(Minghui.org) According to information compiled by Minghui.org, 751 Falun Gong practitioners were reported arrested and 240 reported to be harassed for their faith in November 2016. Due to the Chinese communist regime’s information blockade, the actual number of arrest and harassment cases is likely to be much higher than those reported.
A total of 348 practitioners are confirmed to have been released after serving up to 30 days of detention. Ten other arrested practitioners’ whereabouts remain to be investigated. The rest of the arrested, totaling 393, remain detained at the time of writing, and 23 of them have been formally arrested and are facing indictment.
The police also confiscated a total of 253,380 yuan of cash from 12 practitioners during the arrests. Ms. Fan Baozhen of Huanggang City, Hubei Province saw 30,000 yuan taken away from her home when the police came to arrest her on November 14, 2016. Ms. Zeng Jinlian from Yueyang, Hunan Province had 40,000 yuan of cash confiscated when she was arrested on November 23, 2016.
The arrested practitioners hail from 27 provinces and centrally controlled municipalities. Liaoning Province registered the most arrests (118), followed by Shandong (77). Twelve other provinces reported double-digit arrests, while the rest logged single-digit arrests.
Liaoning: 119Shandong: 77Jilin: 76Beijing: 64Hebei: 56Heilongjiang: 56Hunan: 55Sichuan: 41Hubei: 36Henan: 31Shaanxi: 21Guangdong: 17Ningxia: 16Shanghai: 11Inner Mongolia: 8Gansu: 8Chongqing: 8Fujian: 8Tianjin: 7Jiangsu: 7Jiangxi: 7Guizhou: 7Yunnan: 6Anhui: 5Guangxi: 2Zhejiang: 1Shanxi: 1
Six provinces and centrally controlled cities reported double-digit cases of police harassment, with Shandong (56) topping the list, followed by Chongqing (38), Hebei (35), Sichuan (20), Jiangxi (16), and Jilin (11). The rest of the provinces logged single-digit harassment cases.
The persecution permeates every corner of the Chinese society, targeting practitioners from all walks of life. The following are but a few examples.
Interior Design Company Owner and His Guests Arrested during Private Gathering
A Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province resident and his five guests were arrested on November 23 for refusing to renounce Falun Gong.
Mr. Xu Chuan, who owns an interior design company, has been under constant surveillance since the persecution began in 1999. His guests also practice Falun Gong, just like him. Their private gathering was cut short by the police.
About a dozen officers descended upon Mr. Xu’s apartment unit as he was entertaining his guests that night. His child went to check who was knocking on the door, and the police said they were there to investigate possible human traffickers, drug dealers, and other criminals.
The child didn’t dare to let in the strangers, and the police kept banging on the door. They later found a locksmith to remove the peephole and the entire lock.
The police finally broke in and ransacked Mr. Xu’s home. They confiscated Falun Gong books, a computer, a camera, a laminating machine, and a display board with information about the lawsuits against former Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin.
One of the guests pointed to the display board and said to the police, “This is what’s happening now – people are suing Jiang for ordering the persecution of Falun Gong. We put up the board for people like you to see.” Other guests scolded the police for invading private property.
One officer responded, “My surname is Zhou. Didn’t you say I’m invading private property? Let me tell you, I’m the deputy chief of the Qiaonan Police Station!”
Zhou made several phone calls to consult on whether he should arrest Mr. Xu and his guests. Soon Liu Ming, captain of the local Domestic Security Office, and Yue Benjun, chief of the Qiaonan Police Station, also arrived on the scene.
Yue ordered the arrest of everyone except for Mr. Xu’s child and elderly mother.
The six practitioners were taken to six different places that night, with Mr. Xu to the Qiaonan Police Station, Mr. Cui Guang (Mr. Xu’s brother-in-law who was visiting from out-of-town) to the Baowei Police Station, Mr. Yang Minjiang (an engineer) to the Xinli Police Station, Ms. Wang Kun (a college professor) to the Xilin Police Station, Mr. Zhao Lunxian (an engineer) to the Chang’an Police Station, and Mr. Xia Lingwei to the Songlin Police Station.
The police issued detention notices the next day, with Mr. Xu being given 15 days of detention and his guests each given 10 days of detention. Ms. Wang was transferred to Tangyuan Detention Center, while the five men were sent to the Huachuan Detention Center.
Mr. Xu’s family demanded a copy of the detention notice, but their request was rejected.
Pedestrian Among 7 Seized from a Private Home
Seven Yinchuan, Ningxia Province residents were arrested moments after they stepped out of a friend’s home on November 23, 2016. They were targeted because they all practice Falun Gong.
Among the arrested was Ms. Zhang Xiaochun, a former deputy chief pediatrician and vice president of Longde County Hospital and also the vice chair of the Longde County political assembly. The 55-year-old doctor is still being held at Yinchuan City Detention Center.
Ms. Zhang had been arrested before for her faith. She was arrested in 2009 and detained for 27 days, during which time she was forced to perform slave labor for more than ten hours every day. She was arrested again in 2011 and sentenced to three years in prison, where she was badly tortured. She was later fired from her job.
Young Piano Teacher Detained for Giving Out Falun Gong Materials
A young piano teacher in Beijing was arrested at work on November 26, 2016, after a student’s parents reported her for giving them a desk calendar bearing information about Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime.
Ms. Shan Shan started practicing Falun Gong in late 2015, when she was at the lowest point in her life. Even though she holds a bachelor’s degree from the China Conservatory of Music, she wasn’t able to find a well-paying job, and the birth of her child aggravated her financial concerns.
Not long into her Falun Gong practice, Ms. Shan recovered from her post-childbirth complications and also stopped complaining about her job situation. She said, “Falun Gong is what I’ve been looking for all my life.” She follows the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and does her best in teaching her students.
She gave the parents of a student a copy of the aforementioned calendar, only to be reported to police. She remains at Haidian District Detention Center.
“Fugitive” University Lecturer Arrested
Ms. Wei Xiujuan, a lecturer on administrative leave from the Teacher's College of Beihua University in Jilin City, Jilin Province, was arrested at the Changchun Railway Station on November 23, 2016. She was on her way to visit a relative in Changchun City. Officers from the Zhanqian Police Station made the arrest and claimed that she was a fugitive. Her crime? Ms. Wei practices Falun Gong, a peaceful spiritual discipline based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.
According to police, Ms. Wei was added to the wanted list in September 2016 because she failed to respond to a summons issued by Jilin City's Gaoxin District Court.
Ms. Wei was handcuffed with her arms behind her back and taken to the Zhanqian Police Station. The officers then notified the Changjiang Police Station in Jilin City for assistance.
Officers from the Changjiang Police Station took Ms. Wei back to Jilin City late that night. She was very weak by the time they arrived in Jilin. Ms. Wei's husband, who had been waiting in front of the station, carried Ms. Wei into the station. He requested that Ms. Wei be hospitalized due to her heart condition. The officers refused and forced him out of the station.
Ms. Wei suffered an accelerated heartbeat that night and fainted. The officers took her to the No. 465 Hospital and she was diagnosed with high blood pressure.
The police still took her to the detention center the next day. The detention center refused to admit her because of her health problems.
The police released Ms. Wei only after they extorted 5,000 yuan from her family.
Twenty-nine of the 571 arrested practitioners were targeted because they filed criminal complaints against former Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin for ordering the persecution of Falun Gong that resulted in their past arrests and abuse.
In addition to the arrested, 50 other practitioners were harassed by police for trying to seek justice against Jiang.
Mr. Jiang Weikang, 90, and his wife, Ms. Zhang Chaobi, mailed out their criminal complaints against Jiang in July 2015. The local police showed up at the couple’s door on November 9, 2016 and stayed there for hours until the couple signed a prepared statement to nullify their lawsuit against Jiang.
Some of the 571 practitioners were arrested while trying to attend trials of other practitioners being prosecuted for their faith. Some example cases follow:
Mother of D.C. Resident Tried for Her Faith, Supporters Arrested
A Dalian City, Liaoning Province resident was tried two days after her son, a resident of Washington, D.C., called for her unconditional release in front of the Chinese Embassy. Some of her supporters were also arrested for trying to attend her trial in Dalian.
Ms. Yuan Xiaoman was seized from home on May 12, 2016 for filing a criminal complaint against former Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin for ordering the persecution of Falun Gong that resulted in her family’s ordeal.
Ms. Sun Guiling, a local Falun Gong practitioner who came to attend the trial on November 16, was seized at a bus station about 200 meters away from the courthouse. She was handcuffed to a chair for nearly two hours.
Her husband was driven away while trying to argue with the police that his wife had broken no law. He next went to the Domestic Security Office, but was sent back to the police station. This time he refused to leave until the police relented and released his wife hours later.
In addition to Ms. Sun, three other practitioners were also known to have been arrested. A woman in her 40's refused to disclose her name, and her whereabouts are unclear.
Ms. Zang Lianmei and Ms. Wang Ling were deceived by the bailiffs and turned in their IDs in order to attend the trial. The police tracked them down and arrested them not long after the hearing concluded. Their homes were also ransacked.
Beijing Woman Arrested for Inviting the Public to Attend Trial of Falun Gong Practitioners
A Beijing woman was arrested the day before the trial of three Falun Gong practitioners who were arrested for refusing to renounce the spiritual discipline, which continues to be persecuted by the Chinese communist regime. They were scheduled to appear in court on November 30, 2016.
The three defendants are Ms. Qing Xiuying, a 61-year-old homemaker; Ms. Xia Hong, a 50-year-old kindergarten teacher; and Mr. Li Yeliang, a 47-year-old photographer.
Ms. Liu Yanmei, also a Falun Gong practitioner, made a public invitation bearing information about the defendants’ background, the time and location of the trial, and that the defense lawyers had entered not-guilty pleas.
Ms. Liu distributed the invitations in Mr. Li’s apartment complex on November 29 and was arrested a few hours later. The police ransacked her home that night.
Ms. Liu remains in Tongzhou Detention Center.
Mass Arrest of Falun Gong Practitioners
Twelve Falun Gong practitioners in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province were arrested on November 3, 2016 for handing out calendars containing information about the spiritual practice and its persecution by the Chinese communist regime.
The Liaozhong District Domestic Security Division in Shenyang conducted the arrests and ransacked the practitioners’ homes. The practitioners range from ages 50 to 70.
Those arrested include Ms. An Jing, Ms. Han Qing, Ms. Han's mother Ms. Yu Chunyan, Ms. Ye Zhongqiu, Ms. Chen Hong, Ms. Yang Min, Ms. Han Chunxiang, Ms. Liu Lijuan, Ms. Chen Hong, Ms. Meng Suzhen and her daughter, and Ms. Liu.
Ms. An Jing resisted arrest and was kicked to the ground and pepper-sprayed. She was then dragged to a police vehicle by two officers.
When Ms. Ye Zhongqiu tried to stop the officers from using violence in the arrest, she was also taken into custody.
Homes Ransacked
Li Wei, a team leader of the Liaozhong District Domestic Security Division, led over 20 policemen to ransack the practitioners' homes and confiscate their computers and cell phones. The officers also took 18,000 yuan and 2,000 Taiwanese dollars, which belonged to Ms. Ann's son, from Ms. An's home. A gold necklace found in Ms. Ye Zhongqiu's home was also confiscated.
Detention
The families of the arrested practitioners wanted to see them in the evening, but they were refused by police.
Ms. Ye was beaten for refusing to sign or print her fingerprints. The practitioners were also forcibly given medical examinations. Ms. Han Qing did not cooperate with officers and was kicked and hit as a result.
Most of the practitioners were taken to the Shenyang Detention Center the day after the arrests. Two were released because they failed the physical examination. Ms. Han's 70-year-old mother was also taken to the detention center despite her high blood pressure. Another 70-year-old woman was also taken to the detention center.
Ten practitioners were released later. Ms. Ye and Ms. Chen remain in custody.
The month of November witnessed 42 Falun Gong practitioners sent to various brainwashing centers across the country.
Mr. Guo Qiang of Team Eight was sent to the brainwashing center on November 2.
Mr. Zhang Jinyuan from No. 2 Refinery was sent to the brainwashing center on November 3.
Mr. Luan Xin of Geology Company and Ms. Ding Si from Daqing Medical were sent to the brainwashing center on November 4.
Ms. Han Fengyu from Daqing Medical College was sent to the brainwashing center on November 7.
Ms. Zhang Qiuju from Chuangyecheng Property Management Company was sent to the brainwashing center on November 10.
Mr. Yan Shaoyi from the headquarters office at the oilfield was sent to the brainwashing center on November 11.
Three Falun Gong practitioners, who were arrested prior to November 2016, died in the month after succumbing to the collateral damage of the persecution.
Changchun Man Dies after Years of Sufferings
Mr. Sun Shibin from Changchun City, Jilin Province was arrested shortly after the persecution began in 1999. He was brutally tortured while held at various labor camps. He never recovered from the torture-induced complications and died on November 9, 2016, at age 60.
Chongqing Man Dies Weeks after Police Visit
Mr. Deng Chao, a Jiangbei District, Chongqing resident, was harassed at work on October 31, 2016, for suing former Chinese Communist Party head Jiang Zemin. He was forced to press his fingerprints on a prepared statement promising to break away from and to stop practicing Falun Gong. The agents involved included Yang Shunhua, chief of Dashiba Police Station, and Li Feng, head of the Dashiba Neighborhood Community 610 Office.
As a result of the intense physiological pressure and threats, Mr. Deng died at home on November 11, 2016. He was 49.
Chifeng Woman Dies 14 Months after Latest Arrest
Ms. Zhang Limei, a resident of Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, was sentenced to 7 years in 2001, when she was still nursing her infant baby. The guards at Hohhot Women’s Prison subjected her to various forms of torture, including beatings and sleep deprivation.
She was arrested again in August 2015. Though she was later released, she never recovered and passed away on November 29, 2016. She was 52.