(Clearwisdom.net) Ms. Gong Ping, Ms. Cao Xiuxia, and Ms. Guo Fengxia are Falun Gong practitioners in Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province. Recently, they were brutally beaten, had money extorted from them, and were illegally detained by local security staff and police officers from Sifeng Town Police Station.

On December 13, 2007, Ms. Gong, Ms. Cao, and Ms. Guo went to a village in the suburbs to distribute truth-clarification materials. Somebody reported them to the police. At about 3:00 p.m., a village security officer, Li San, came on a motorcycle and stopped them.

Li San ran up to them, grabbed Ms. Cao Xiuxia by her hair, and slammed her head against a utility pole. He then gave her a head butt and continued to hit her head against the utility pole. He pounded her chest with his fist and kicked and stomped on her with his feet. He also kicked Ms. Guo Fengxia, who then fell on the curb, and her lips started to bleed. Her mouth was filled with sand. Her nose and face were black and blue and badly swollen. Li San pounded her on the back and the chest with his fists and feet. Ms. Cao tried to walk away twice, but she was stopped by a taxi driver and a village security committee member. In the end, Li San herded the women over to the taxi. When they refused to get in, Li San beat them viciously.

As this shameful incident was taking place, the three practitioners tried to clarify the truth to their tormentors, but the men refused to listen. The men eventually called the police, and several from Sifeng Town Police Station came. One policeman tried twice to persuade Li San to let Ms. Guo Fengxia go. Li San refused. Finally, the women were taken to Sifeng Town Police Station. Policemen illegally searched them and took over 400 "yuan: from Ms. Cai, over 30 yuan from Ms. Guo, and over 20 yuan from Ms. Gong.

The three practitioners were detained in the police station overnight. It was not until the next morning that Li San notified Ms. Guo Fengxia's family by telephone. When her family got to the police station, the officers extorted 3,000 yuan from them in exchange for Ms. Guo's release. The police also told her family not to tell anybody that the police took money from them.

Ms. Gong Ping and Ms. Cao Fengxia were taken to the Jiamusi City Police Department Suburban Branch. They refused to tell the police there their names or addresses. Police officer Chen Wanyou from the Jiamusi City Police Department National Security Brigade went to the Suburban Branch to question them. In order to try to trick them into telling him their names and addresses, Chen Wanyou said, "You won't be sentenced to prison for just distributing a few truth-clarification flyers. Just call your families and let them know where you are, then you can go home." The practitioners were not deceived by Chen's lie and refused to cooperate. Later, they were taken to the Jiamusi City Detention Center. Ms. Cao didn't pass the physical examination and was not admitted to the detention center. Ms. Gong is still being held at the detention center.

It was reported that practitioners held in the detention center were forced to do hard labor. They are required to complete a certain amount of work each day. Their work included packaging disposable chopsticks and putting fake flowers on toothpicks using toxic glue. The toothpicks are exported overseas as handicrafts.

Since the Jiamusi City Detention Center was moved to Heitong, things may appear to have improved. But in fact, the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners continues, just more covertly. Every cell is equipped with a monitoring camera. Practitioners are not allowed to study the Fa, practice the exercises, or send forth righteous thoughts. The security guards don't beat or humiliate practitioners in front of other inmates. Instead, they instigate other inmates to do whatever they want to practitioners. If they need to carry out tortures themselves, they use a special cell with no monitoring equipment, and they only do it at night.

Jiamusi City Detention Center: 86-454-8519599
Jiamusi City Detention Center, Deputy Head's Office: 86-454-8517766
Jiamusi City Police Department Suburban Branch Police Chief, Sun Chengwei, 86-13945457335(Cell)
Jiamusi City Police Department Suburban Branch Deputy Police Chief, Ju Fuchun, 86-13803656988(Cell)