(Minghui.org) A Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, resident was arrested on March 21, 2024 for his faith in Falun Gong. Mr. Xuan Huaiji (also known as Xuan Huaijie) refused to provide information to the police or sign statements to renounce his faith. He was released later that night.

Liu Zhanhai, the chief of the Yimatu Village Police Station, and an officer surnamed Guo broke into Mr. Xuan’s home around 10 a.m. on March 21, when his wife was at home by herself. 

Liu searched everywhere at the couple’s home, include their kitchen pantry. Mr. Xuan’s many Falun Gong books and informational materials were confiscated.

At noon, five officers returned to Mr. Xuan’s home. He had returned home by then. Police chief Liu ordered him to go with them, while officer Guo was videotaping them on the side. Mr. Xuan stopped Guo and condemned the police for trespassing. Guo then turned off the camera.

The police pushed Mr. Xuan into a police car and took him to the Chongli District Police Department. While interrogating Mr. Xuan, one officer mentioned that they arrested him in order to get more points for their work performance. Mr. Xuan tried to explain to the police that no law has ever criminalized Falun Gong in China and that the Chinese Communist Party has been spreading all kinds of propaganda to smear the practice.

Mr. Xuan refused to sign any paperwork or have his fingerprints taken. The police released him around 10 p.m. 

The arrest and interrogation brought tremendous pressure to Mr. Xuan and his family. As he has previously served two labor camp terms for his faith and was subjected to torture, his loved ones worried whether the authorities would detain and torture him again. Mr. Xuan also developed severe stomach pain due to the mental distress. 

Two Labor Camp Terms

Mr. Xuan was arrested in 2001 and given three years at the Gaoyang Forced Labor Camp. He strongly protested the persecution and was released soon after.

The police broke into Mr. Xuan’s home in the middle of the night on October 11, 2005. Before he could put on his clothes, the police covered his head, handcuffed him and dragged him to the police car. The handcuffs were so tight that his wrists bled.

The police first took Mr. Xuan to a hotel around 2 a.m. and then drove him to the Gaoyang Forced Labor Camp three hours later. Without proper paperwork, they worked with the labor camp guards to admit him. It is unclear what length of forced labor term the police gave him this time.

Because Mr. Xuan talked to the inmates about Falun Gong and also did the Falun Gong exercises, the guards pushed him to the ground, kicked him, and slapped him in the face. His face became swollen and bruised. Despite the beating, Mr. Xuan was adamant that he wouldn’t renounce Falun Gong. 

Mr. Xuan protested by refusing to do the forced labor. He also started a hunger strike on the ninth day of his labor camp admission. The guards took him to the hospital for force-feeding. On the way to the hospital, they pressed him against the floor of the car and beat him. His teeth became loose and his face was swollen.

Mr. Xuan refused to cooperate with the forced-feeding. Three guards and an inmate held his head and feet against the ground. They pried open his mouth and teeth. Two medical workers inserted two plastic tubes, one thick and another thin, into his nose and mouth. He was force-fed milk powder mixed with excessive salt. The pain almost suffocated him, and his eyes watered non-stop. His vision remained blurred for a long time afterwards. 

For the next few weeks, the guards took Mr. Xuan to the hospital every three days for forced-feedings. Every time on their way back to the labor camp, the guards deliberately drove over bumpy roads to increase his suffering.

Upon arriving at the labor camp, the guards dragged Mr. Xuan out of the car. While the inmates dragged him back to the cell, the guards kicked him. His clothes were torn and his feet were also severely injured. 

After 41 days of hunger strike, Mr. Xuan was unable to talk. His face was pale and he often lost consciousness. Not wanting him to die in the labor camp, the guards wrote a statement to renounce Falun Gong, had the inmates grab his hand to fingerprint the document and then called his son to pick him up. When his son arrived at the labor camp, the guards ordered him to pay 1,000 yuan for the milk powder and salt and to meet other requirements before he could be allowed to see his father. They demanded to see certain documents from the local village committee and police station. Mr. Xuan’s son spent thousand of yuan on travel, but returned home alone. 

When Mr. Xuan’s son contacted the local police for the required documents, the police refused to issue them. More than 80 villagers petitioned for Mr. Xuan’s release. On December 6, 2005, when Mr. Xuan was on the verge of death, the labor camp released him without asking for the documents.

Other Arrests

Mr. Xuan was arrested several more times over the course of the persecution.

On October 27, 2004, he was reported by the village secretary for talking to people about Falun Gong. He was detained at the Chongli County Police Department for an unknown amount of time.

When he went to the nearby Shiyaozi Village to raise awareness about the persecution of Falun Gong on November 20, 2019, Mr. Xuan was reported to the village officials again. The police broke into his home and confiscated his Falun Gong books and informational materials. They also took away 20,000 yuan in cash from his home and it took the family much effort to get the money back.

Zheng Jianguo, chief of the Chongli District Domestic Security Division, led eight officers to break into Mr. Xuan’s home on May 13, 2020. Upon finding out he wasn’t home, they raided his place and confiscated his Falun Gong books and a portrait of Falun Gong’s founder. 

To avoid being arrested, Mr. Xuan lived away from home for a month. Just hours after he returned home on June 17, 2020, police chief Zheng arrived and arrested him. They stuffed him into the trunk of a car and took away the cellphone his daughter-in-law had just bought him and his remaining Falun Gong materials. 

Mr. Xuan was detained at the Zhangjiakou City Detention Center and released on July 3, 2020. 

Related Reports:

Mr. Xuan Huaiji from Zhangjiakou City is Being Tortured in Gaoyang Forced Labor Camp

Xuan Huaiji at Brink of Death after Hunger Striking for Over 50 Days at Gaoyang Forced Labor Camp