Part 1: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/4/22/84794.html

(Clearwisdom.net) Personnel from the National Security Section of Shouguang City in Shandong Province, the police station, the 610 Office, and the Gucheng Town Government, as well as police officers from the Gucheng Town Police Station were willing tools in the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP's) persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Their persecution methods were inhuman.

The following are incidences of torture suffered by local practitioners in Gucheng Town.

Practitioner Mr. Gao Yurong went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong in November 1999. After he returned home, officers from Gucheng Police Station arrested him and tortured him with the iron chair, frisked him, and confiscated the 700 yuan he had on him. Policemen Wang Xuehai and Sang Qingjun forced him to sit on the ground. They tied his jacket over his head and handcuffed him. Sang Qingjun jumped on him and kicked him in the back. Wang Xuehai poured cold water over him and shocked him with electrical batons. Then, they took him to another room where he was forced to sit under a desk until the next morning. In the morning, they forced Mr. Gao to stand outside without wearing a jacket. Mr. Gao froze in the cold morning air. At about eight o'clock that morning, Mao Dexing, the head of the National Security Section of the Shouguang City Police Station, tortured him. He beat Mr. Gao with a belt, slapped his face, stomped on his toes, and kicked his ankles. The officers tried to make Mr. Gao renounce Falun Gong. They took him to the Shouguang Detention Center in the afternoon. When he walked out of the police station, Sang Qingjun jumped him from behind and kicked him. Mr. Guo stumbled and almost fell. After one month of detention, Mr. Gao was taken back to his local area and the officers continued to torture him. They took turns beating him with a rubber stick and made him stand barefoot in the snow for hours. The beatings injured his legs. Then, the police extorted over 10,000 yuan from his family and made them promise that he would renounce the practice before releasing him.

In June 2000, when Mr. Gao was on his way to Beijing again to appeal for Falun Gong, policemen from the Hebei Province Police Station arrested him. Officials from Gucheng Town took him to Shouguang Detention Center. When Mr. Gao began a hunger strike to protest the persecution, the guards ordered inmate Liu San to beat him brutally. After 45 days, officials from the town government took Mr. Gao back and again tortured him. That day, the temperature was about 37^oC. The officials took off his clothes and forced him to stand in the hot sun. In the early evening, Wang Junwen (the general secretary of the town government CCP Committee), Yue Zhongen (the associate general secretary of the town government CCP committee), and other local officials began to torture the detained practitioners. They covered the head of each practitioner with their shirt and dragged them all into a garage while beating them. They beat the practitioners in the head, stomped on their hands and feet, beat them with hard rubber sticks, and shocked them with electric batons. Wang Junwen and Yue Zhongen were watching the beatings. Mr. Gao lost consciousness many times and lost control of his bowels. After the beating, Mr. Gao was dragged to the kitchen yard where he returned to consciousness. Family visits were prohibited. Two or three days later, the practitioners' skin had peeled off as a result of the severe beatings. Their bodies were covered with sores from the electric shocks. They were only given a small steamed bun for each meal.

Around the time of the Qingming Festival of 2001, town officials Li Yuelei, Jia Qingzhong, Li Wanjun, and others took Gao Yurong to the Gucheng Brainwashing Center. They used many torture methods in attempts to make Mr. Gao renounce Falun Dafa during his seven days at the brainwashing center.

In March 2003, Gao Yurong was reported to the police when he was clarifying the truth about Falun Gong. Wang Xuehai and officers Ma Wenhe, Guo Hongtang, Zhao Chunli, and others from the Shouguang Police Station broke into Mr. Gao's home, ransacked it, and illegally arrested him. The officers sealed his mouth with a dirty towel and handcuffed his hands behind his back. They pushed him to the ground. The officers put a bench on top of his legs and then shocked him with two 38,000-volt electric batons. The shocks caused many cuts and burns. When two officers were tired, another took over. He used his feet to push the handcuffs up and the handcuffs cut into Mr. Gao's arm; the scar can still be seen today. Then the officers shocked Mr. Gao in the back and neck. They tortured him for the entire afternoon before releasing him. One month later, Mr. Gao's fingers were still numb.

Practitioner Ms. Ding Shulian started practicing Falun Gong in 1997. Her health improved; all her illnesses were cured. On the evening of July 20, 1999, when the persecution began, officials from the town government, led by Wang Junwen, the general secretary of the town CCP Committee, began a new round of torturing practitioners. They arrested practitioners Mr. Zhao Liming and Zhao Shiheng and took them to the town government office. They did not allow the practitioners to sleep and yelled at them until after midnight. They caused disturbance with their yelling and people couldn't sleep. A few days later, officials took all the practitioners to the village town government building. The practitioners were not allowed to leave unless they wrote a "guarantee statement" renouncing Falun Gong and paid a 500-yuan fine. All practitioners who refused to write the statement were put in detention. They had to pay 10 yuan daily for a couple of baked pies. In the end, each practitioner was fined 2,000 yuan. After the practitioners were released, the government officials had people monitor them around the clock.

In June 2000, Ms. Ding Shulian and her husband Zhao Liming went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong. They couldn't even find a sign for the Civil Complaints Office in Beijing, because the signs had all been removed, so the couple went to Tiananmen Square to do the exercises. In less than one minute, they were surrounded by many plainclothes policemen. Ms. Ding was arrested and taken to the Haidian District, Beijing City Detention Center. During her first day in the detention center, the criminal inmates tortured Ms. Ding with a so-called "shower." The inmates poured cold water over her one basin after another until they were tired. Then they threw water into her face. The water choked her and she could barely breathe. Because she refused to tell her name and home address, the guards ordered the criminal inmates to slap her face and force her to squat with her feet together and her arms hugging her knees [ed. note: due to the CCP's policy of implicating and harassing family member and work units, Falun Gong practitioners often refuse to give their name and address when they are illegally arrested]. She was not allowed to move. She was forced to squat for two days before she was taken back by policemen from the Shouguang City Police Station of Shandong Province. Ms. Ding was escorted to the west yard of the Gucheng Town government building. In the early evening on June 27, the police took practitioners Zhao Lehai, Zhao Xiushun, Li Kongfa, Li Hongjie, Li Hongze, Zhao Shiheng, Zhao Liming, Sang Peiyao, Guo Shibin, Gao Yulong and Ding Shulian to the Shouguang City Detention Center. Once inside the detention center, Ms. Ding went on a hunger strike to protest. Because she refused to give up her belief in Falun Gong, the guards tortured her with the iron chair for three days and two nights. On July 4, 2000, Ms. Ding's family took her back home. Her family had paid 2,000 yuan before she was released.

About ten days after Ms. Ding returned home, Wang Junwen ordered Li Wanjun and Sang Qingjun to arrest and take her to the legal section of the town government. She was told that her husband had been beaten by officers of the Shouguang City Police Department, had lost consciousness, and was taken to the emergency room. After his doctor asked to transfer Zhao Liming to another hospital, the detention center guards became afraid of taking responsibility for his injuries. They notified the officials of the town government, who demanded that Ms. Ding go and get her husband. They changed their minds when he regained consciousness. Although Mr. Zhao had been tortured inhumanly, the officers continued to beat him and his entire body turned black from bruises. When his relatives delivered food, they dared not look at him. The officials of the town government detained Mr. Zhao for twenty-two days and then took him and two other practitioners, Sang Guiqing and Zhang Fengchun, to the Shouguang City Detention Center, where they were detained for one month. After the detention, the police didn't release Mr. Zhao immediately. Wang Junwen ordered that Mr. Zhao not be released unless his family paid a fine. His family was forced to pay about 15,000 yuan. The total fine was over 23,000 yuan for both husband and wife.

In March 2001, Ren Zhongen and local officials cooperated with the Shouguang City 610 Office and detained practitioners for brainwashing. Li Tongzhong was in charge of the brainwashing center. Mr. Zhao Liming and Ms. Ding Shulian left home for over one month to avoid being taken to the brainwashing center.

Before July 20, 2001, officials from the town government feared that practitioners would go to Beijing and cause them to be fired. They ordered some officials to go to Mr. Zhao Liming's home and arrest him, but they were unsuccessful. Before the National Festival of October 1, officials from the town government tried to arrest Mr. Zhao again. About eight of them caught him and pushed him into a police car. Later, Mr. Zhao escaped. Li Wanjun tried to chase him down with the car, but Ms. Ding sat in front of the car to stop them from chasing her husband. Li (surname), the director of the town government, and Li Wanjun lifted her up and threw her into the ditch. Mr. Zhao left home to avoid being arrested. A few days later, he was reported to the police for clarifying the truth. The police arrested him and detained him in the Shouguang Detention Center. Twenty days later, they sentenced him to two years of forced labor at the Second Forced Labor Camp of Shandong Province (Wangcun Forced Labor Camp). Because Zhao Liming refused to renounce his belief, the guards beat him brutally and did not allow him to sleep for twenty-eight days. It was rumored that he lost consciousness and was taken to the emergency room for three days. Afterwards, he was put into a solitary confinement room for eighty-six days. His family was not allowed to visit him. Mr. Zhao was released in September 2003.

On June 25, 2005, Mr. Zhao was clarifying the truth about Falun Gong and was again reported to the police. The police arrested him again and detained him at the Shouguang Detention Center for one month. They sentenced him to three years of forced labor and took him to the Second Forced Labor Camp of Shandong Province. In the forced labor camp, Mr. Zhao was persecuted and became very sick, but the police refused to release him. Family visits were not allowed.

On November 21, 2003, policemen Guo Hongtang from Shouguang City and Wang Xuehai from the local police station arrested Ms. Ding Shoulian. They took her to the police station and demanded she tell where her truth-clarification materials had come from. When she told them that she didn't know, they ordered others to beat her. They slapped her in the face, injuring her eyes and ears. Later, the police forced her family pay a 2,000 yuan fine, but did not issue a receipt. Since July 20, 1999, the officials and the local police have broken into Ms. Ding's home twice.

Ms. Li Shuyun is a farmer from Beifeng Village, Gucheng, Shouguang City. She started practicing Falun Gong in October 1998. She used to suffer from many illnesses, but became healthy once she started practicing Falun Gong. Since July 20, 1999, she has been harassed, detained, beaten and fined on many occasions by police officers from the Shouguang City Police Bureau, Gucheng Community Office and a number of police stations.

On December 4, 1999, Ms. Li and her husband rode bicycles to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. Gucheng Township official Yue Zhong'en and others stopped her and took her to Gucheng Police Station. The officers removed her shoes and forced her to squat outdoors in the freezing weather. The temperature was -7 ^oC (19 ^oF). The next day, officers Yang Yansheng went to Ms. Li's home and confiscated Falun Dafa books and stole over 7,000 yuan. Ms. Li was taken to Shouguang Detention Center for 15 days of detention. After the 15 days, Wang Shoudong and Xia Xinming from the Gucheng Judicial Office took Ms. Li to their office and tortured her for 10 days. They tried their utmost to make her renounce her belief in Falun Dafa. Ms. Li was fined 5,100 yuan. In 2000, Gucheng Township Police Station officers again arrested her and detained her for 31 days. Ms. Li was fined 4,000 yuan and her husband 12,000 yuan.

At around 3:00 p.m. on December 30, 2003, when Ms. Li was working at home, four plainclothes police officers broke into her home, including Wang Xuehai from the Guchen Police Station, police captain Guo Hongtang, Ma Wenhe, and Zhao Chunli. The four grabbed Ms. Li by her arms and pushed her into their car. Ms. Li asked, "Why are you grabbing me when I am working?" Zhao Chunli replied, "I am from the police station and in charge of arresting practitioners. Since you practice Falun Gong, I am arresting you. You need to go to police station with me. You will return to your home soon." Ma Wenhe slapped Ms. Li in the face twice and searched her at the police station. Ma took the key to Ms. Li's home. The officers ransacked her home, but did not find anything. Ms. Li was taken to the second floor of the Shouguang City Police Bureau building. At around 6:00 p.m., the officers forced her to squat down with her legs spread apart. Her hands were cuffed behind her back and her feet chained. Ma Wenhe shocked Ms. Li in the face, head and chest with an electric baton. Guo Hongtang stepped on her legs and Zhao Chunli stepped on her hair. They brutally beat Ms. Li and shocked her all over her body. After an entire night of torture, Ma Wenhe told others the next day, "I shocked her until her skin peeled off, and she didn't make a sound." Another said, "You have destroyed three batons." At around 2:00 p.m. in the afternoon, Ma Wenhe extorted 2,200 yuan from Ms. Li's relative before releasing her.

Police officers committing the aforementioned crimes:

Ma Wenhe, Zhao Chunli, Yue Zhong'en, Wang Shoudong, Xia Xinming, Li Hua.

In 1999, Mr. Guo Shibin and his wife went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Dafa. They were arrested after they returned home. Gucheng Police Station officers Mao Dexin and others covered Mr. Guo's head with a cloth, and pushed his head to his knee. They then hit his back with some kind of object. After two hours of torture, the police took off Mr. Guo's winter jacket and poured cold water over him. They shocked him with electric batons for almost two hours.

Mr. Guo was detained at the Shouguang Detention Center for 14 days, where he was tortured daily. Later he was taken to the Gucheng Police Station and county government offices. The CCP secretary of Gucheng County Wang Junwen, and deputy secretary Yue Zhong'en tried to brainwash him.

On the night of January 21, 2000, the evildoers arranged for staff from the local TV station and other media offices to videotape the practitioners. They forced the practitioners to defame Master. Mr. Guo firmly refused. He was taken outside and stripped of all his clothes. They forced him lie in the snow for an hour. They then covered his head with a black cloth and took him into a dark room. A dozen people beat him with batons. Mr. Guo was covered with bruises. They then took him back outside, where the temperature was -9 ^oC, for several hours. Mr. Guo and other practitioners were tortured the entire night.

Around December 20, the police ordered Mr. Guo's family to find five people to collectively guarantee that he would not practice Falun Gong. Only then would he be released. Officers from Gucheng Police Station stole 700 yuan. Mr. Guo was fined 12,000 yuan. His wife was fined 6,000 yuan and was illegally detained for 15 days.

In the summer of 2000, over 30 practitioners from Gucheng County walked to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong, including Mr. Guo Shibin's family. They were stopped at an inspection station in Heibei Province and taken into custody by officials from the Gucheng County government and police from that area's police station. The practitioners were taken to the Shouguang Detention Center and were made to perform 45 days of forced labor. Guards tortured Mr. Guo twice. The second time, he was viciously beaten by Wang Junwen, Yue Zhong'en and the director of the police station Chen Hu. They used iron bars to hit his hands, stepped on his feet with boots, and slapped his face. They then took him to the courtyard of county government buildings. They stripped off his clothes and forced Mr. Guo to stand in the hot sun (40 ^oC) the entire day. In the evening, Wang Junwen and Chen Hu covered his head with a black cloth and took him into a dark room. Mr. Guo was beaten with rubber sticks and electric batons. His legs were burned from the electric shocks. The evildoers did not stop until he passed out. The next day, Mr. Guo was fined 23,000 yuan before he was released. After he returned home, he was bedridden for over a month. His mouth bled and he could not eat. After over 40 days, he could finally walk again. Yet, the police continued to harass him.

Mr. Guo Shibin's wife was also detained at the Shouguang Detention Center for over 40 days. She was fined 21,000 yuan. After Mr. Guo was beaten into unconsciousness, he was taken to Gucheng Hospital. They charged him 500 yuan for one injection. In addition, Mr. Guo had to pay 100 yuan per day for three meals that consisted only of three small steamed buns.

Even Mr. Guo's 14-year-old daughter, 18-year-old son, and over 70-year-old mother did not escape the persecution. They were detained for a month and suffered physical and mental abuse. They were fined over 10,000 yuan each.

Ms. Sang Guiqing is from Sangguan Village, Gucheng Towship, Shouguang County. She is 52 years old and has practiced Falun Gong since 1998. She has benefited from the practice physically and mentally.

Since February 20, 1999, Ms. Sang has been harassed continuously. She was heavily fined and her Falun Dafa books were confiscated. In November 1999, Ms. Sang was detained for seven days by officials from the county government because her husband went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. Over a dozen people were locked in a meeting room in the government building. Officials took turns to watch them and wouldn't let them sleep. Ms. Sang was released after they had extorted 2,000 yuan from her.

On June 23, 2000, Ms. Sang and her husband went to Beijing to appeal. They were arrested as soon as they arrived on Tiananmen Square. Ms. Sang was taken to the Weifang Liaison Office. Female police officers strip-searched her and stole 700 yuan from her. Three days later, they were taken back by the deputy secretary of the CCP of Gucheng County, Yue Zhong'en, and others. Ms. Sang was detained for 23 days. She went on a hunger strike to protest the persecution during the first six days of her detention. Several people held her arms and injected her with half a bottle of an unknown substance intravenously. Within five minutes, Ms. Sang had lost consciousness. Later she was charged 240 yuan for the injection. During the 23-day detention, it was the hottest time of the year. Practitioners were forced to stand in the sun during the day. At night, they were locked in a garage. It was so hot that they could not sleep. They were given only one small steamed bun for each meal, and sometimes the buns were spoiled. The practitioners were charged 50 yuan per day for the meals. Because Ms. Sang and Zhang Fengchun refused to slander Master, they were handcuffed and paraded through the streets near the government buildings. They were humiliated whenever people were around.

After 23 days, Sang Guiqing, Zhang Fengchun, Zhao Liming and others were taken to the Shouguang Detention Center. They were viciously beaten for practicing the exercises. The guards poured cold water over them. It was 1:00 a.m. and Ms. Sang was shaking with cold. The guards also took away the mats on the beds as well as all their clothes. They were not even given toilet paper.

After 15 days, Ms. Sang was taken back to the county government. The CCP secretary Wang Junwen forced Ms. Sang and other practitioners to stand in the courtyard with their hands raised in the blazing sun. At night, seven or eight people pushed her to the ground and beat her. They used electric batons to shock her feet. Her buttocks was black and purple from the beating. She could not walk. She was finally released after the officials had extorted 2,000 yuan from her. The officials from the county government also fined her family; her three brothers were fined 2,000 yuan each. Ms. Sang and her husband have been fined more than 50,000 yuan since 1999.

Practitioner Mr. Sang Peiyao, 50, lives in Sangguan Village, Gucheng County, Shouguang City. He started practicing Falun Dafa in 1998 and all the illnesses he had suffered from for years, such as gastritis, problems with the lumbar vertebra plate, and bursitis in the shoulder and arm, were cured without having to go for further medical treatments.

Mr. Sang suffered persecution during the past eight years. The government officials from Gucheng County visited his home daily to harass him. They took him to their office and demanded that he turn in Falun Gong-related books, which he refused to do. On July 22, 1999, Mr. Sang was taken to the county government offices and detained for one day. At night, people from the county government ransacked his home and confiscated his Falun Dafa books.

At the end of November 1999, Mr. Sang Peiyao, Zhao Xiushun and Li Kongfa, and other practitioners traveled to Beijing by bike to appeal for Falun Gong. Officers from the Gucheng County Police Station arrested them upon their return. They were taken to Shouguang Detention Center the following day and detained for 33 days. The police fined them 3,000 yuan. On January 5, 2000, county government officials and county police officers took the practitioners back to the county government office. They were detained for another 18 days. The officers demanded that Mr. Sang slander Teacher Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, during the night of January 18, 2000, but he refused. Therefore, Wang Junwen, county secretary of the CCP, and his cohorts dragged Mr. Sang into a room to be tortured. They pushed him to the ground while keeping the lights turned off to hide their evil deeds. Some officers pushed Mr. Sang's head down and others his arms and legs. Then, they beat him with rubber sticks. After that, they made him stand barefoot in the snow for half a night with both hands holding snow. Mr. Sang wore only very thin clothes. The next morning, he had to hold up his arms for two hours. He was freezing in the cold air. Then, before releasing Sang Peiyao, they extorted over 500 yuan from him.

On June 23, 2000, Mr. Sang Peiyao and his wife traveled again to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong. On the morning of June 24, the minute they arrived on Tiananmen Square, police officers arrested them and took them to the Tiananmen Square Police Station. They were detained in the Weifang office in Beijing. The police stripped them naked and searched them. They confiscated more than 700 yuan without giving a receipt. After three days, Yue Chongen, deputy secretary of the CCP of Gucheng County, and others took them to the county government offices. In the evening, they were taken to Shouguang Detention Center and detained for 45 days.

On August 21, county government officials arrested Mr. Sang again. They made him stand in the blazing sun, with his upper body naked, for the entire day. At night, he was brutally beaten. His buttocks were black and purple and he was unable to walk. They fed him only a small wheat bun every meal and charged him 50 yuan a meal. Mr. Sang was beaten again during the night of August 15. On August 16, the officials extorted 23,000 yuan from his family before releasing him. He was injured and could not work for more than 20 days. These officials came to his home and harassed him many times.

On December 29, 2001, Li Yuelei, Jia Qingzhong and others arrested Mr. Sang Peiyao at his home and took him to the county government offices. They searched him and found his key. Li Yuelei and another policeman surnamed He ransacked his home. They confiscated 4 flyers and one CD. After their return, Chen Hu, director of the police station, and Yang Yansheng beat Mr. Sang. Then Mr. Sang was taken to the Shouguang Brainwashing Center and tortured for more than one month. This time he was fined more than 32,000 yuan.

Ms. Zhao Shumei, 63, lives in Zhaojia Village in Gucheng County. She began to practice Falun Dafa in 1996. After 1999, when Jiang Zemin banned Falun Gong, officials from Gucheng County and officers from the Shouguang Police Station harassed, detained, beat, and extorted money from her many times.

On December 2, 1999, Ms. Zhao was arrested at Tiananmen Square. County government officials and officers from Gucheng Police Station in Shouguang City took her back to Gucheng County. They tortured her by pulling her hair and beating her body and face inhumanly with leather shoes. They took Ms. Zhao to the police station that night. In the police station, clerk Yang Yansheng covered her head and then kicked her. After beating her, the officers dragged Ms. Zhao to the patio of the police station and made her stand in the freezing cold for the entire night. At 7:00 a.m. the next morning, she was taken to the Shouguang Detention Center and detained for a month.

On January 5, 2000, after being released, Ms. Zhao was again taken to the county government offices and detained for five days. Before releasing her, the officials extorted more than 9,000 yuan from her children.

At the end of June 2000, the county officials arrested Zhao Shumei again at her home and took her to the county government offices. They imprisoned more than 10 practitioners in a garage. At noon the temperature reached above 40 degrees centigrade. They were fed three small steamed buns, for which they had to pay 50 yuan. One night, more than 10 officers dragged the practitioners into the garage and pushed them to the ground. They held the practitioners' arms or legs and someone put a foot on Ms. Zhao's head. She could barely breathe. The practitioners were beaten with rubber sticks and Ms. Zhao's back and buttocks turned black and purple. Before being released, the officials extorted 5,000 yuan from her children. Her children were afraid that Ms. Zhao would be killed, so they paid the money. When she asked the officials, "Why did you abduct me?," they replied, "Because you practice Falun Gong!"

Mr. Li Hongjie started to practice Falun Gong in the winter of 1997. Before learning Falun Gong, he suffered from heart and kidney illnesses. Through studying the Fa and practicing the exercises, his body recovered and he became healthy. After July 20, 1999, Mr. Li was harassed and tortured many times by officials from the Gucheng County government and officers from the Shouguang Police Station. He was detained twice under the false reason of "maintaining public order" and once on "criminal charges." The officers extorted 40,000 yuan from Mr. Li.

At 8:00 p.m. on July 22, 1999, officials from the Gucheng County government broke into Mr. Li Hongjie's home. Several people dragged and pulled him into a car and took him to a conference room in the Gucheng County government building. More than 80 Falun Gong practitioners had been arrested. Officials ordered them to renounce Falun Gong. They were not released if they refused or did not write the three statements, which meant giving up the practice.

At 11:00 p.m. on October 14, 1999, Mr. Li Hongjie was at the home of another villager. Police officers from the Gucheng County Police Station broke into the home and arrested him. Li Wanjun and Zhang Qinjun handcuffed Mr. Li to a chair and beat him inhumanly at the police station. At around 4:00 p.m. the next day, they took him and another three practitioners to the Shouguang Detention Center. They were detained for two weeks. On October 30, they were released from the detention center and detained in the county government buildings for another ten days. Before they were released, the officers extorted 500 yuan from their families.

At the end of November 1999, the CCP secretary of Gucheng County, Wang Junwen, and his cohorts arrested Mr. Li Hongjie again and took him to the county government offices. They demanded that he slander the founder of Falun Gong. He refused and was brutally beaten. Before releasing him, they extorted 2,800 yuan from his family.

On June 27, 2000, Mr. Li went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. Police officers from the

Haixing County Police Station took him to Haixing. Then Wang Junwen took him to the Shouguang Detention Center. Li Hongjie was detained for one month on fabricated criminal charges. Then he was detained another two weeks with the excuse of "maintaining public order."

On the morning of August 11, 2000, Mr. Li was taken from the detention center

to the Gucheng County government offices. He and other practitioners were forced to stand on the cement ground and were exposed to the blazing sun from 8:00 a.m. to the evening. There were blisters on everyone's back, arms and neck. At 9:00 p.m., more than 80 officials from the county government, with Wang Junwen in the lead, tortured the practitioners. They covered Mr. Li's head with his shirt. He was taken to a garage with his armed twisted behind his back by several people. At around 9:00 p.m., as soon as he entered the garage, he was pushed to the ground by over a dozen people who held his arms and feet. They stepped on his head with their leather shoes. He was beaten with two rubber sticks and two electric batons until he could no longer move. When several of these people lifted him up, he could no longer see anything. Then someone kicked his back. On August 17, the officials extorted 27,500 yuan from Mr. Li Hongjie's wife before they released him. His wife was afraid that he would be killed, so she borrowed money to pay them. During the seven days in detention, he was only given three small steamed buns and was forced to pay 50 yuan daily.

One day at 9:00 a.m. in November 2002, Zhao Jihua, the village director, who was very active in the persecution of practitioners, Ma Wenhe, Zhao Chunli, and Guo Hongtang arrested Mr. Li Hongjie and took him to the police station. They cuffed his hands behind his back. Officers Zhao Chunli and Ma Wenhe tortured him with electric batons. A baton was held against his head and not taken away until it ran out of power. Mr. Li was shocked three times. In the afternoon, he was taken to the Shouguang City Police Station and fined 3,000 yuan.

Falun Dafa practitioner Ms. Zhao Aifang, 56, is a farmer from Gucheng Township, Shouguang City, Shandong Province. Her husband died in a car accident in 1995. At that time, she lost the desire to live and felt extremely miserable at all times. Fortunately, Ms. Zhao stepped onto the path of Dafa cultivation in the winter of 1997 and regained the will to live. Sadly, after July 20, 1999 when the CCP began to suppress Falun Dafa, officials from the Gucheng Township government and officers from the Gucheng and Shouguang Police Stations harassed her constantly.

On December 3, 1999, Ms. Zhao Aifang was taken from Beijing to the Shouguang City Detention Center by officials from the Gucheng Township government. She was first taken to the Gucheng Police Station where she was left in the courtyard for the entire night, despite the freezing weather. The temperature had dropped to ten degrees Celsius below zero. She was not allowed to wear clothes that would have kept her warm. When dawn broke, there was a thick layer of frost on her hair and her lips were purple from the cold. At 7:00 a.m., Ms. Zhao was taken to the Shouguang City Detention Center and was detained for 15 days. Then, she was taken to the township government offices by the officials. She was detained for one month and was not released until her family paid over 6,000 yuan.

In mid-August 2000, officers arrested Ms. Zhao and took her to the Gucheng Township government offices again. She was locked up in a dark and damp workshop; there were a lot of mosquitoes. When Zhao Aifang arrived at the township government building, several people pushed her to the ground and beat her with rubber batons. She was detained for several days and was only released after her children paid 2,600 yuan. When she asked the police why she was fined, they told her, "Because you practice Falun Gong!"

On December 29, 2001, Ms. Zhao Aifang was again arrested by the officials from the Gucheng Township government, Shouguan City and taken to the city's 610 Office. They demanded that she renounce Falun Dafa. She was imprisoned for more than 40 days and only released after her children paid 2,600 yuan. Over the past few years, Ms. Zhao has been fined for over 11,000 yuan by officers from the Shouguang Police Department and officials from the Gucheng Township government. This was the money she had received when her husband was killed in the car accident.

Practitioner Ms. Wang Hualan, 55, is a country woman from Zhaojia Village, Gucheng Township, Shouguang City. She began to practice Falun Dafa in 1997. Since July 20, 1999, Ms. Wang has been repeatedly detained, beaten and heavily fined.

In October 2, 1999, Ms. Wang Hualan and more than 60 other practitioners from Gucheng Township were imprisoned in the meeting room of the township's party committee. They were deprived of sleep for the entire night. They were forced to watch video programs that slandered the founder of Falun Dafa Mr. Li Hongzhi, and write statements guaranteeing they would not practice Falun Dafa anymore. Whoever dozed off would be brutally beaten. The next morning, the practitioners were forced to pay 550 yuan before being released.

On the evening of June 27, 2000, officials from the Gucheng Township government arrested 27 practitioners, including Ms. Wang, in Haixing County, Hebei Province. The practitioners were taken to the Gucheng Township government building. That evening, more than ten practitioners were taken to the Shouguang City Detention Center. Those remaining were women and elderly practitioners. On the afternoon of June 28, several people covered Ms. Wang with a sheet and dragged her into a room. She was pushed to the ground, with one guard standing on each of her arms and legs. One of these people stepped with his leather shoes on Ms. Wang's head. Two robust guards beat Ms. Wang with rubber batons. Her arms, legs, back, buttocks and thighs were all black and blue. When she was carried out of the room, sweat soaked her hair completely. In the afternoon when her family went to visit her, the guards told them, "Look, we asked her to eat, but she refused. She ruined her health." They had beaten Ms. Wang into unconsciousness and then blamed her for having done this to herself.

One week later, when Ms. Wang's wounds had almost disappeared, the guards took her to the Shouguang Detention Center. After being detained for one week, Ms. Wang was taken to the Gucheng Township government offices, where she was detained for one more month. During her detention she suffered inhuman torture. On August 4, 2000, the guards extorted 14,000 yuan from Ms. Wang's family. All the money had been borrowed from relatives by Ms. Wang's husband. The officers of the township government threatened that if Ms. Wang's husband had no money, then his wife would be detained at the township government for much longer. Zhao Lehai, who was from the same village as Ms. Wang, had been detained for over 60 days because Zhao's family was too poor to pay.

In the second half of 1999, practitioner Mr. Guo Shiping was arrested by officers from the Gucheng Township government. Mr. Guo firmly believed in Falun Dafa and refused to cooperate with their unreasonable demands. As a result, he was fined 500 yuan.

In the summer of 2000, Mr. Guo and fellow practitioners from his hometown went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Dafa. They were intercepted in Hebei Province and the police took them back to Gucheng Township. They were detained for over 40 days in a garage, where they were tortured physically and mentally. They were also subjected to brainwashing tactics. The guards forced them to watch videotapes that slandered the founder of Falun Dafa and the practice. They were not allowed to sleep and were ordered to verbally abuse their Teacher and do things that would let their Teacher down. These practitioners were also forced into slave labor, and did not get enough to eat. In addition, they had to stand under the scorching sun. The guards tried many methods to make the practitioners renounce Falun Gong.

Mr. Guo Shiping remained firm in his belief in Falun Gong. Therefore, the guards covered his head with a piece of cloth, pushed him into a dark room, and beat him with rubber batons until he was severely injured. After that, they tried to extort over 9,000 yuan from him, but Mr. Guo refused to pay. Therefore, he was beaten again. The guards shouted, "As long as you don't pay the money, we'll beat you!"

In November 1999, Ms. Song Liangxian was detained by officials from the Gucheng Township government. She was fined 500 yuan for not renouncing Falun Dafa and refusing to cooperate with the officials.

In June, 2000, when Ms. Song and fellow practitioners from her hometown went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Dafa, they were intercepted by the police in Hebei Province. The police took them back to Gucheng Township and detained them for over 40 days. The practitioners were imprisoned in a garage owned by the township, where they were tortured physically and mentally. They were also subjected to brainwashing tactics. The guards forced Ms. Song to watch video programs that slandered the founder of Falun Dafa and the practice. She was deprived of sleep and the guards demanded that she slander the Teacher of Falun Dafa. She was forced into slave labor, but was given little to eat. Yet, Ms. Song was ordered to pay 50 yuan a day for the meals. She was exposed to the scorching sun and the guards covered her with a sheet and beat her with rubber batons until she passed out. Then they gave her an injection and forced her to pay 500 yuan. Additionally, they extorted 9,000 yuan from her before she was released.

In the summer of 2002, personnel from the division responsible for the persecution of Falun Gong in Shouguang City, led by the police from Gucheng Police Station, broke into Ms. Song's home and took her to the city police station in an effort to have her renounce the practice. When she refused, the officers stomped on her palm with their feet. They also slapped her face and shocked her in the back with electric batons until her back became discolored. Only then was she allowed to go home.

Ms. Jiang Yulan and Ms. Liu Huilan began to practice Falun Gong in 1998. On the evening of July 1999, 14 practitioners from their village were summoned to the village office. Once they arrived, they were verbally abused by Li Yanqing, head of the Justice Division. The practitioners were forced to pay 500 yuan each.

On the morning of August 15, 2000, local police officers arrested Ms. Jiang Yulan and Ms. Liu Huilan and took them to the township garages at the west side of the government's courtyard. Five officers beat them up and demanded that they slander their Teacher. The practitioners were beaten until they lost all feeling in their lower bodies. Then they were dragged to the garage on the east side of the courtyard. Finally, the two practitioners were forced to pay 1,600 yuan before they were released. Ms. Jiang and Ms. Liu could not work for a long time as a result of the inhuman torture.