(Minghui.org) According to information collected by Minghui.org, at least 47 Falun Gong practitioners were sentenced by the Nangang District Court in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, between July 1999 and 2018. After 2018, the authorities in Harbin designated the Daoli District Court to handle its Falun Gong cases.
The terms of those 47 sentences handed down by the Nangang District Court were between 3 and 15 years in prison. Five practitioners were sentenced to 3 years, ten were given 4 to 4.5 years, fourteen were given 5 to 9 years, and ten were given between 10 to 15 years. Th terms for the remaining eight are unknown.
Of those sentenced, three died as a result of the persecution.
Below is a brief overview of the cases.
Three Persecuted to Death
1) Lecturer from Harbin Institute of Technology Tortured to Death
Mr. Wang Dayuan, 36, of Harbin was a lecturer and faculty member in computer studies at Harbin Institute of Technology. At the end of October 2002, the police searched his home and arrested him. In the summer of 2003, Mr. Wang was sentenced to 8 years in prison.
On April 2, 2004, to try to force Mr. Wang to write a statement smearing Falun Gong, the guards took turns beating him and making him stand in painful postures for an entire day. He was not given anything to eat.
On April 3, Mr. Wang was forced to write a statement to renounce Falun Gong against his will. But he soon regretted it and tore up the statement the next day. In retaliation, the guards tortured him even worse, and Mr. Wang became so weak that he couldn’t remain standing. They made him crawl down the hall and threw him into a storage room.
On April 5, Mr. Wang was very weak, but the guards still forced him to work and beat him again in the afternoon. He died shortly after.
An examination of his body revealed that he had a fractured skull, massive intracranial hemorrhage, broken fingers, bruises, and swelling in both legs.
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2) Man Given a 4-Year Term and Tortured to Death
Mr. Yu Zhenyi was arrested many times and subjected to inhumane torture for upholding his faith in Falun Gong. He died on June 14, 2002, as a result of being tortured in prison.
Mr. Yu was first arrested by Nangang Police Department officers in August 1999. They confiscated 7,000 yuan in cash and his cell phone without giving him a receipt. On September 19, 1999, he was arrested again by the same officers and detained in a hotel. The police took the 5,000 yuan in cash he had on him. He was sentenced to four years in September 2001 by the Nangang District Court.
Even though he was in critical condition from being tortured in detention center, he was admitted to the Harbin City Third Prison in early April 2002. Weeks later, on April 25, 2002, he was taken to Wanjia Hospital, where four people injected an unknown drug into his brain. Later that evening, he was transferred to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University.
By then, he was unconscious and having uncontrollable seizures. The doctor that examined him saw that he had been struck in the head repeatedly with a heavy object. There was a puncture wound in his chest and injuries all over his body, including a broken tooth. The hospital refused to treat him, so his family took him home on May 29. He died on June 14. He was 28.
Related Reports:
My Father and My Brother Were Killed in the Persecution (Photo)
Dafa Practitioner Yu Zhenyi Tortured to Death in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province
3) Woman Dies Nine Months Before Scheduled Release, Family Suspects Foul Play
Ms. Meng Hong was arrested on May 22, 2012, while distributing information about Falun Gong near Heilongjiang University. The Nangang District Court sentenced Ms. Meng to seven years in prison. Although she had been released on bail after the detention center refused to accept her due to her advanced age, the police still took her to Heilongjiang Women’s Prison on March 27, 2013.
The prison called Ms. Meng’s family on the afternoon of July 26, 2019, and said that she was suffering an episode of high blood pressure and a heart problem. They were told to go to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University with cash to pay her medical expenses.
Moments after the family arrived, the ambulance carrying Ms. Meng showed up. They saw two paramedics performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on her inside the vehicle. Ms. Meng was pronounced dead ten minutes after she was taken to the emergency room. She was 79.
Ms. Meng’s sudden death came nine months before her scheduled release. Her family said that she had been very healthy before and during the six-plus years that she was imprisoned. They suspect foul play in her death.
Prison Terms of 10 to 15 Years
1) Teacher in the Department of Biology in Harbin Normal University Sentenced to 15 Years
Dr. Liu Xiaolong was a 38-year-old teacher in the Department of Biology at Harbin Normal University. Because he printed Falun Gong materials and went to Beijing to protest the persecution, he was arrested on November 23, 2000, and detained at the Fengtai Division of the Beijing Public Security Bureau for 16 days. All of his cash (over 8,000 yuan), a cell phone, and other items were taken from him and never returned to him or his family.
On December 9, 2000, Dr. Liu was taken back to Harbin and detained in the Daoli District Detention Center. He was transferred to the Nangang District Detention Center on April 10, 2001, and sentenced to 15 years by the Nangang District Court on October 25, 2001. He was transferred to Harbin Prison on February 27, 2002.
2) Ph.D. Student at Harbin Industrial University Astronautics Institute Sentenced to 15 Years
Mr. Han Li was a 34-year-old Ph.D. student in the Department of Photoelectron Technology at the Harbin Industrial University Astronautics Institute. Because he went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong, he was arrested on November 23, 2000, and taken back to Harbin on December 9, 2000. The Nangang District Court sentenced him to 15 years on October 25, 2001. He was transferred to Harbin Prison on February 27, 2002.
3) Arts Student Expelled from School and Sentenced to 12 Years
Mr. Zhang Zidong was an undergraduate in the School of Arts, Harbin Normal University. He was expelled in October 1999 for going to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong and detained in the Nangang District Police Department for 27 days. He was arrested again on November 9, 2000, for printing Falun Gong materials and sentenced to 12 years by the Nangang District Court on October 25, 2001. He was transferred to the Harbin prison on February 27, 2002.
4) Music Student Sentenced to 12 Years
Mr. Liu Qingwei, then 22, was admitted to the Harbin Normal University Music School in 1998. In July 2001, he was sentenced to 12 years by the Nangang District Court. He was subjected to mental and physical torture in the Harbin City Third Prison.
5) Woman Disqualified from Pursuing a Doctorate Degree and Sentenced to 10 Years
Ms. Zhou Qiaohang obtained her Master’s degree from a prestigious university in Harbin in 2001, but she was disqualified from pursuing a doctorate degree because of her belief in Falun Gong. She also had trouble finding full time work after graduation due to the persecution and had to do odd jobs to make a living.
Ms. Zhou was arrested in November 2002 by officers from the Harbin City Police Department. They shocked her with electric batons, put her on a tiger bench, and deprived her of sleep.
Ms. Zhou was secretly tried by the Nangang District Court in June 2003 and later sentenced to 10 years. She served time in the Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison.
6) Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Going to Beijing to Appeal for His Rights
Mr. Guan Xingtao went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong in 1999 and was arrested. He was beaten while detained at the Chaihe Town Police Station. He was detained for 15 days and fined 4,000 yuan. The police continued to harass him over the following two years.
Mr. Guan was arrested again in 2002 when he returned to Beijing to appeal. He was detained in the Chaihe Police Station and later sentenced to 10 years by the Nangang District Court.
While in Tailai Prison, he was forced to watch videos that slandered Falun Gong and made to memorize the prison rules. He was released on November 10, 2012.
7) Man Violently Beaten in Detention and Sentenced to 10 Years
Mr. Zhang Qi, also known as Mr. Zhang Shen, worked in a cement factory in Harbin City. He was arrested and detained for 15 days for going to Beijing to appeal in February 2000. He went to Beijing again in November 2000 and was arrested and given a one-year forced labor camp term.
Less than a month after his release, the police ransacked his home. He was forced to live away from home to avoid further persecution. However, he was reported to the police in February 2003 and arrested again. While in detention, he was so violently beaten and tortured by the guards that he was unable to walk. The Nangang District Court sentenced him to 10 years after a hearing on September 26, 2003.
8) Six Practitioners Sentenced to Up to 10 Years
Ms. Ma Shuhua, Ms. Liu Chunxia, Ms. Zhao Hongwu, Ms. Chu Qingfen, Ms. Zheng Wensheng, and Ms. Xu Menglan were arrested in Daqing City for raising awareness of the persecution. They were secretly sentenced by the Nangang District Court on October 9, 2002. Ms. Ma was sentenced to 10 years, Ms. Liu to 8 years, both Ms. Zhao and Ms. Chu to 7 years, and Ms. Zheng to 4 years. Ms. Xu’s term is unknown.
9) Single Mother Sentenced to 11 Years
Ms. Sun Zhifen, then 37, was arrested in 2002 for distributing Falun Gong materials and sent to Wanjia Forced Labor Camp for two years. Two months before she was released, she was charged for printing the materials and sentenced to 11 years by the Nangang District Court. She was admitted to the Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison in 2004. While she was imprisoned, her son stayed with her father, who had no source of income and struggled to make ends meet.
10) Man Electrically Shocked and Sentenced to 11 Years
Mr. Wang Junfeng, born on June 22, 1966, worked with the electric wire patrol of the Harbin Electricity Supply Bureau. He was arrested on April 25, 2003, and taken to a dark room to be interrogated. The police tortured him and did not allow him to sleep. They also tied an electric wire to one of his toes and shocked him with electricity. The scar on his back is still visible today. He was later sentenced to 11 years and fined thousands of yuan.
Prison Terms of 5 to 9 Years
1) Woman Sentenced to Nine Years
Ms. Li Feng, then 47, was arrested at her grocery shop on August 21, 2008. The police had come into her grocery, pretending they were shopping. After three months in the Harbin City Second Detention Center, She was tried by the Nangang District Court on November 26, 2008.
Ms. Li’s family hired lawyer Wei Liangyue to defend her. Lawyer Wei was a former director of the Jiaodian Law Firm in Heilongjiang Province, but he was forced to resign in 2009, after the Heilongjiang Judiciary Bureau threatened not to renew the professional licenses of the lawyers in the law firm.
Ms. Li was sentenced to 9 years and taken to the Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison on April 1, 2009.
Before Ms. Li started to practice Falun Gong, she suffered from severe prolapse of lumbar vertebrae. She was unable to look after herself. After she started to practice Falun Gong, she recovered quickly and enjoyed good health. She went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong on December 2000 and was detained for three months.
2) Two Former Hospital Employees Sentenced
Ms. Yu Huazhi and Ms. Jia Liqing, both employees of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, were arrested on November 5, 2011. They appeared in the Nangang District Court on August 3, 2012, and were later convicted. Ms. Jia was sentenced to eight years and Ms. Yu received four years.
3) Two Women in Harbin City Arrested and Sentenced Together
Ms. Guan Yuqin and Ms. Zhang Xiuli were arrested on April 23, 2010, and sentenced by the Nangang District Court on August 3, 2010. Ms. Guan got 8 years and Ms. Zhang, 7 years.
Ms. Guan appealed with the Harbin City Intermediate Court on September 15, 2010, which ruled to uphold her original verdict. Meanwhile, Ms. Guan’s employer, the Nangang District Financial Bureau, also suspended her salary per an order from the Nangang District 610 Office.
4) Hospital Employee Sentenced to Eight Years
Ms. Song Yingjie, then 43, a nurse at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, was arrested at the hospital on April 28, 2012, after her supervisor deceived her into coming to work on a Saturday. The police raided her home and confiscated her two computers, printers, and several cell phones. She was held in the Harbin City Second Detention Center and sentenced to 8 years in September 2012.
5) Woman Sentenced to 5 Years, Police Confiscate Her Valuables
Ms. Yu Yumei was sentenced to 5 years by Nangang District Court and admitted to the Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison in December 2002.
Ms. Yu was arrested on April 22, 2002, while shopping at a market. To conceal what they were doing, the police told the crowd that she was a human trafficker. They then took her home and confiscated her bank book, cash, household appliances, property certificates, and jewelry.
6) Elderly Man Severely Abused in Prison
Mr. Qi Fengming, then 69, a retired engineer of the Harbin Oxygen Machine Factory, was arrested on February 4, 2008, after being reported by a neighbor for distributing Falun Gong materials in his neighborhood. He was sentenced to five years in May 2008 and transferred to the Hulan Prison on November 5, 2008. In order to force him to renounce Falun Gong, the guards deprived him of sleep for three days and didn’t give him anything to eat or drink during that time. He was transferred to Daqing Prison in January 2009.
7) Harbin Man Sentenced to Five Years; Family Not Allowed to Attend His Hearing
Mr. Li Zhigang was arrested at home on February 28, 2009. The judge told his parents that a hearing would be held in the Nangang District Court on October 30, 2009. But when his family arrived at the court to attend the hearing, they were shocked to be told that the hearing would actually be held at the Wanggang Township Court in the suburb area. Mr. Li was later sentenced to five years.
8) Harbin Woman Arrested Again for Asking Police to Stop Persecuting Dafa
Ms. Sun Xiumin, a retired 64-year-old railway engineer, was arrested by officers from the Huayuan Police Station on May 12, 2005, for distributing Falun Gong materials. She was secretly tried by the Nangang District Court without her family present. She was sentenced to five years and transferred to the Heilongjiang Women’s Prison on August 31, 2005.
Prison Terms of 3 to 4.5 Years
1) Cement Plant Worker Sentenced to 3 Years
Mr. Liu Hongtao, an electrician at the cement plan in Harbin City, was arrested in February 2003. He was tortured in the Harbin City Second Detention Center and was in critical condition. The Nangang District Court sentenced him to 3 years on September 26, 2003.
Prior to his sentence, he was arrested and detained for 15 days in February 2000 for going to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong. He went to Beijing to appeal again in December 2000 and was given a one-year labor camp term.
2) Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison
Mr. Wang Shoujun was arrested on the morning of March 23, 2007, and had his home ransacked. The police confiscated a large amount of Falun Gong materials, computers, and printers as well as more than 10,000 yuan in cash from him. He was detained at the Nangang Detention Center.
The Nangang District Court held a closed door trial in August 2007 and sentenced Mr. Wang to four years. He was first taken to the Hulan Prison and then transferred to the Daqing Prison.
3) Former Russian Program Host at Heilongjiang Province TV Station Given Second 4-year Prison Term
Mr. Zhao Xidong, former Russian program host and reporter for a Heilongjiang Province TV Station, was arrested on December 31, 2011, and later sentenced to four years. He appealed with the Harbin City Intermediate Court, which ruled to uphold his original verdict. He was admitted to Hulan Prison on February 27, 2013.
Prior to the sentence, Mr. Zhao was sentenced to 4 years on October 27, 2006, and he served time at Daqing Prison.
4) Computer Engineer from Harbin City Sentenced to 3 Years
Ms. Xiang Xiaoyan, then 35, was an engineer at the Heilongjiang Computer Center. When she returned home from work on December 21, 2011, several plainclothes officers appeared at her door, pushed their way in, and started to comb through and confiscate her personal belongings. They didn’t reveal their identities until her husband arrived. It turned out they were plainclothes police officers from the Nangang District Public Security Division. She was sentenced to 3 years on August 22, 2012, and was taken to the Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison on March 13, 2013.
5) Woman Hunchbacked and Emaciated After Serving a Wrongful Prison Term of 4 Years
Ms. Zhang Shuzhen, retired from a relay factory, was arrested on August 23, 2009, when she distributed informational materials about Falun Gong. She was held in Harbin Second Women’s Detention Center and then sentenced to 4 years.
When she was released from the Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison on November 22, 2012, her back had bent 45 degrees and she was emaciated. Although she was 62 years old, she looked like she was in her 70s or 80s.
6) Man Sentenced to 3 Years for Putting Up Falun Gong Materials
Mr. Zhang Julong, then 43, who worked at the Dongli District Xingguang Factory, was putting up Falun Gong materials in a residential area on October 14, 2004, when the police arrested him. They beat him and caused severe injuries. Nangang District Detention Center authorities refused to allow his parents to visit him. He was later sentenced to 3 years and admitted to Harbin Prison on March 7, 2005.
7) Woman Sentenced to 4 Years for Distributing Falun Gong Materials
Ms. Liu Wenru was turned in to the authorities for distributing Falun Gong DVDs on December 28, 2003. The police threatened and beat her in order to extract information from her. She had blood in her mouth and could not fall asleep at night due to the pain in her chest.
Ms. Liu was sentenced to four years by the Nangang District Court on April 30, 2004, and taken to Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison in June 2004.
8) Man Sentenced to 4 Years
Mr. Tian Jinxin was sentenced to 4 years in August 2000 by the Nangang District Court and taken to Yongfeng Prison in Wudalianchi City. While imprisoned, he was tortured, and he developed scabies all over his body. Prior to the sentence, he was arrested multiple times between 2000 to 2002.
9) Retired University Staffers Sentenced for Their Faith
Mr. Sun Kaiqing and Ms. Zhang Lili were retired staff members from Harbin Normal University. They were arrested in September 2014 after being reported for distributing Falun Gong informational materials.
Mr. Sun was released on bail 43 days later when he had bouts of explosive diarrhea. The 65-year-old retiree from Harbin Normal University was taken back into custody in December 2015 and sentenced to 4.5 years in prison.
Ms. Zhang was sentenced to 3 years.
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