(Clearwisdom.net)

Six Falun Gong practitioners from the Baoding area in Hebei Province have been sentenced and are currently being held in Hebei Province Women's Prison.

1. Ms. Li Yanping, a practitioner from Houquanfang Village, Laiyuan County, was arrested on October 13, 2006. She was detained on criminal charges for over five months and then sentenced to six years imprisonment. She is now in the Hebei Province Women's Prison.

2. Ms. Chen Shufen, 45 years old, a practitioner from Baisha Village, Chengguan Town, Boye County, Hebei Province, began to practice Falun Gong with her husband, Huo Shimin, in 1998. After July 20, 1999, she went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong and was arrested and detained at a county detention center. After that, police and local officials often harassed her at home, so she and her husband left home and went from place to place to avoid further persecution.

In 2002, the couple was arrested by over ten policemen in Anping County, Hengshui City. Mr. Huo was sentenced to three years of forced labor. He endured torture in Balizhuang Forced Labor Camp in Baoding City and was released in late 2004.

Ms. Chen was held at the Boye County Detention Center and Xushui County Detention Center. She conducted a hunger strike for weeks to protest the persecution, was force-fed many times, and became dangerously emaciated. Later, she was sentenced to nine years at Shijiazhuang No. 2 Prison and then transferred to Hebei Province Women's Prison.

3. Ms. Zhang Rongjie, a practitioner from Baoding City, was arrested in August 2005, sentenced to 12 years in May 2006, and sent to Hebei Province Women's Prison on June 16, 2006.

4. Ms. Zhang Lijun, about 40, is a practitioner from Dingzhou City, Hebei Province. In August 2002, she was sentenced to 12 years in division 5 of the Hebei Province Women's Prison. Ongoing torture has left her emaciated. She has developed heart disease and high blood pressure and suffers from edema all over her body. She has been denied family visits, and her pen and paper were taken away, so she cannot correspond with her family.

5. Ms. Xing Junhua, 48, is a former employee of the Zhuozhou City Commerce Bureau. In April 1999, she started to practice Falun Gong, which eliminated all of her health problems, including chronic stomachaches and headaches, tracheitis, keratitis, and reproductive disorders. Since July 20, 1999, she has been detained five times and endured forced labor. In 2008, she was sentenced and sent to Hebei Province Women's Prison.

At the Hebei Province Women's Prison, Ms. Xing refused to compromise and recite the prison rules. Because she resisted participating in the forced labor, police officers had the other inmates beat her. However, they were not able to break her will, so she remained in confinement. By the time she was released, she had difficulty thinking clearly and remembering things. Police kept her in division 11 for further persecution.

6. Ms. Gao Chunlian, 45 years old, is from Dashakan Village, Qingliang Temple area, Zhuozhou City. She was fired from her position in the Zhuozhou Administrative Office of Gaobeidian toll station, Jingshi Highway, in 2001 for practicing Falun Gong.

Ms Gao began to practice Falun Gong in 1996. She had many health problems at the time, such as chronic gastritis and nephritis, and severe neurasthenia. She was significantly underweight and often absentminded. She sought medical help everywhere but gained no relief. She learned Falun Gong from her neighbor, and within one month of practicing, her illnesses disappeared. Her hot temper also improved a lot.

Since the persecution began, she has endured numerous hardships. She was tortured in a brainwashing facility, held at a detention center and forced labor camp, and suffered brutal beatings, electric shock, force-feeding, and hard labor. Ms. Gao once suffered continuous vomiting for several hours, losing all color in her face. Ongoing torture left her severely emaciated and critically ill. She almost suffocated one time as a result of torture.

On October 12, 2007, Ms. Gao was again arrested, taken to Zhuozhou Detention Center, and denied family visits. She became mentally incapacitated and developed poor circulation in her extremities. She had trouble maintaining her balance and required the assistance of two people to support her when she went to the toilet. Her mind and body were seriously damaged due to torture. She was secretly sentenced in 2008 and sent to the Hebei Province Women's Prison.

It is unclear as to whether practitioners Ms. Kong Hongyun, Ms. Ma Xiuqin. and Ms. Li Bing are still being held at Hebei Province Women's Prison.

Ms. Kong Hongyun, a 36-year-old practitioner from Baoding City, Mancheng County, Hebei Province, had a clinic in front of Baoding Cotton Rental Dormitory. On March 14, 2008, officers from the Baoding City Yimian Police Station and Xinshi District Domestic Security Division arrested her, searched her home, and closed her clinic.

Ms. Kong was sentenced by the Xinshi District Court to three years of imprisonment on June 26, 2008. She lodged an appeal, but on August 26, 2008, the Baoding Intermediate Court upheld the original sentence.

Ms. Ma Xiuqin, over 60 years old, is from Yi County, Hebei Province. In July 2001, she was sentenced to seven years and detained in the women's division of Hebei Taihang Prison.

Ms. Li Binghan, over 40 years old, is from Dingzhou, Hebei Province. In April 2002, she was sentenced to ten years and detained in the women's division of Hebei Taihang Prison.