(Minghui.org) A group of Falun Gong practitioners have been detained and abused in the last six months by officers from the Luofeng Police Station, located in Zhaoyuan, Shandong Province. One practitioner was tortured at a police station.

Three practitioners were illegally detained, and one was detained twice and physically abused. Officers seized from them more than 1,000 yuan in cash and a number of their personal belongings. Two practitioners lost their jobs during this time.

Police arrested Ms. Zhang Xueli and Mr. Sun Jianguo, who are both over 70, after they talked to people about the persecution of Falun Gong at a farmers market in August 2015. Officers took over 1,000 yuan from the couple.

Ms. Yang Songmei was also detained that month for telling the public about Falun Gong. Officers took 50 yuan in cash from her purse and detained her for seven days.

Ms. Wang Shupei was arrested for talking to people at a park about the persecution of Falun Gong on October 22, 2015. Deputy director Lu Fengzhou and other officers beat her and shoved needles under her fingernails at the police station. She was detained for 12 days.

Ms. Wang was arrested again on November 11, 2015. Officers seized 200 yuan from her, as well as postage stamps worth 110 yuan, 2 MP3 players, Falun Gong books, and other personal belongings.

She was detained for 15 days. Just as the last time she was illegally detained, the police refused to give her a detention notice. Because she did not receive the notice, she missed the administrative appeal deadline. She was also fired from her job, because she was not allowed to phone her workplace or receive visitors while in detention.

Mr. Liu Fubin was arrested at his home in January 2016 by four officers from the Luofeng Police Station. Officers questioned him about a criminal complaint he had filed against Jiang Zemin, the former Chinese Communist Party leader who ordered the violent suppression of Falun Gong. Officers also took more than 80 yuan in cash, his Falun Gong books, and other items. Mr. Liu was detained for 10 days and fired from his job because of the arrest.

Background

In 1999 Jiang Zemin, then head of the CCP, overrode other Politburo standing committee members and launched the violent suppression of Falun Gong.

The persecution has killed countless Falun Gong practitioners during the past 16 years. Many have been murdered for their organs. Others have been imprisoned and tortured for their belief. Jiang Zemin is directly responsible for the inception and continuation of this brutal persecution.

Under Jiang's direction, the CCP established an extralegal security force, the 610 Office, on June 10, 1999. This organization overrides the police and judicial system. The 610 Office carries out Jiang's directive to eradicate Falun Gong: ruin practitioners' reputations, cut off their financial resources, and destroy them physically.

Jiang stepped down as head of the CCP in 2002, but he has exerted much power from the shadows through a network of officials he put in place.

Chinese law now allows citizens to be plaintiffs in criminal cases, and many practitioners are exercising that right to file criminal complaints against the former dictator.