(Minghui.org) In 2020, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s central Political and Legal Affairs Committee (PLAC) issued a confidential document demanding that all Falun Gong practitioners across China be forced to renounce their belief. If the goal is achieved, those involved would receive a big monetary reward.
The authorities in all regions began to harass practitioners on their lists and order them to renounce Falun Gong. Brainwashing sessions ordered by the PLAC and the 610 Office, an extralegal agency created specifically to persecute Falun Gong, sprung up again across the country, and practitioners are either deceived or forced into attending them. Local police and residential committee staff members were all mobilized in the persecution.
While some lower-level 610 Office agents revealed that they didn’t want to organize the brainwashing sessions themselves, it was a political task issued by provincial-level officials.
Many of the practitioners taken to the brainwashing sessions were those who were given probations and didn’t have to serve time in prison. The authorities often used their children’s or grandchildren’s jobs or education as leverage in their attempts to force the practitioners to renounce Falun Gong. When the practitioners refused to comply, the authorities would try to pressure them by turning their families against them. Some practitioners’ family members were forced to sign the renunciation statements on their behalf.
In Jilin Province alone, brainwashing sessions were held in eight major cities and their nearby regions, including:
Changchun City: Gongzhuling City, Yushu City, Nongan County, and Dehui City; Jilin City: Shulan City, Yongji County, Huadian City, Jiaohe City, and Panshi County; Siping City: Lishu County, Yitong County, and Shuangliao County; Baishan City: Linjiang County; Songyuan City: Qianguo County and Qian’an County; Yanbian Autonomous Region: Yanji City, Dunhua City, Huichun City, Tumen City, and Helong City; Tonghua City: Meihekou City; and Liaoyuan City.
Cities with the most practitioners taken to brainwashing sessions were Yanbian with 185, followed by Jilin with 91, Tonghua with 38, and Changchun with 21. The tallies in other regions aren’t available at the time of writing.
Below are details of the brainwashing session in various regions.
In Yanji City, several brainwashing sessions were held in Rujia Hotel. Those practitioners who refused to be “transformed” after attending the first brainwashing session had their salaries suspended.
Another brainwashing session was held in the Laoxinluo Office Building near Tianhe Plaza. Ms. Liu Shumei, who had just been released from detention, was arrested again and forced to attend this brainwashing session.
Ms. Cao Renzi, a 72-year-old practitioner of Korean nationality, was arrested at home in December 2020 and held in the brainwashing center for three days. She was forced to press her fingerprint on a piece of paper with unknown contents.
Mr. Huang Jiaming and his wife Ms. Zhao Lan were arrested and taken to the brainwashing center on December 17, 2020.
Ms. Meng Fanqin, of Tumen City, was arrested at home and taken to the brainwashing center on December 15, 2020.
Another resident of Tumen city, Ms. Zhi Wenli, was arrested in December 2020 and taken to the brainwashing center.
Other practitioners who have been taken to the brainwashing centers in Dunhua City since December 2020 include Ms. Wu Yujing, Ms. Hao Shuchun, Ms. Wang Xiangju, Yu, and Zhang.
In Liuhe county, local authorities went to various workplaces, looking for practitioners on their blacklists. Those who refused to renounce Falun Gong were taken to the brainwashing session.
Those who were harassed and threatened to be taken to the brainwashing center included Ms. Li Junlan, Mr. Cui Zhaoyou, Mr. Sun Renqi, and Ms. Chen Hongyu.
The brainwashing session in Meihekou City was held in Hongtai Limited Company on Fumin Street, which is a food factory for nuts and candies. It’s reported that the PLAC is paying over 100,000 yuan in rental fees each month. The factory’s owner Wang Yunhai has also rented his other property to the PLAC as a base for persecuting Falun Gong practitioners.
It has been confirmed that Ms. Zheng Lihua, Ms. Yang Xuhua, Ms. Sun Hongqin, Mr. Yuan Kexun, Mr. Chen Guohao, and Mr. Pei Guoli were forced to attend a brainwashing session starting on July 17, 2020. Another practitioner from Baoshan Village was also taken there.
Among them, Ms. Zheng was arrested on July 16, 2020. Ms. Yang was arrested the next day. The police also went to Mr. Fan Shihong’s home and attempted to arrest him on the morning of July 17. Mr. Fan escaped arrest as he was not at home.
Ms. Sun Hongyan was taken to the brainwashing center on July 16, 2020. Zhu Yongqiu, the director of Heping village, and the local PLAC secretary claimed that they would pay Ms. Sun 80 to 100 yuan per day for attending the session. If she completed the session, a graduation certificate would be issued. Two days later, on July 18, upon finding that Ms. Sun was having issues with her hearing, the authorities took her back home.
Ms. Gong Lihua and her husband Mr. Zhang Zhanchen, in their 60s, were both arrested on July 16 and taken to the Meihekou City Police Department. Mr. Zhang, who doesn’t practice Falun Gong, is suffering severe sequelae of a stroke. He is incapacitated and couldn’t talk clearly. After Ms. Gong clarified the facts about Falun Gong to the police and explained her husband’s dependence on her for care, the police released the couple.
Ms. Huang Suxiang of Shancheng Town received a call on July 16 and was told to report to the Meihekou City Police Department on the same day in preparation to attend a brainwashing session for a month. She decided to live away from home to avoid the persecution. The police and residential committee staff members called her family several times to harass them afterwards.
Prior to another brainwashing session in late 2020, several practitioners, including Mr. Sun Chengxian, Mr. Sun Defu, and Ms. Zhang Chunyan, were arrested on November 19, 2020.
Bai Yan, head of the 610 Office in Jilin City, has been central to the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in the region for many years. According to an insider, Bai once held a meeting with over 100 Falun Gong practitioners in the region and treated them to a meal. In the meeting, Bai said that some of the practitioners didn’t “behave well” during their probation and some of their prison sentences were too light.
Authorities in Jilin have reportedly hosted three brainwashing sessions at the Jinqiao Hotel in Fengman District. More than 80 Falun Gong practitioners were detained there. Some elderly practitioners who had trouble walking were taken there by their children.
Wang Zhifei, a professor at Jilin City University, was taken to the brainwashing session.
The 610 Office agents closely observed each practitioner in the brainwashing session, looking for their weaknesses to pressure them. If the practitioners refused to write thought reports or renounce Falun Gong, the authorities would threaten to send them to jail. The authorities also hired a few people who practiced Falun Gong before but later gave it up to brainwash the practitioners.
The brainwashing session in Shulan City started on September 11, 2020. It was held at Xiyate Holiday Hotel and lasted for ten days. Wang Hanming, deputy secretary of the Shulan City PLAC; Li Guanghui, head of the 610 Office; as well as Zou Jun, Zhang Yaohui, and Li Dacheng, who work at a local prison, all took part in the brainwashing.
In early September 2020, Wang went to the Education Bureau and held a meeting with school principals to organize brainwashing sessions. The director of the Education Bureau reportedly pressured school principals and threatened to fire them if the teachers in their schools were found to practice Falun Gong.
On September 1, 2020, Yao Dawei, director of the Security Office of the Education Bureau, and the deputy director went to Tongxing Primary School and forced the teacher Ms. Yu Xiaojuan to sign a guarantee statement renouncing her faith. They went to Ms. Yu’s home on September 7 and ordered her to give up practicing Falun Gong again. The school leadership, including Bu Qingyan, Liu Yan, and Ren Enmao, found her husband Li Zhanhui on September 30 and asked him to persuade Ms. Yu to renounce Falun Gong.
Fearing that Ms. Yu would lose her job, Li beat Ms. Yu and pulled her hair. Her arms were bruised and her ears were ringing after he slapped her in the face. Li also tore up tens of her Falun Gong books. Ms. Yu has been forced to live away from home to escape persecution.
Similar to Ms. Yu’s situation, Ms. Yi Limei, another teacher, has also been forced to live away from home after she refused to attend the brainwashing session on September 13.
Mr. Xu Zhongyou and his wife Ms. Niu Yuanling were harassed on September 10, 2020. They were told to attend the brainwashing session the next day or they would be arrested.
Another brainwashing session was held on the third floor of the Huancheng Street Committee between November 11 and 15. Eight Falun Gong practitioners were detained there. They are Ms. Xu Shuye, Ms. Zhao Jinlan, Ms. Li Fengling, Ms. Li Fengjuan, Mr. Wang Zhigang, Ms. Zhang Guilan, Ms. Tian Xiuhua, and Ms. Sun Linghui.
Multiple practitioners in Kouqian Town, Yongji County were harassed over the phone and ordered to attend the brainwashing session.
Ms. Hao Shuping was harassed by the Communist Party secretary of Xixiangshui Village and 610 Office agent on July 10, 2020, and told to attend the session. When she refused, the officers said they would return a few days later.
In Huadian City, staff members of the Minghua Street Committee harassed Ms. Quan Jinzi, in her 80s, on August 20, 2020, and told to go her to the brainwashing center. When she refused, the police said they would conduct the session at her home. They also called her daughter a few more times and told her to take Ms. Quan to the brainwashing session.
Ms. Wang Yuhuan’s husband received a call from Li Zhe of the Huadian City 610 Office on November 19, 2020. Li told him to take his wife to the brainwashing session, threatening to expel their granddaughter from school if he did not. The authorities also ordered Ms. Wang’s husband to accompany her to the brainwashing session, which caused tremendous pressure for the family.
The authorities in Jiaohe City held its brainwashing session in the Xin District. A dozen local practitioners, including Ms. Zhang Yanzhu, Ms. Su Ronghua, Ms. Wang Yinglan, 80, and Duan, have been harassed several times. Some were taken to the brainwashing session.
The authorities in Panshi City held its brainwashing session in a welfare facility in Yantongshan Town. On December 1, 2020, two sisters, Ms. Jin Guoqin and Ms. Jin Guolan, were taken to the brainwashing session by officers of the Yantongshan Town Police Station.
The authorities in Changchun started to harass local Falun Gong practitioners on November 8, 2019. The residential committee staff members first made phone calls to the practitioners and told them to sign the guarantee statement. When the practitioners refused, the police called them and harassed them at home. Those who refused to sign the renunciation statements were taken to the brainwashing centers.
An officer surnamed Gao, 65, who has been involved in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners for more than 20 years, was assigned to be in charge of the local brainwashing centers.
The authorities claimed that most brainwashing sessions would last seven days and if the practitioners agreed to renounce Falun Gong at the end, they would receive a certificate and the authorities wouldn’t harass them again in the future.
A dozen practitioners in their 50s and 60s were reportedly held in the brainwashing center near Qingnian Road in Kuancheng District. The personnel who persecuted them are Zhu Jiahui, Gao Zhilu, and Ma Yuntao.
According to an insider, a secret detention center near the People’s Square was built underground. No family members were allowed to visit the practitioners. It is unclear how many Falun Gong practitioners were being illegally detained there.
Between July 6 to July 8, 2020, the Tiexi Street Committee in Luyuan District organized a three-day brainwashing session, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. each day. Ten Falun Gong practitioners were forced to attend. The authorities also assigned community workers and local court staff members to accompany them during the brainwashing sessions.
In early April 2020, the Hongqi Residential Community in Luyuan District called Falun Gong practitioners’ family members and told them to send the practitioners to brainwashing centers. They also ordered them to sign guarantee statements on behalf of practitioners.
The brainwashing center of Erdao District Brainwashing session is located in a conference room on the fourth floor of the Wantong Community building.
Since 2021, the authorities in Changchun have continued the “zero-out” harassment campaign and used big data to further refine the list of local Falun Gong practitioners for more comprehensive harassment.
The brainwashing session in Gongzhuling took place at the Nanshan Hotel in Shijiazi Town.
On November 23, 2020, Liu Yongjiang, the secretary of the Lingxi Village Brigade in Daling Town, went to Ms. He Guihua’s home and said they would take her to a brainwashing session for ten days.
This is the third time that she has been harassed since September. In the previous two incidents of harassment, the police Yao Chunhui promised Ms. He that if she signed a statement to renounce Falun Gong, they wouldn’t bother her anymore. When they came to target her again, her family realized that they had been deceived and didn’t let Ms. He go with the officers.
The authorities harassed Ms. He, Ms. Liu Chunjing and Ms. Han Hua again and attempted to take them to the brainwashing center on November 25, 2020. None of the practitioners or their family members complied.
A one-day brainwashing session for 12 or 13 practitioners was held in the meeting room on the third floor of Shengshizhixing Hotel on August 18, 2020. Two men, one surnamed Gao, were hired to brainwash the practitioners. They deceived the practitioners, claiming that if they renounced Falun Gong, the authorities wouldn’t harass them anymore and their IDs wouldn’t be flagged anymore.
At lunchtime, each practitioner was given two packages of tissues, ten paper cups, and a red shopping bag that all had propaganda demonizing Falun Gong printed on them.
Following this brainwashing session, other counties, including Tuqiao Town, Wukeshu Town, Chengfa Township, Xinli Township, and Fu’an Township, started to hold brainwashing sessions. Some police treated the practitioners to meals in attempts to brainwash them. Some threatened to suspend the practitioners’ low-income or agricultural subsidies.
In early December 2020, Ms. Lui Guixia was harassed by village security official Ma Fanghuo, and her husband’s cell phone was taken away. At the same time, Mr. Xu Qingwu was ordered to sign a guarantee statement. And Ms. Liu Guijie, of Erdaotun, Xinzhuang Township, was taken to the brainwashing center in Yushu City and detained there for one day.
In March 2021, the authorities of Dehui city set up a brainwashing session at Qianjia Hotel. At least two practitioners were told by the PLAC to attend it.
Ji Guobin, the director of public security in Shaoguo Town, Nongan County, went to Ms. Lu Xiaowei’s home on March 3, 2021, and tried to take her to the brainwashing center. Ms. Lu escaped the harassment as she was not at home at the time.
Between June and July 2020, the authorities in Yitong County held brainwashing sessions in the Yitong Party School. Practitioners who did not go were warned that their children’s jobs and education would be adversely affected.
In Dagushan Town, two elderly female Falun Gong practitioners were ordered to attend a brainwashing session. Due to their advanced age and physical disability, the authorities forced their children to attend the five-day session for them. Another practitioner was harassed and forced to press her fingerprints on a prepared renunciation statement even though she was seriously ill. Her children were under tremendous pressure due to the harassment.
Another two women who had stopped practicing Falun Gong for many years were also taken to the brainwashing center on July 13 and forced to go through the five-day session.
In December 2020, the authorities in Yitong County dispatched 16 police cars and more than 20 police officers to arrest Falun Gong practitioners in Majiatun. Practitioners who refused to renounce their faith were taken to the brainwashing session in the local Party school.
The authorities later moved the brainwashing session to Mingze Fengrun Hotel, which was owned by Wang Wei, deputy director of the Public Security Bureau of Yitong County.
The 610 Office of Lishu County has also established a new brainwashing session. Fourteen practitioners who were targeted in a group arrest in August 2019, including seven from an extended family, were taken to the brainwashing center and ordered to renounce their faith.
On September 16, 2020, four officials of Qianguo County went to the Baiyilaga Village and brought all practitioners on their blacklist to the brainwashing center, whether or not they were still practicing.
At the same time, officials in Hongguang Farm went door to door to the practitioners’ homes and collected their cellphone numbers and their willingness to attend the brainwashing session. The officials threatened that if the practitioners refused to go, both their jobs and those of their children and grandchildren would be affected.
In Qian’an County, the authorities began to make harassment calls to the practitioners in October 2020 and told them to go the residential committee to sign statements to renounce Falun Gong. Most of the practitioners didn’t comply.
Before a brainwashing session was held on December 15, 2020, the Qian’an County PLAC ordered all local police stations to call practitioners in their districts and order them to attend the session. If the practitioners refused to go, they would be arrested.
The authorities in Shoushan Town held a brainwashing session on September 17, 2020. Several practitioners received phone calls and were told to attend.
In Dongfeng County, the authorities allowed the practitioners who attended the brainwashing session on September 20 to go home and return the next day. Every practitioner who attended the session was promised a monetary reward between 50 and 180 yuan.
Dongfeng County was reportedly given a quota of five people for this round of persecution. As many practitioners work out of town, the village officials often harassed their families instead.
In Yulin Village, Nantunji Town, the following practitioners were confirmed to have been harassed and ordered to go to the brainwashing session: Ms. Dai Shuli, Ms. Ha Jingbo, Ms. Zhang Xiufen, Mr. Tian Gang, Ms. Wang Rongyuan, Mr. Liu Debao, Ms. Zhao Chunmei, Ms. Zhu Deyan, and Ms. Dong Yumei.
In Jiangyuan District, Ms. Li Xiuzhen, Ms. Qiao Renxi, Ms. Gao Xiuying, Mr. Wang Fachen, and Mr. Wang Xirao were arrested around January 8, 2021, and taken to the brainwashing session held in Heigou Detention Center. They were detained there for 5 to 15 days. This was the third brainwashing session in recent months. The authorities claimed that they would force all practitioners to renounce their faith in three years.
In Baishan City, Ms. Qu Yuemei, Ms. Fan Hua, Ms. Sun Zhenlan, Ms. Jia Xiufeng, Shao, and Jin were harassed and ordered to sign guarantee statements. If they refused, they would be taken to the brainwashing session or detention center.