(Minghui.org) The persecution of Falun Gong continues in China but in some areas it is carried out much less strenuously than in others. Many police officers, prosecutors, judges and local CCP officials are reluctant to participate in the persecution now that hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens have file lawsuits against the primary perpetrator of the persecution, former Party leader Jiang Zemin.
What follows are some recent examples from Hebei Province.
The head of a township called village heads together to plan how to repress local Falun Gong practitioners who had filed criminal complaints against Jiang. The meeting was held in September 2015. He ordered the village heads to cooperate in the persecution. The director of Comprehensive Management Office asked about the situation of the Falun Gong practitioners in each village.
A village head shook his head when asked about the practitioners in his village, “No. There aren't any Falun Gong practitioners in my village.”
The director asked again, “No? Why are there several names on this list?”
“I told you there aren't any,” answered the village head. “What is wrong with practicing Falun Gong? If you press me too hard, I might take up the practice myself. Come and arrest me!”
The director did not make further request but said with wry smile, “Don't joke about it. Okay, there aren't any, then.”
With the support of the village head, the Falun Gong practitioners in his village were not harassed by the township CCP officials.
The village head talked with a local practitioner about the issue, who said, “You protect us. You will be rewarded in future. Look at the high level officials who actively participated in the persecution, such as Bo Xilai, Zhou Yongkang and Li Dongsheng. They are now imprisoned.”
The village head said, “Yes, there has been a big change in the situation. Who wants to carry out the persecution?”
Falun Gong practitioner Hunag Guoqin in Wei County, Hebei Province was arrested on August 13, 2015 for filing a criminal complaint against Jiang. Police ransacked her home and escorted her to Handan Detention Center. But the Center refused to accept Falun Gong practitioners. The police had no choice but released her on the same day.
A police substation in Hebei received reporting about two Falun Gong practitioners explaining the persecution to passers-by on street in September 2015. Police brought the two practitioners to the substation. The Director of the substation knows the truth about Falun Gong and released them, coming up with an excuse he could “sell” to his superiors. He asked the practitioners what had happened and when he let them go, advised them, “Be careful and pay attention to your safety from now on.”
Judge Liu Baogang of She County Court, Hebei Province sentenced Falun Gong practitioner Li Shuiting to three years imprisonment at the beginning of November 2015. Practitioner Li had been detained in She County Detention Center for seven months before the ruling. Police escorted Li to Handan Prison. The prison guards refused to accept Li when they learned he was a Falun Gong practitioner. The court then asked the police to escort Li to Shijiazhuang Prison, which also refused to accept a practitioner. Without other options, the police brought Li back to She County Detention Center.
Police in Chengguan Township Substation, Feixiang County, Hebei Province arrested Falun Gong practitioner Wu Haiming on June 3, 2015. A total of about 50 people in nine police vehicles went there. The head of Feixiang County Political and Legal Affairs Committee went there in person to arrest Wu. They took Wu's printer, computer and some Falun Gong materials. They claimed the reason was that he had applied for a visa to travel to the United States.
Feixiang County Public Security Bureau transferred the case to Feixiang County Procuratorate. But the Procuratorate returned the case back to the Public Security Bureau. The Public Security Bureau has not released Wu. He is still detained in Feixiang County Detention Center.
The persecution of Falun Gong is carried out by Party officials from the highest levels down to the lowest local levels. It involves the police, prosecutors, courts, and the community, village and street-level Party administration offices. The low level local officials are often the ones who must actually carry out the persecution, while higher level officials set policy and issue orders. Nowadays, many of the local level officials are reluctant to participate in the persecution and seek ways to avoid it. It seems unlikely that the policy of persecution can be sustained much longer if the current trend continues.