(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Gong practitioners Ms. Jiao Yongzhi and her daughter Zhang Yulan lived in Jiangyuan County, Baishan City, Jilin Province. They were illegally arrested by police officers from the National Security Group of Jiangyuan County a couple of months ago. They have been forced to leave home to avoid further persecution.

Originally, Ms. Jiao Yongzhi and Zhang Yulan had a happy family. There were four members in the family and all practiced Falun Gong. In March 2002, Mr. Zhang Quanfu and his son Zhang Qifa were illegally sentenced by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to detention at the Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp in Changchun City because they were not willing to give up their beliefs. They were tortured in the camp. In January 2003, they were persecuted to death within 10 days of each other at the Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp.

Ms. Jiao Yongzhi went to Beijing twice to appeal for Falun Gong. She was sentenced to one year in the Women's Forced Labor Camp of Changchun City. She was forced to watch a video and listen to audio programs that defamed Falun Gong.

Zhang Yulan was sentenced to one and a half years in the Women's Forced Labor Camp of Changchun City for appealing for Falun Gong twice in Beijing. She was often forced to work in the middle of the night. She was beaten, shocked with electrical batons, and placed under tight observation by the prisoners. Because she was not willing to give up her belief, her sentence was extended by seven and a half months.

After Jiao Yongzhi and Zhang Yulan were released from the labor camp, Zhang Yulan was fired by the Sanchazi Forestry Bureau. Police officers from the Sanchazi Police Station of Jiangyuan County harassed them many times at their home. At around 8:30 p.m. on November 1, 2002, eight or nine policemen, led by the chief of the police station, Zhao Zhiquan, arrived at their home in two police cars. They broke down the door and smashed the windows, and then entered their home. They dragged Zhang Yunlan off the bed and ransacked the home. Zhang Yulang was taken away and illegally detained for four days.

On June 8, 2007, police from the 610 Office and National Security Group of Jiangyuan County arrested Ms. Jiao Yongzhi and Zhang Yulan at their home, and detained them in a detention center. Their ten thousand yuan savings (about 1315 US dollars) was taken by the police.

Zhang Yulan started a hunger strike in the detention center. On June 11, four days after her hunger stike, she was released. She went back to the detention center to visit her mother every day. On the 18th day of her detention, Jiao Yongzhi suddenly passed out. She was then released.

They asked the police officers from the National Security Group and 610 Office to return their money. Not only did they not return the money, they also threatened Zhang Yulan and tightly monitored her movements. They knew all the calls that Zhang Yulan made, and all the people to whom she talked on the street. Currently, Ms. Jiao Yongzhi and Zhang Yulang are homeless to avoid further persecution.

Posting date: 8/28/2007
Original article date: 8/28/2007
Category: Eyewitness Accounts
Translated on 8/22/2007
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2007/8/14/160833.html

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