(Minghui.org) Following mass arrests of Falun Gong practitioners in Wuhan during April and May 2011, the Wuhan 6-10 Office recently initiated another “top priority effort” and has arrested seven more Falun Gong practitioners, most of whom are intellectuals.
The practitioners were arrested for using the Internet “in an organised manner” to send publications overseas, thus allegedly committing the crime of leaking national secrets in an attempt to subvert the Chinese government.
Seven Falun Gong practitioners arrested
The seven intellectuals arrested in Wuhan from September to November 2012 are:
- Mr Chen Gang, 40, a teacher at Wuhan Technological University, was arrested at work by officers from the Wuhan Police Department on September 4th, 2012.
- Ms Cui Hai, 64, is the former general manager of the Guangzhou office of the Wuhan Chemicals Import and Export Company. She is a graduate of the Hubei Province Traditional Opera School. Ms Cui was harassed at home by police on September 6th and 7th, 2012, so she decided to leave her home to avoid their intimidation tactics. However, she was arrested in October.
- Mr Zhao Hu is a former lecturer at Tongji Medical School, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. He was arrested at his home in Guangzhou on October 26th, 2012, and transported to Wuhan.
- Mr Zhang Ruobing, 37, a software engineer in Wuhan, was arrested at work on October 31st, 2012. He was detained at the Beihu Brainwashing Centre and later transferred to the Taojialing area of Hanyan County. His detention location is unknown.
- Dr Zhang Wei, 38, is Associate Professor at the School of Art and Design at Wuhan Technological University. She was arrested by officers from the Wuhan Domestic Security Division and the Wuchang District 6-10 Office on November 5th.
- Mr Yan Kejian, head of Hankou Branch's Loan Division of the Agricultural Development Bank, was arrested at work on November 6th, 2012, by the Wuhan City Police Department. He was the youngest loan division head in the whole of Wuhan's financial sector, and he was also certified as an economist.
- Mr Yan's work experience and knowledge were promoted to employees by the bank's headquarters and he had appeared on local and national television. His thesis was published in a top-tier journal and it was awarded first place by a local financial association. Mr Yan has received numerous awards at the provincial and city levels.
- Mr Shen Xuewu, a former teacher at the Wuchang Military Finance Institute, was arrested around November 13th, 2012.
Four practitioners still detained
After the arrests, these practitioners were sent to brainwashing centres, for which the official name is “Legal System Education School.”
Mr Chen Gang, Ms Cui Hai, and Dr Zhang Wei were sent to the Banqiao Brainwashing Centre. Mr Yan Kejian and Mr Zhang Ruobing were sent to the Beihu Farm Brainwashing Centre in the Qingshan District. Mr Zhao Hu might be detained at the Yangyuan Brainwashing Centre at Wuhan. It is suspected that Mr Shen Xuewu is also being detained at the Banqiao Brainwashing Centre.
They have all been tortured, but Ms Cui and Mr Yan, whose blood pressure became dangerously high, have been treated especially brutally in detention.
At the end of December 2012, Ms Cui was transferred to Wuhan No. 1 Detention Centre. Mr Yan, Mr Zhang, Mr Zhao, and Mr Shen were sent to Wuhan No. 2 Detention Centre. Mr Chen and Dr Zhang were released. A month later, Mr Yan was released.
Four of the practitioners are still detained, and government agencies plan to try them in court and have them sentenced to prison.
We hope those outside China will follow this case closely, and make an effort to help stop the persecution and rescue these wrongly detained Falun Gong practitioners.