A 15 May 2002 article in Clear Harmony, a publication of Falun Dafa in Europe, reported that an official document calling for an escalation in the "persecution" of Falun Dafa practitioners had been circulated to various middle level government officials in Shenyang city, Liaoning Province, in April 2002. The article stated that the "document called for a large-scale assault on practitioners, including a suggestion of using the death sentence" (ibid.).

A 20 March 2002 article in the People's Daily reported that a member of Falun Gong in Chaoyang County, Liaoning Province, had reportedly "confessed" to killing his wife and badly injuring his 14-year old daughter when he attacked them with a pickaxe on 3 February 2002. The article further reported that, following a month's "education" in a penitentiary, the practitioner had "realized that what he had done destroyed his family" and that, after 10 days in hospital, the daughter had "vowed never to practise Falun Gong again" (ibid.).

A 19 March 2002 article reported that four members of Falun Gong in Liaoning Province had been charged with "slander" (Chinadaily.com.cn). According to the article, on 22 February 2001, four Falun Gong practitioners broke into the morgue of the Donghuan Hospital in Dashiqiao City in order to photograph the body of a dead Falun Gong practitioner they claimed had been tortured to death by authorities (ibid.). The practitioners later distributed pamphlets containing the photographs of the dead woman (ibid.). Contrary to the claims of Falun Gong, police officials stated that the woman, named Li Yanhua, had died from natural causes while distributing Falun Gong leaflets and not as a result of police torture (ibid.). A 13 March 2001 article provides a detailed version of Falun Gong's accounting of the events surrounding Li Yanhua's death (Falun Dafa Clearwisdom). The article states that Li was arrested on 19 February 2001 for plans to distribute Falun Dafa flyers and that she had been tortured to death during police interrogation (ibid.).

A 28 September 2001 press release issued by the Falun Dafa Information Center reported that Yuan Zhongyu, a Falun Gong practitioner from Anshan City, Liaoning Province, had been tortured to death by police. According to the report, Yuan, who died "on or around August 16," had been detained by police for posting a detailed report of human rights abuses against Falun Gong practitioners in Anshan City on the Internet (ibid.). Reportedly, 29 Falun Gong practitioners, 26 of them in the first nine months of 2001, had died as a result of police torture in Liaoning (ibid.).

According to a 2 May 2001 article, two Falun Gong practitioners had been sentenced by the Intermediate People's Court of Fushun, Liaoning Province, for "sabotaging a railway line and other crimes" (People's Daily). In an attempt to gain the release of fellow practitioners, the two, one of whom was sentenced to life in prison and the other to 13 years in jail, reportedly placed roadblocks on the railway tracks on 19 and 23 January 2001, causing a delay in train traffic (ibid.). Purportedly, the two had also printed and distributed Falun Gong "leaflets" (Xinhua 29 Apr. 2001).

According to a 16 February 2001 article, Ansham city, Liaoning province, had organized a "massive sign-in" in order to "condemn the Falun Gong cult" (Xinhua). The article reported that the event had "attracted one million people, including Party officials, engineers, doctors, teachers and students." Reportedly, the "sign-in" was called "combating cult and safeguarding human rights," with one official stating that the Falun Gong suicides at Tiannamen had "fully exposed the cult's true nature of anti-mankind, anti-society and anti-science" (ibid.).

No reference could be found to the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners in Dalian city for the time period January 2001 to 2002 among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Chinadaily.com.cn. 19 March 2001. "Falun Gong Members Charged With Slander in Corpse Case." http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/news/2002-03-19/61535.html [Accessed 4 July 2002]

Clear Harmony. 15 May 2002. "Official Orders Permit Use of the Death Sentence: Shenyang City Government Escalates its Persecution of Dafa Practitioners." http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/4631.html [Accessed 4 July 2002]

Falun Dafa Clearwisdom. 20 March 2001. "Elderly Woman Beaten to Death by Police in Liaoning Province." http://www.clearwisdom.ca/eng/2001/Mar/20/EWA032001_5.html [Accessed 4 July 2002]

Falun Dafa Information Center. 28 September 2001. "Amidst National Day Preparations, Reports Surface of Two More Falun Gong Practitioners Tortured to Death." http://faluninfo.net/DisplayAnARticle.asp?ID=4926 [Accessed 4 July 2002]

People's Daily [Beijing]. 20 March 2002. "Falun Gong Practitioner Kills His Wife." http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200203/19/eng20020319_92394.shtml [Accessed 4 July 2002]

_____. 2 May 2001. "Life Behind Bars for Saboteurs." http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200105/02/eng20010502_69129.html [Accessed 5 July 2002]

Xinhua. 29 April 2001. "Falungong Supporters Receive Life Sentences for Attempting Train Derailment." (FBIS-CHI-2001-0429 29 Apr. 2001)

_____. 16 February 2001. "Liaoning Province Holds Massive Signature Drive Against Falungong." (FBIS-CHI-2001-0216 16 Feb. 2001)

Additional Sources Consulted

IRB databases

LEXIS/NEXIS

Internet sites including:

Amnesty International

BBC

CNN

China Internet Information Centre

European Country of Origin Information Network

Human Rights Watch

UN News

World News Connection

Search engines:

Google

Lycos