Mr. Li Wendong and His Wife from Tangshan City Arrested

 

Name: Li Wendong (李文东)
Gender: Male
Age: 45
Address: Tangshan
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: February 25, 2012
Most Recent Place of Detention: Tangshan City First Detention Center (唐山市第一看守所)
City: Tangshan
Province: Hebei
Persecution Suffered: Forced labor, torture, home ransacked, detention

 

(Minghui.org) On February 25, 2012, Mr. Li Wendong from Tangshan City was illegally arrested by local police officers and taken to the Kaiping District Police Branch of the Tangshan City Police Department. During his detention, he was beaten and his face was severely bruised. His wife, a non-practitioner, has also been arrested by the authorities. Currently, Mr. Li is detained at the First Detention Center in Tangshan City.

 

According to his neighbors, around 6:30 a.m. on February 25, 2012, plainclothes officers from the police branch, Domestic Security Division, and police station of Kaiping District surrounded Mr. Li's home in Shuigang Community. One of the female officers knocked on the door claiming that she was there to install an alarm device, which could alert the police in case of a break-in or burglary. Mr. Li's wife refused to open the door and said, “We don't need it. Alerting the police won't help at all.” Then the female officer pretended to knock on the neighbors' doors, came back, and knocked on their door again. The family refused to open the door. When Mr. Li's wife had to go to work and opened the door, the police officers, who had been hiding outside, swarmed in. She thought it was a robbery and started resisting and screaming, and was immediately gagged by the officers. The neighbors came out asking what was going on. The officers bullied them saying, “Keep asking and we will arrest you too.”

 

After dragging Mr. Li's wife to the police vehicle, two male officers searched her body and confiscated two cell phones and a set of keys. Despite her struggle, she was taken to Shuidong Police Station where she was interrogated. Only then did she realize that she had been arrested by the police. She questioned them, “On what grounds did you bring me here? This is illegal. What legal procedures did you follow?” A police officer replied, “Your husband practices Falun Gong.” She said, “It is his belief. It does not violate any law.” Later that afternoon, she was told that her husband had been arrested, and then she was released.

 

Mr. Li's wife noticed that their home had been ransacked and anything of value had been stolen, including their computer, books, cell phones, jewelry, bank cards, security bonds, knitting needles, and other items. When she returned to the police station to ask for the return of their belongings, she was told that the authorities needed to photograph everything and would not return them. She said, “Those are our personal belongings. Why do you need to photograph them? If anything is missing, I will hold you accountable.”

 

In the evening, she was notified by the authorities that her husband had been transferred to the local detention center.

 

Torture reenactment: Severe beating

 

After she heard that her husband had been severely beaten in detention, she went to the police branch, police station, and Domestic Security Division of the Kaiping District and said, “I have heard my husband was beaten. Who did it? He was not in poor health-- if he comes back with any problems, you will be held responsible.” She then went to the Tangshan City First Detention Center to request a visit and inquire about her husband's situation, but the detention center authorities refused to answer her and denied her visitation.

 

Up to now, all their personal belongings have not been returned and the authorities have not produced any legal documents. Mr. Li's wife has to provide for their child, who is in high school, and the family is in crisis.

 

Mr. Li is kindhearted, a good worker, and is willing to help others. He started practicing Falun Gong in 1998. He was previously sentenced to three years of forced labor for refusing to give up his belief. At the Tangshan City's Hehuakeng Forced Labor Camp, he was shocked with electric batons and tied up with ropes. His wife had to endure the hardship of raising their young child alone, and the child became mentally affected by the father's detainment. Mr. Li's wife has been very strong in the face of the persecution and hardships. She has vowed to pursue justice for her husband. All righteous people at home and abroad, please give her a helping hand.

 

Perpetrators:

 
-Police Branch of the Tangshan City Police Department, Domestic Security Division and Police Station of Kaiping District
-Han from the Kaiping District Police Station
-Zheng from the Kaiping District Domestic Security Division
-Dong Wei, deputy director of the Kaiping District 610 Office, lives at 113-3-203 Puguangnanli Street, Kaiping District, Tangshan City, zipcode 063021
-Kaiping District Police Branch: [phone], 3363215
-Chen Yongwen, former head of the Division for Politics and Security, current deputy head of the Kaiping District Police Branch and head of the Domestic Security Division. He has been actively persecuting Falun Gong practitioners.
-Kaiping District Police Branch's Domestic Security Division: [phone]
-Zhao Chunming, captain of the Kaiping District Police Branch's Domestic Security Team, has participated in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners multiple times.
-Kaiping District Police Station: [phone], 2535700
-Shuidong Police Station: [phone]