(Clearwisdom.net) April 17, 2006 was the day Zhang Xiuling and Li Yongjun's jail terms ended, but they were not released on that day. Their family members waited outside the labor camp with relief and happiness that the two kind-hearted people, who remained steadfast in their beliefs, for which they suffered from illegal persecution for 21 months, were finally going to be released. However, the family members were told that their jail terms were extended to June 30 and June 2 respectively simply because Xiuling and Yongjun refused to give up their beliefs and refused to be "reformed" through forced labor.

During the one year and nine months of forced labor in the Jilin Provincial Women's Forced Labor Camp, Xiuling and Yongjun were beaten, otherwise tortured and verbally abused. They have suffered mental and physical collapses. However, such torture is still continuing.

Let's take a look at the whole process:

The family members called the labor camp and asked for a reason why Xiuling and Yongjun were not released. They were then told that Xiuling and Yongjun's terms were extended, but were not told for how long and why their terms were extended.

The family members then met by chance two prosecutors, a man and a woman, from the Changchun Municipal People's Procurator stationed in the camp and asked them the reasons. The female prosecutor said the reason for Xiuling's term extension to June 30th was her refusal to be "reformed", for holding a hunger strike, for continuing to do the Falun Gong exercises and refusing to perform the forced labor. Yongjun's term was extended to June 2 because she refused to be "reformed" and did not go to work. Further inquiries from the family members revealed that the terms were based on "the Methods of Incentives and Disincentives" used against Falun Gong practitioners initiated and implemented on April 1, 2005 by the Provincial Justice Department's Reeducation Through Hard Labor Bureau, which says, "If not reformed after one year of forced labor, depending on the circumstances, (the practitioners) may get 30 days to 180 days extended terms."

The family members challenged the legitimacy of the "Methods of Incentives and Disincentives," and once again went to talk with the women's labor camp's high-level officials and the Provincial Justice Department's Reeducation Through Forced Labor Bureau. The managing director Bai Guang admitted that they did have this policy.

Afterwards, the family members called the overall director of the Reeducation Through Forced Labor Bureau Wang Yanjun, who told them to contact the labor camp. Then the family members called the director of the labor camp Tian, who told them that because Xiuling and Yongjun were "well known" for refusing to be reformed, according to the "Methods of Incentives and Disincentives" of the Reeducation Through Forced Labor Bureau, the current extended terms were only a mild punishment ...

In addition to Zhang Xiuling and Li Yongjun, many other Falun Gong practitioners' terms were extended after suffering from illegal forced labor. From a legal perspective, forced labor is unlawful, and the extension of terms is even more unlawful. They violate the Constitution, which gives the citizens the right to freedom of belief. From the perspective of law enforcement procedures, the extended terms were never written down on legal documents and made known to the families or to Xiuling and Yongjun themselves until after the families' requests.

They set up a procurator system and have prosecutors in the labor camp. The Falun Gong practitioners and the staff in the labor camp know that the prosecutors do not handle Falun Gong practitioners' appeals. Their only job is to make sure that the practitioners cooperate with the labor camp officials and become "reformed." No matter how the practitioners appeal, the result is always the same.

Zhangxiuling held a hunger strike to protest the unfair treatment. On December 27, 2005, prison guard Liu Zhiwei in Division 4 pushed her from sixth floor to the fifth, and then kicked her from the fifth floor to the fourth, resulting in injury to Xiuling's legs and feet. Xiuling complained to the prosecutor at the labor camp and got no answer. Both the labor camp and the stationed prosecutors do their best to cover up the facts of the persecution. When the family members complained, the relevant departments and offices refused accountability. This type of persecution is being repeatedly utilized.

We would like to issue an urgent appeal to the international community: please offer your helping hands. Together let's protest the inhumanely and illegally extended terms for Xiuling and Yongjun. Let's give them their freedom now!

The following are the phone numbers for the Jilin Provincial Judicial Department Reeducation Through Forced Labor Bureau and Provincial Women's Forced Labor Camp:

Jilin Province Judicial Department Reeducation Through Forced Labor:

Wang Tingjun (Director) 2750222
Yang Yong (Deputy Director) 2794283
Ding Zhaowei (Deputy Director) 2750228
Liu Tiejun (Deputy Director) 2750166
Liu Xianyu (Deputy Director) 2790004
Liu Xiaofeng (Office Director) 2795608
Bai Guang (Administration Director) 2799874

Jilin Women's Forced Labor Camp:
Switchboard: 5384312
Chief Police Ma: extension -8001
Deputy Head Tian: -8005
Management Section: -8014
Prosecutor's Office: -8015
Division Four : -6104