The Crimes of Newly-Appointed Secretary of Dalian City Political and Legal Affairs Committee

Oct. 11, 2021 | By a Minghui correspondent in Liaoning Province, China

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In the past 22 years of the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the 610 Office has played a critical role in implementing the persecution policy at all government levels and across different segments of society.

This agency was launched under orders from former CCP top leader Jiang Zemin on June 10, 1999. “Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organisation with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa,” stated a recent proclamation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

In this article, we focus on the crimes committed by Liu Hong, who was appointed secretary of the Dalian City Political and Legal Affairs Committee (PLAC) on September 3, 2021.

Liu was born in December 1965 and joined the CCP in June 1989, three years after he entered the workforce. He was deputy director of the Liaoning Province 610 Office before being appointed its director. He was also appointed secretary of the Liaoning Province PLAC in 2011. He was then appointed deputy Party secretary of Fuxin City in January 2018, before assuming his latest position.

During Liu’s tenure as head of the Liaoning Province 610 Office between 2011 and 2017, he directed the law enforcement and judicial systems at all levels in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. As a result, at least 127 practitioners lost their lives to persecution, including 22 deaths in 2011, 21 in 2012, 14 in 2013, 21 in 2014, 15 in 2015, 16 in 2016, and 18 in 2017.

Liaoning Province is one of the worst places in China where Falun Gong practitioners are targeted for their belief. Between July 1999 and September 2019, 586 practitioners in Liaoning Province died as a result of the persecution. Because of Liu’s position and involvement in the persecution, he is responsible for the deaths, tortures, disabilities, and other abuses that practitioners suffered.

Because of his human rights violations against practitioners, Liu and other CCP officials were included on the list of names submitted by practitioners in the U.S. to the U.S. State Department. Based on U.S. laws, practitioners asked the U.S. government to deny these CCP officials visa applications and entry into the country. A U.S. State Department official confirmed the receipt of the list and said that many Chinese individuals had already been denied visa applications in recent years due to their involvement in the persecution of Falun Gong.

 

Deaths and Torture in Dalian City

As the second-largest city in Liaoning Province, Dalian is notorious for persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. When Liu was the province 610 Office head from 2011 to 2017, Dalian alone recorded 20 practitioner deaths due to the persecution.

Below are some examples.

 

Prison Poisons Woman to Death to Cover Up Brutality

After Ms. Ding Zhenfang was arrested by Tian Li, deputy chief of Kuiyingjie Police Station, in August 2007, she was sentenced to eight years in Liaoning Province Women’s Prison. Guard Li Heqiao tortured Ms. Ding until she had only three teeth left. Ms. Ding started having symptoms of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and other ailments.

Because Ms. Ding held firm to her faith, Li became even more ruthless. In late 2008, Li hung Ms. Ding from a heating pipe for seven days and beat her. Ms. Ding was not let down until she was on the verge of death. Moreover, Li told inmates to torture Ms. Ding, “as long as she is still alive.”

 

 

When her husband visited her in March 2010, Ms. Ding was carried out on a stretcher. “I am afraid I might die here,” she said. “They beat me every day.” Her husband requested medical parole based on her poor health. But prison officials declined the request, citing Ms. Ding’s belief. They later poisoned her to death on August 1, 2011, to cover up how badly they had tortured her. Ms. Ding was 61 years old.

 

 

Husband Died in Agony and Wife Repeatedly Detained

Mr. Qu Hui and his wife Ms. Liu Xinying went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong after the persecution started in July 1999. After being arrested at Dalian Airport, they were held at a detention centre, leaving their 10-month-old daughter unattended.

When Mr. Qu was held in Dalian Labor Camp in 2001, the guards shocked his genitals and elsewhere with electric batons. His genitals festered and his spine was fractured, which left him paralysed. He died in agony on February 19, 2014.

 

 

During the last 13 years of Mr. Qu’s life, Ms. Liu struggled to take care of him and their young daughter. Despite the endless suffering, however, she was also arrested numerous times for her belief.

On July 6, 2012, the Dalian PLAC and 610 Office arrested nearly 80 Falun Gong practitioners, including Ms. Liu, for installing satellite dishes for local residents to access uncensored information. Ms. Liu’s residence was ransacked and personal belongings were confiscated.

Ms. Liu’s next arrest took place on March 21, 2014, about a month after her husband’s death. Officer Yu Yang handcuffed her hands behind her back in front of her neighbors before taking her to a detention centre, which denied her admission due to her poor health.

Ms. Liu was arrested again on September 23, 2014, and her home was ransacked.

Within a week, the Zhongshan Court in Dalian City held a hearing and sentenced her to five and a half years in prison. She appealed to the Dalian Intermediate Court, which ruled to uphold the original verdict. On March 24, 2015, Ms. Liu was taken to Liaoning Women’s Prison in Shenyang City.

 

 

Man Tortured to Paralysis and Dies; Wife and Son Suffer

Mr. Zhao Fei worked at the Lianying Food Company in Dalian City. Because of his faith in Falun Gong, he was sent to a labor camp three times, to a detention centre five times, and to a brainwashing centre once.

After he was taken to Masanjia Forced Labor Camp in the summer of 2007, guards shocked sensitive spots on his body with electric batons and beat his legs so savagely that he became paralysed.

The Affiliated Hospital of Shenyang Medical University also diagnosed him with aplastic anemia. To shirk their responsibility, labor camp officials told officials from his neighborhood to pick him up. “He won’t live long,” said labor camp director Gao Fengcai.

Upon his release, Mr. Zhao was on the verge of death. He was emaciated and had burns from electric shocks all over his body. His coccyx was exposed through a walnut-sized hole.

Despite his poor health, the Dalian Court called him many times in September 2010, ordering him to report to the court. To avoid further persecution, he fled his home. He died at age 54 on December 31, 2011.

Mr. Zhao’s wife, Ms. He Chunyan, had suffered from a mental disorder for about ten years and was bedridden. Their son Zhao Yuan grew up in fear. When he was in elementary school, both his teachers and other students discriminated against him because of his father’s faith. He was also bullied and beaten by other kids. Like his mother, he also developed a mental disorder. A once smart and conscientious schoolboy was thus ruined. Still, the police and CCP officials continued to harass him and his mother.

 

 

Woman Beaten to Disability and Eventual Death

Ms. Wang Jinhua, 71, was beaten by five officers in the Bayilu Police Station in September 2011. With bruises all over her arms, she could not bend her fingers. She also had extreme pain in her lower back, tailbone, and legs. As a result, she had difficulty walking and easily fell down.

Ms. Wang began to suffer from edema below her chest in early August 2016. Her abdomen resembled that of a very pregnant woman, and it was stiff. She had cracks in her tongue, making drinking difficult. She had problems breathing whenever she lay down. She passed away on September 29, 2016.

 

Arm Broken Twice, Woman Dies at Age 40

Ms. Yang Chunling was a translator and her husband Mr. Yang Benliang was a teacher. Ms. Yang was sentenced to 7 years in prison and Mr. Yang to 11 years. Ms. Yang’s mother-in-law, Ms. Cao Yuzhen, was sentenced to 9 years in prison.

When Ms. Yang was in Liaoning Women’s Prison, team lead Cong Zhuo instigated inmates to beat her so badly that she passed out at one point. Four inmates sat on her so that she couldn’t move, and her right arm, which had already been broken once when Dalian police officers beat her during her arrest, was broken again. They also kicked, punched, and pinched her breasts, which festered and bled as a result.

Her broken arm was never treated, and the break was clearly visible upon her release. Even before her release, she had three lumps in her right breast. The situation worsened after she returned home.

Ms. Yang died at age 40 on April 2, 2014.

Her husband and mother-in-law were also tortured in jail. Due to torture, Ms. Cao was bedridden after she was released and she could not take care of herself.

 

 

Woman Dies 29 Days after Arrest

Ms. Zhang Guilian, 69, lived in the Dalian Development Zone. She was arrested on July 6, 2012. During the 17 days when she was held in the Dalian Detention Centre, she had a stroke as a result of the abuse she suffered.

To shirk their responsibility, detention centre officials released her. Ms. Zhang died on August 5, 2012.

 

Detained for Telling Others about Falun Gong, Dies of Torture

Ms. Cheng Fuhua, 69, was from the Zhongshan District in Dalian City. In May 2015, she filed a criminal complaint against former CCP leader Jiang Zemin for the persecution of Falun Gong.

For telling people about Falun Gong, she was arrested again on June 1, 2015, by Kunmingjie police officers. After she went on a hunger strike to resist the persecution, detention centre officials punished both her and her cellmates so that her cellmates would hate her.

As a result, Ms. Cheng was seriously injured. Her entire body was swollen. She was unconscious most of the time and unable to walk. In late January 2016, her family was notified to pick her up at the detention centre. They paid money and waited a long time before guards led her out. She was in a life-threatening condition.

Several days later, the family learned of what had occurred right before Ms. Cheng was released. Officials had asked Ms. Cheng, “Do you want us to take you to the hospital or home?”

Ms. Cheng was tired and replied, “I want to go home.” The interaction was recorded as evidence that “she refused medical intervention.”

Ms. Cheng’s condition quickly worsened after she returned home. She died on August 6, 2016.

 

 

Both Husband and Wife Die After 7 Years in Prison

Dalian Domestic Security Bureau agents arrested Ms. Sun Jingmei and her husband Mr. Zhu Benfu in January 2006. They were each sentenced to 7 years, Ms. Sun in Liaoning Women’s Prison and Mr. Zhu in Yingkou Prison.

The guards once stripped Ms. Sun naked and held her in solitary confinement for 42 days. They ordered inmates to deprive her of sleep for two weeks. Ms. Sun was so tired that she dozed off when she was standing. Inmates beat her so often that she passed out many times. In addition, she was forced to stand or squat for a long time.

They kicked her feet, which became so swollen that she could not put on her shoes. Her right leg was fractured. In the winter, she was tied in the laundry room with no clothes on and had cold water poured over her.

In July 2006, ward 7 manager Zhang Xiuli oversaw four inmates, each using a stool, to hit Ms. Sun on her back, knocking her down. She lost consciousness and remained that way for several hours. The inmates claimed she was faking death and continued to beat and kick her, injuring her lower back and crippling her legs. She also had blurry vision afterward.

Due to the long-term torture, Ms. Sun was very weak. After returning home in January 2013, her condition deteriorated. She died at age 61 on April 16, 2017.

Like his wife, the repeated torture left Mr. Zhu with bruises all over his body. Upon his release, he had chest pain and a cough. But officials did not stop harassing him. He died on October 28, 2019.

 

 

After Suing Jiang, Woman Jailed and Dies of Torture

After Ms. Geng Ren’e from the Ganjingzi District, Dalian City, filed a criminal complaint against Jiang Zemin for persecuting Falun Gong, she was arrested in October 2015. The Zhongshan Court sentenced her to four years in Liaoning Women’s Prison.

The guards did not let Ms. Geng sleep or use the toilet, and she was also forced to stand for long periods of time. Inmates beat her and she bled profusely.

The ward manager demanded 20,000 yuan from her family for her medical treatment. Seeing that she was on the verge of death, the prison officials returned 14,000 yuan to her family, claiming the rest had been spent on medical bills.

Ms. Geng was released on medical parole on July 28, 2017. Her family took her to a hospital and was told she had less than four months to live. She returned home after their money was used up. Ms. Geng was hospitalised again on October 10, 2017, and died on October 22 at age 61.

 

Over 700 Practitioners Sentenced in Five Years

Data collected by Minghui showed that at least 721 Falun Gong practitioners in Liaoning Province were sentenced between 2013 and 2017, when Liu Hong was head of the Liaoning Province 610 Office: 73 were sentenced in 2013, 115 in 2014, 160 in 2015, 194 in 2016, and 179 in 2017.

In 2016 alone, 47 Falun Gong practitioners in Liaoning were sentenced for filing criminal complaints against Jiang, which was the most in any province in China.

Based on information from Minghui, 17,963 Falun Gong practitioners have been sentenced as of July 10, 2019, more in Liaoning Province than in any other province. 2004 and 2016 recorded the most sentences in Liaoning.

Several days after Liu Hong became the Dalian PLAC Party secretary on September 3, 2021, Ganjingzi Court tried practitioners Mr. Ren Haifei and Ms. Sun Zhongli and sentenced Mr. Lu Kaili to ten years in prison.

Below are more sentencing cases.

 

Renowned Scholar Given 10-Year Sentence

Ms. Liu Ronghua was an associate professor at Dalian Ocean University. After she began to practice Falun Gong in 1998, she followed the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to be a better person. Her performance at work improved and one of her academic articles was included in the Encyclopedia of China.

For practicing Falun Gong, she was sent to Masanjia Forced Labor Camp in 2009 to serve a two-year term. Twice in the labor camp, she was hung up by her handcuffed wrists in the laundry room for 21 days, disabling her left wrist.

Three days before her term expired in September 2011, she was sentenced to ten years in prison. At her trial on January 9, 2012, two lawyers defended her. They said that the practice of Falun Gong was protected by the Chinese Constitution and that it was illegal to sentence her when she was still serving her forced labor camp term.

The court charged her with the same “crime” to send her to the forced labor camp in the first place, which the lawyers said was an indication that the court was punishing her twice for the same reason, a violation of the law.

 

 

40 Practitioners Persecuted for Installing Satellite Dishes

To prevent citizens from accessing overseas information, the Dalian PLAC and 610 Office ordered the police to arrest nearly 80 practitioners in July 2012 for installing satellite dishes for local residents. About 20 practitioners were sentenced to jail terms and nearly 20 were sent to forced labor camps.

Eleven lawyers who defended the practitioners were harassed and beaten by the police. Lawyer Cheng Hai testified that the police beat him three times and that China’s police and court systems have become a “mafia.” He and other lawyers agreed that they could not allow such a mafia to obstruct the legal system.

Among the 20 sentenced to prison, Che Zhongshan, Yu Bo, and Guo Song were each sentenced to 4 years; Zhu Chenggan to 4 years and 9 months; Wang Shouchen, Shi Zhanshun, and Bai Ruyu each to 4½ years; Pei Zhenbo to 5½ years; Pan Xiuqing to 5 years and 3 months; and Qu Bin and She Yue to 6 years each.

 

Personal Savings Confiscated

Mr. Liu Renqiu from the Lushunkou District in Dalian City was arrested at a rental place in June 2016. Two officers held his arms, while a third in boxing gloves hit him in the abdomen and chest. He suffered internal injuries and had blood in his urine.

The police confiscated his personal belongings and froze his bank account, from which they later withdrew nearly all his savings of about 400,000 yuan. Mr. Liu was sentenced to ten years in prison and fined 50,000 yuan. He appealed, but the Dalian Intermediate Court upheld the original verdict, citing the fact that he had not given up his belief.

 

Summary—Officials Suffer Repercussions

According to information from Minghui, between 1999 and 2018, over 20,000 CCP officials had incurred repercussions for persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. The 610 Office alone accounted for 1,614 incidents of retribution, and the PLAC incurred 764.

In addition to Liu Hong mentioned above, below are further examples of retribution.

 

 

Wang Like, born in December 1964, became a police officer at age 17. He served in the following positions (in chronological order) over the years: Beining City Police Department chief, Jinzhou City Police Department deputy chief, Huludao City Police Department chief, Liaoning Province Public Security Bureau vice director, Dalian City Police Department chief, and Dalian City vice mayor.

Because of his active involvement in the persecution, he received an award from the Ministry of Public Security and he met Jiang Zemin twice. In October 2020, Wang was under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law.”

 

 

Wang Qingguo, Liaoning Province Public Security Bureau vice director, directed the massive arrests related to the satellite dish installations mentioned above. He was also deputy director of Dalian Police Department between 2008 and 2013. Wang died in pain of pancreatic cancer on September 30, 2014.

 

 

Under orders from the PLAC and 610 Office, the Dalian Intermediate Court has been actively persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. In January 2015, Li Wei, president of the court, was put under investigation after the bribes he received were confiscated.