(Clearwisdom.net) Zhang Shuzhi is a Falun Gong practitioner from the Oil Extraction Plant of Daqing City Petroleum Bureau in Heilongjiang Province. On January 16, 2005, she went to Maoershan Town in Shangzhi City, Heilongjiang Province to attend a relative's wedding. While she was there, Ms. Zhang clarified the truth to a tricycle driver, Fu Zhijun, who reported her to the police. At 9:30 a.m. on January 17, she was abducted by the police from Maoershan Police Department. On January 18, Daqing City police suddenly broke into Ms. Zhang's home and ransacked it.

On February 2, the National Security Brigade of the Shangzhi City Police Department informed Zhang Shuzhi's family that the Procuratorate had approved her arrest. The next day, her case was transferred to a Shangzhi City Court for an illegal trial. At the time of this writing, Zhang Shuzhi has been on a hunger strike for 26 days to protest the illegal arrest and persecution. She is unconscious, her lower body is numb, and she often has cramps. She is in critical condition; however, the National Security Brigade of Shangzhi City Police Department and Shangzhi City First Detention Center refuse to release her.

Since Zhang Shuzhi's arrest, her family has been trying to rescue her. We hope that practitioners who read this news will help expose these evil acts to the local people.

Below is Zhang Shuzhi's family's account of trying to rescue her.

On February 2, 2005, we went to Shangzhi City First Detention Center and requested to see Zhang Shuzhi. We were refused by the director, Lu Zhanwu. Then, we went to the National Security Brigade of the Shangzhi City Police Department, but the staff person on duty that day, Zhang Wenbin, refused to talk to us and left without saying anything. Wang Hui asked whether the letters they received asking them to release Zhang Shuzhi were written by us. Yang Kexin treated us as criminals and asked where we lived. We refused to tell him. He was very unhappy about the open letter we submitted to him and said, "You ask for the immediate release of Zhang Shuzhi? Listen, I've put your letter on file. Wait to see how we deal with you guys later!" He said, "I'm not afraid of you suing me." Wang Hui told us that the Procurator had approved Zhang Shuzhi's arrest, showing us the document, and asked us to sign it. We firmly refused.

The next morning, we went to Shangzhi City First Detention Center again, asking to see Zhang Shuzhi. When her son and daughter asked as to why they were denied visitation rights, Director Lu Zhanwu, the vice director, and instructor Zhao did not answer them. Instead, they pushed her daughter out of the door.

That afternoon we went back and forth between the Court and the Procuratorate. Han Shilong, the director of the court's criminal case division, received us. He said that Zhang Shuzhi's distributing hundreds of truth-clarification flyers has violated criminal law and there was no doubt that she would be sentenced. We asked what justification they had to sentence her. Han answered that it was based on Article 300 of the criminal law. We said that nowhere in the criminal law is Falun Gong defined as an evil cult. Han said that the Supreme Court and the Supreme Procuratorate had determined that Falun Gong should be banned. We said that only the People's Congress has the authority to make such an assertion. It is illegal for the Supreme Court and Supreme Procuratorate to do so. Furthermore, the Chinese Constitution has bestowed Chinese citizens with the freedom of belief. Even if Zhang Shuzhi distributed thousands of truth-clarification flyers, her behavior is perfectly in line with the constitution.

Han said that they had to follow the government's policy. We told him that as law enforcement personnel, they should do things based on the law, which is their duty. Han replied, "If I do what you said, I would lose my job." He told us that family members may not be informed of the time of the trial. We asked why they would not allow family members to attend an open trial. Han said firmly that there is no need to inform the family; if we hire lawyers, we may be informed of the trial. At that time, Zhang Shuzhi had been on a hunger strike for 18 days. We asked again for her immediate release, but Han said that Ms. Zhang's behavior is against the government and that she should be responsible for her own behavior.

We have requested to see the court Director, Yang Chunwei, many times, but were refused each time. On February 4, we had no further way but to ask the staff to pass along our letter requesting Yang to release Zhang Shuzhi.