On November 8, Chinese police formally arrested 111...

On November 8, Chinese police formally arrested 111 members of the outlawed Falun Gong spiritual movement on charges ranging from obstruction of the law to stealing state secrets, said Li Bing, deputy head of the information office of the State Council, or cabinet. Those arrested since the movement was outlawed in July did not include others held under various forms of detention, including labor camps, or undergoing anti-cult education. Li Chang, a former deputy director of the Ministry of Public Security, is among 4 leaders who have been arrested in Beijing. They have not yet been charged. A Hong Kong-based human rights group said last week that at least 6 Falun Gong members had died in police custody since August, one from a hunger strike, one who was beaten to death and 4 who committed suicide. Li Bing denied reports that some Falun Gong adherents were beaten and had died at the hands of police. Li, reading from police reports, gave the names of 3 women members who had died since their apprehension for Falun Gong activities. Zhao Jinghua and Li Ruihua had previous heart conditions and died of heart failure, he said. Zhao, of Shandong province, collapsed during questioning and died in the lavatory. Li, of Chongqing, had been taken sick and died in hospital, he said. Chen Ying, an 18-year-old high school student, died after jumping from a train while being sent back to her hometown in Heilongjiang Province in the company of local officials, Li said. The Hong Kong-based Information Center of Human Rights & Democratic Movement in China said Zhang Ji, a 20-year-old student at Qiqihar University in Heilongjiang, was charged for "using the Internet to spread subversive information." The group said Zhang sent information through cyberspace to the United States and Canada in August on what was happening to Falun Gong in his province.