502006Wang Ping (王平), chief of Domestic Security Office: +86-13359833863Liu Chao (刘超), officer from Ranghulu Police Department: +86-17645462035Liu Qingpeng (刘庆鹏), officer from Longbei Community: +86-15776501236