(Minghui.org) Four police officers from Harbin City broke into Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Zhao Haijun's home in Zhengde Village on May 6, 2016. They arrested Mr. Zhao and ransacked his home in retaliation for his filing a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin, the former head of the communist regime. They did not show identification cards or a warrant.
The police also tried to arrest Mr. Zhao's wife. However, their neighbors prevented the police from doings so. Still, Mrs. Zhao had to leave her home to avoid further harassment and arrest attempts from the police. Their farms were left unattended.
Mr. Zhao's two children came home to help. They are very anxious about their father's situation and worried about their mother's whereabouts. They asked the neighbors for help. Over 400 villagers signed a petition stating that Mr. Zhao is a good person and demanded that he be released.
Mass Arrests
Over 50 Falun Gong practitioners living in Shuangcheng District were also arrested on May 6. Most of the male practitioners were detained at the Shuangcheng Detention Center, and the female practitioners were taken to the Yaziquan Detention Center in Harbin City.
According to police officers, the large-scale arrest was ordered by upper level authorities and directed by a leader of the Heilongjiang Province Police Department who went to Harbin City to oversee the arrests.
Most of the arrested practitioners had filed criminal complaints against Jiang with the Chinese Supreme Procuratorate for persecuting Falun Gong practitioners.
Chinese law allows its citizens to be plaintiffs in criminal cases, and many practitioners are now exercising that right to file criminal complaints against the former dictator.
Daughter Prevented from Visiting Father
The police station notified Mr. Zhao's non-immediate family members and demanded that they sign the official approval of arrest 12 days after Mr. Zhao's arrest, disregarding the legal rights of Mr. Zhao's two daughters. Chief Xu Hongtu of the police station said that only an attorney was allowed to visit Mr. Zhao.
Mr. Zhao's daughter and sister tried to retain a lawyer at a law office on May 19. However, none of the attorneys took the case.
“I know your are good people, and there is nothing wrong with believing in Falun Gong,” said attorney Lei. “However, the government prohibits us from taking any Faun Gong cases.”
Attorney Jia initially agreed to help, but withdrew her acceptance when she heard it was a Falun Gong practitioner's case.
After some discussion, Jia telephoned the police station. After she talked with the police, she told the family members, “I'm not allowed to see Mr. Zhao. I am able to visit defendants even in murder cases, but given that this is a Falun Gong case, there is nothing I can do to help.”
Eventually, an attorney also named Zhao agreed to visit Mr. Zhao Haijun in the detention center. After he came back from the visit, he called Mr. Zhao's daughter and asked her to come to his office the next morning. However, Mr. Zhao's daughter had not given anyone her cell phone number. She felt the request was very suspicious. She left home that night to avoid any possible trouble or even arrest.
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