The fact that a Falun Gong practitioner is carrying or nursing a child does not prevent the authorities from detaining and torturing her. The authorities do not give any consideration to the baby's well being. Many pregnant practitioners have suffered extended periods of incarceration under unsanitary conditions, sustained severe beatings, even to their abdomen and breasts, and have been forced to do hard labor. Many nursing mothers are separated from their infants. When not separated, some babies are put in detention along with their mothers in the most horrific living conditions. Various types of breast complications com-pound the physical torture inflicted on these lactating mothers when the infant is not there to consume the produced milk. The psychological torture to a mother deprived of the right to care for her infant is even worse. And there is, of course, unfathomable, permanent damage to the infant who experiences separation from its mother or even imprisonment. This child abuse and woman abuse are an extreme form of depravity, clearly directed by the Chinese State.

1. Shu Ping, 26, resident of Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province

Ms. Shu Ping was detained at the Gaoyang La-bor Camp in Hebei Province because she refused to renounce Falun Gong. Although she was four months pregnant at the time, the prison guard shocked her with an electric baton on her feet and mouth and forced her to remain bent over with her arms stretched out straight from her sides. The guards tortured Ms. Shu for more than 20 hours, causing her to vomit and suffer severe pain in her lower back and abdominal area. When she protested, "How can you treat a pregnant woman like this?" one guard answered, "Who will prove that you are pregnant? When you die, we will simply cremate your body and all your family will see are your ashes."

2. Liu Yanhua, resident of Weifang City, Shandong Province

In October 2000, Ms. Liu Yanhua was arrested and detained at the Yingtaoyuan Police Station of Weifang City for appealing to the government to stop persecuting Falun Gong. She was pregnant at the time; nevertheless, the Vice Chief of the Yingtaoyuan Police Station, Qi Shuguang, used a wooden board to beat her hands and feet until they turned black and blue. Qi then stuffed lit cigarettes into Ms. Liu's nose. When Ms. Liu took the cigarettes out, he kicked her hard in her back, and then stuffed the cigarettes back into her nose again.

3. Liu Jiezhen, resident of Guiping City, Guangxi Province

In June 2000, Ms. Liu Jiezhen was arrested in Beijing for appealing to the government to stop the persecution of Falun Gong. She was escorted back to Guiping City, and was sentenced to forced labor. She was four months pregnant at the time, but the police said, "So what, just abort it."

4. Zhu Xia, resident of Chengdu City, Sichuan Province

Because of her practice of Falun Gong, and while pregnant, Ms. Zhu Xia was detained in the Xindu Detention Center in Xindu County of Sichuan Province in October 1999, and in December she was transferred to the Wenchuan Detention Center. She gave birth to her son in April 2000. The police threatened to send her infant to an orphanage if she refused to renounce Falun Gong. In May 2001, when her son was barely one year old, Ms. Zhu was arrested again. On August 15, 2001, she was sentenced to forced labor in Nanmusi Women's Labor Camp in Zizhong City, Sichuan Province. Her husband was already detained at a Mianyang City Labor Camp, leaving the child parentless.

5. Qiu Sihui, 30, resident of Anshan City, Liaoning Province

Ms. Qiu Sihui and her husband Mr. Liu Qiang were arrested by the police on October 23, 1999 in Beijing for appealing to the government to stop the persecution of Falun Gong. The police escorted them back to Anshan City where they were detained in the Anshan Third Detention Center.

Ms. Qiu was pregnant at the time, but was handcuffed and hung in the air by her hands. More than ten police officers beat her with plastic tubing and wooden rods. Some policemen heavily slapped and kicked her. When she was finally lowered down, one officer kicked her while dragging her across the floor.

Later, Ms. Qiu was transferred to the Anshan Women's Rehabilitation School. Even though she had very severe morning sickness and chronic fatigue, the police still forced her to do hard labor. An officer also threatened her with forced abortion if she refused to renounce Falun Gong. In the morning she was forced to go through boot camp style drills. The police also incited other inmates to tie up Ms. Qiu in extremely painful positions, slap her face, and stuff her mouth with dirty rags. The police only released Ms. Qiu when, exhausted from hard labor, she fainted and fell from a three-meter-high workstation.

In September 2000, three months after Ms. Qiu gave birth to a daughter, her husband was arrested again for distributing Falun Gong flyers. Ms. Qiu was then constantly under police harassment and intimidation. One day, policeman Zhao and the chief of the Jiefang Road Community Center came and took away her refrigerator. She was forced to move to her parents' home. Policeman Ni and the Chief of the Neighborhood Community Center then started to harass and intimidate her parents. To spare her family the relentless persecution, Ms. Qiu had no choice but to leave her daughter with her parents and wander around homeless.

6. Liu Xiaofen, Wuzhan Town, Zhaodong City, Heilongjiang Province

In January 2000, Ms. Liu Xiaofen was arrested by the police from the Wuzhan Town Police Station for practicing Falun Gong exercises outdoors. Despite the fact that she was 5 months pregnant and expecting twins, Ms. Liu was detained by the authorities for several months in the Wuzhan Town Police Station. During her detention, Director Hu Xianlong beat her, dragged her by the hair, and kicked her. The police extorted 5,000 Yuan from her and released her just before she gave birth. She had to give birth to the babies alone
because her family members had all been detained, tortured to death, or placed under surveillance for being Falun Gong practitioners. The following is a description of what happened to each of her family members.

In 1999, Ms. Liu's sister-in-law, Liu Xiaoling, 36, was detained in the Zhaodong City Detention Center. During her detention, she went on a hunger strike to protest the detention. On May 13, 2001, Ms. Liu Xiaoling died after an untrained policeman ineptly tried to force-feed her.

In 1999, Ms. Liu's mother-in-law, Ge Yahua, 60, was detained for over 50 days for appealing to the government to stop persecuting Falun Gong. In January 2000, Ms. Ge was arrested and detained for 5 months for practicing Falun Gong exercises. She was released after paying a large amount of money. At the end of 2000, Ms. Ge was arrested again and sent to a labor camp.

In January 2000, Ms. Liu's husband was detained for five months for practicing Falun Gong exercises outdoors. He was released after being fined a large amount of money.

7. Xiu Yihong, resident of Nanyao Village, Shihui-yao Town, Yantai City, Shandong Province

In January 2000, Ms. Xiu Yihong was arrested, along with eight other Falun Gong practitioners, by the Nanyao Village Communist Party Committee, for holding a Falun Gong group practice. Ms. Xiu was pregnant at the time. The authorities locked the practitioners in a classroom at the Nanyao Elementary School. They were not given any blankets, and had to sleep on the cold cement floor. The authorities often forced them to stand still for a whole night. Ms. Xiu was detained in these inhuman conditions for more than four months.

8. Yang Zhifang, 28, a teacher of the Anatomy and Physiology Department of the Weifang City Husbandry and Veterinarian School, Weifang City, Shandong Province

In October 1999, Ms. Yang Zhifang went to Beijing to appeal to the government to stop persecuting Falun Gong. She was arrested and escorted back to Weifang City Husbandry and Veterinarian School. She was three months pregnant at the time, but was still detained for two months by the authorities. The school fired her afterwards, and continued to send people to follow, harass and intimidate her. The school even ordered employees to take turns stalking her. In March 2000, the authorities threatened to send her to an anti-Falun Gong brainwashing class. To avoid the persecution, Ms. Yang was forced to leave home and wander the streets.

Ms. Yang's husband, Mr. Hua Yuliang, is also a Falun Gong practitioner. He was sentenced to three years of forced labor in the Changle Detention Center for appealing to the government to stop persecuting Falun Gong.

9. Ding Likun, 32, resident of Yanfeng District, Hengyang City, Hunan Province

Ms. Ding Likun was arrested by the Changsha Police Station in Changsha City and detained at the Hengnan County Detention Center when she was two months pregnant. During her detention, she was handcuffed and shackled for two months. She was detained until she was eight months pregnant.

10. Xue Weiwei, 31, Ph.D. candidate at the Research Center of Remote Sensing, Beijing University resident of Jinan City, Shandong Province

On April 13, 2000, Ms. Xue Weiwei and her husband were arrested for appealing to the government to stop persecuting Falun Gong. She was sent back to her hometown of Jinan City. She was pregnant, but was still detained for four months at the Jinan Detention Center. She was then dismissed from Beijing University for being a Falun Gong practitioner.

11. Sun Xuezhi, resident of Dalian City, Liaoning Province

In early 2000, Ms. Sun Xuezhi was detained at the Dalian Drug Rehabilitation Center for appealing to the government to stop persecuting Falun Gong. Although she was three months pregnant at the time, she was severely beaten by the guards. The police only released her when she developed severe abdominal pains and was in danger of having a miscarriage.