(Minghui.org) Nine Falun Gong practitioners were arrested on March 29, 2014. The police confiscated informational materials as well as computers and printers from their homes.
Two of the practitioners were released, while the other seven were sent to detention centers. In addition, three other practitioners were arrested on March 26 and April 17.
A total of ten practitioners in Changsha City are confirmed to have been detained for the past two months.
Front gate of the detention facilities in Changsha City. The smaller picture on the right shows a zoomed-in view of the four signs to the right of the gate. The signs read: Changsha No. 1 Detention Center, Changsha No. 2 Detention Center, Changsha No. 3 Detention Center, and Changsha No. 4 (Women's) Detention Center.
Practitioners Ms. Zhao Yalin, Ms. Yan Hong, Ms. Zhou Deyuan, and Ms. Zhang Lingge have been detained at the Changsha No.4 Detention Center for over two months.
Ms. Yan Hong—Nearly Blind from Torture
Fifty-year-old Ms. Yan Hong was arrested on March 29, 2014 and has been detained since then. Her arrest warrant was issued a month later, on April 29.
She is now facing another illegal trial for her belief in Falun Gong and her efforts to inform people about the persecution.
After serving in the local People's Congress for many years, Ms. Yan lost her job as a government employee after the Communist Party began to persecute Falun Gong in 1999. Following an arrest in 2001, she was imprisoned for six years and tortured, resulting in severe vision loss.
After Ms. Yan was released in 2007, she opened a barbershop to make a living. As her skills improved, the number of her customers also increased.
However, local officials from the 610 Office and other agencies continued to harass and monitor her. When Changsha police officers carried out the mass arrest of practitioners on March 29, she was one of the targets. Officials held her at the Changsha No. 1 Detention Center and shackled her.
Torture illustration: Handcuffed and shackled
The local police informed her family that the arrest was ordered by higher authorities, who would also decide the cases's judicial outcome.
66-Year-Old Mr. Guan Dengyang Detained
Mr. Guang Dengyang, 66, is a retired factory department director from Changde, Hunan. He and his wife had been staying in Changsha to take care of their grandchild. He was arrested on the afternoon of March 29, 2014. Officials confiscated computers and printers, and have detained him for more than two months.
70-Year-Old Ms. Zhao Yalin Still Detained Despite Severe Symptoms
Ms. Zhao Yalin, 70, a retiree from Changsha Automobile Company, lives on the campus of Changsha University of Science and Technology. Changsha County Domestic Security Division and local police arrested her at 2:00 a.m. on March 30. Officials confiscated her computer and printer.
Within two hours of being detained, Ms. Zhao began suffering physical symptoms. A large lump developed on the back of her head, with pus and bleeding. She is still being detained at the Changsha City No. 1 Detention Center.
Business Owner Li Xuangang Arrested Again
Mr. Li Xuangang, 48, is a practitioner in Changsha County. He ran a successful car parts business since the 1980s. He once donated money to build a road in his hometown.
Despite his wealth and success, it was not until he learned Falun Gong in 1996 that he had a deeper sense of purpose. However, after the Communist Party began the persecution three years later, he was subjected to four years of imprisonment and one year of labor camp detention.
Mr. Li made an investment on transportation and electricity projects in Chibi City, Hubei Province, in 2005. When Zhou Yongkang, head of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, visited Chibi in April 2012, 610 Offices in Chibi City and Changsha County conspired to send Mr. Li to a detention center, followed by a brainwashing center and a forced labor camp.
Officials did not release Mr. Li until they extorted 450,000 yuan from him. One officer surnamed Yao said, “Compared to those elderly ladies [who practice Falun Gong], we would rather arrest people like you—young and wealthy. We can get more money out of it!”
After Mr. Li returned home, officers continued to monitor him. After his recent arrest on March 29, his BMW automobile was also taken away. Mr. Li is currently detained at the Changsha No. 1 Detention Center.
Over Ten Police Officers Arrest One Elderly Woman
Ms. Zhou Deyuan, 61, lives in Changsha City. More than ten officers from Changsha Domestic Security Division and local police went to her home at 2:00 p.m. on March 29, 2014. After ransacking the home and confiscating her personal belongings, they arrested Ms. Zhou when she returned home at 5:00 p.m.
Her family and neighbors could not understand why more than ten officers were dispatched to arrest such a kindhearted woman who was well-liked in the community. Officials first sent Ms. Zhou to Liuyang Detention Center, then transferred her to the Changsha No. 4 Detention Center.
Ningxiang County Police Arrested Three Practitioners
Officials from Ningxiang County, Changsha City arrested Ms. Zhang Xinqi, Mr. Yao Dahua, and a practitioner surnamed Liu on March 29, 2014. Ms. Zhang and Mr. Yao are still detained, while Liu was released.
These three practitioners run a car parts business. Police officers ransacked their workplace after the arrest, confiscating computers, printers, and personal belongings including Falun Gong materials.
The family members of Ms. Zhang (51 years old) and Mr. Yao (61 years old, computer engineer), have not been able to find out where they are currently detained.
Ms. Zhang Arrested Again, After Eight Years of Detention
Ms. Zhang Furong, 55, was formerly an employee at Changsha Electromechanical Instrument Company. She suffered from uterine cancer, which chemotherapy failed to cure, but after learning Falun Gong in 1997, her illness symptoms disappeared.
Ms. Zhang was fired from her job after the persecution started in 1999, for refusing to renounce Falun Gong. She was sent to a labor camp in 2000 with a term of 18 months, then imprisoned in 2002 with a term of 7 years.
Officials arrested Ms. Zhang again on the evening of March 29, 2014. They also ransacked her home and confiscated her personal belongings. Although Ms. Zhang was bailed out on April 28, local police continued to harass her, threatening to detain her again.
Three Practitioners Arrested on Other Dates
In addition to the practitioners arrested on March 29, three other practitioners were arrested between late March and April.
Tianxin District police arrested Ms. Liu Chunxia and Ms. Zhang Lingge at their rental residence on March 25, 2014. Officers also ransacked the place.
Liuyang District police arrested Ms. Luo Dan on April 17. Officers also ransacked her home and confiscated her personal belongings. They also took more than 30,000 yuan from her father, leaving him without anything to cover living expenses.
Ms. Zhang, 46, was imprisoned in 2002 with a term of six years. She was arrested again in 2009, and sent to a labor camp for 18 months. She was also held at a brainwashing center. Ms. Zhang has either been imprisoned or living in places away from home for the past 15 years, to avoid arrest.
Ms. Liu Chunxia was once sent to a labor camp in 2007 with a term of 18 months. She and her family have been continually harassed by the police over the years.
Key Parties Involved:
Zhong Gang (钟钢), head of Changsha City Political and Legal Affairs Committee: +86-731-88667377 (phone), +86-731-88667373 (fax)Hu Yajun (胡亚军), Changsha City 610 Office chief: +86-731-88667548 (office), +86-13787151617 (cell)
