(Minghui.org) In Jixi City, Heilongjiang Province 12 residents were arrested in three days for filing lawsuits against former Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin, who launched the persecution of their spiritual belief, Falun Gong. At the time of this writing, seven are still in detention.
Jixi Authorities Retaliate Against Practitioners
Local authorities issued an order in June of this year that all postal offices must keep copies for police use of Falun Gong practitioners' lawsuits mailed out.
Police stations have also notified 60 practitioners, demanding that they sign a police-prepared document by November 20 to “repent their mistake” of suing Jiang and also to renounce Falun Gong.
Many practitioners refused to comply. Police then launched a new wave of arrests from November 16 to 19, taking 12 into custody.
Arrests on Nov. 16
Ms. Tang Xufeng, 51, is a practitioner from Liumao Township, Hengshan District. Three local police officers (one of them Zhu Hongtao) arrested her on Nov. 16. They came to her home the next day and ransacked the place. Her five-year-old grandson, whom she has been taking care of, now cries every day for her. Her current detention location is unknown.
Ms. Liu Changji, Ms. Wang Xiuzhen, and Ms. Xia Yuxiang from Hengshan District were arrested on the afternoon of Nov. 16. Their families were notified they were detained for ten days.
A woman whose first name is Mei (whose last name remains to be verified) was arrested on the same day and sent to the detention center. She was released later.
Arrests on Nov. 17
Two police officers from the Dongxing Police Station came to Mr. Wu Baoku's home in Didao District at around 7:55 a.m. on Nov. 17 and arrested him. When his wife came to the police station to ask for his release an hour later, she was arrested on the spot and sent to the detention center. Both of them were released later.
While Ms. Yu Shuqing from Hongqi Township, Hengshan District was on her way to the city on the morning of Nov. 17, the police arrested her on the bus and sent her to the Jixi City Detention Center. Her home was ransacked later, and her Falun Gong books and cell phone were confiscated.
Arrests on Nov. 19
Three Falun Gong practitioners from Lishu District—Ms. Sun Aihua, her mother Ms. Jing (given name unknown), and Ms. Wang Fengzhi—were taken to the Muling Mine Police Station by police station director Wang Zhongyao. Ms. Sun and Ms. Wang were sent to the detention center and Ms. Jing was released.
Mr. Wang Baogui from Jiguan District was arrested around the same period. He was detained for half an hour in the police station then released.
