(Clearwisdom.net) In June 2000, police and other governmental officers of Gaopian Township, Guanghan City, Sichuan Province, arrested Falun Dafa practitioners and paraded them through streets. The officers slandered Falun Dafa, and cursed and spat on practitioners. They cursed and beat practitioners whenever they said, "Falun Dafa is good." They forced practitioners to run in circles and remain standing for long periods of time, including overnight. They also searched practitioners' homes at will. When practitioners asked why they were being treated like this for just practicing Falun Gong exercises and not bothering anyone, the officers said that they were ordered to do so by higher authorities.

In March 2001, the township government had police detain the practitioners who had gone to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong in the Gaopian grain storage facility. They then ransacked the practitioners' homes. In the storage facility, practitioners were treated in various inhumane ways. For example, they were forced to listen to a high volume loudspeaker that prevented them from sleeping. They were also forced to stand while facing the wall for long periods of time. Officers often beat, cursed, and searched practitioners at will. Party Secretary Jiang Weiming said, "This time we are going to bankrupt you and defame you thoroughly." Wang Yongzhao, an officer in charge of women's welfare, said, "This time we locked you up here in order to beat you to death, just like crushing some yams." Additionally, they fined everyone they could find who had ever practiced Falun Gong. They even detained a practitioner's family member for 15 days because she had made a statement criticizing the persecution.

Here are a few cases in which practitioners were brutally persecuted at the Gaopian Township:

Yang Bencai, male, 72, a resident of the Jiudongqiao Village, was fined 1,100 Yuan (Chinese currency, the monthly salary for an average Chinese rural worker is less than 200 Yuan). They forced him to sign an agreement to allow officers to sell his newly renovated house at auction and keep the money. On January 5, 2001, Yang was sent to the Guanghan Detention Center. On August 21, 2001, he was informed that he had been sentenced to a 3-year jail term with a 2-year reprieve and fined 3,600 Yuan.

Yang Tingyu, female, 42, the only child of Yang Bencai, was illegally arrested when she went to Beijing to appeal. She was beaten and shocked with electric batons by the police. The Vice Party Secretary, Wang Yougui, said, "Now, we have already sold your house, seized all of your property, and suspended your right to use the land. We are watching you to see if you still dare to practice Falun Gong." On January 12, she was sent to the Guanghan Detention Center. Later, officers forced her husband to pay 1,500 Yuan without issuing a receipt.

More ludicrously, the Deyang Daily Newspaper of June 8, 2001 reported that both Yang Tingyu and her father Yang Bencai had been publicly tried and sentenced to 3.5 years and 3 years in jail respectively. The truth is that they had been in the detention center and did not know anything about a trial.

Wu Xianzhi, female, 34, a resident of Gaogongqiao Village, was also detained at the storage facility. On the night of January 6, Wu was taken outside by officers and beaten for several hours with a special baton that holds many sharp tooth-like barbs. This was seen by another female practitioner, Chen Dengai, of Sanshui Township. Chen tried to stop the beating, but she was beaten herself until her head and face were bleeding and her whole body was severely bruised. Although severely injured, Wu was still sent to Guanghan Detention Center on February 12 to be further persecuted.

Chen Huayu, female, 31, a resident of Jinji Village, was arrested and beaten by police in Beijing for appealing to the government. After she was escorted back to Gaopian, the Party Secretary of Yuanjue Village, Jiang Ze, removed her underwear and beat her on the hips until they were swollen. Chen was later fined 2,000 Yuan and sent to the detention center on February 12.

Below are the individuals who persecuted practitioners:

The Party Secretary of Gaopian Township, Jiang Weiming.

The Vice Party Secretary of Gaopian Township, Wang Yougui.

The Officer of Women's Affairs in Gaopian Township, Wang Yongzhao.

The Party Secretary of Yuanjue Village, Jiang Ze.

Another individual is the Deputy Police Chief of the Gaopian Police Station, Li Hanqing. He met his retribution and died of liver cancer recently despite being middle-aged.