(Minghui.org) Several practitioners in their 60s and 70s have been arrested recently by officers from the Xichang City Domestic Security Team in Sichuan Province.
On April 19, 2014, Mr. Yuan Daqun, in his 70s, and Mr. Wen Xuemei, 74, were talking to people about Falun Gong when Domestic Security Team officers arrested them and took them to Beicheng Police Station.
Officer Chen Lian and others from the Domestic Security Team interrogated them, confiscated their Falun Gong flyers and DVDs, and took 286 yuan with Falun Gong messages written on them from Mr. Wen and 20 yuan from Mr. Yuan.
Both practitioners went to the Domestic Security Team to claim their belongings. The police refused to return Mr. Wen's 286 yuan. Instead, the police gave them a list of the confiscated belongings and returned the money taken from Mr. Yuan.
On May 28, 2014, police officers went to the neighborhood where Ms. Xu Lianzhi lives. When they could not find her, they broke into Ms. Pu's home and confiscated her Falun Gong books and materials such as Minghui Weekly. They threatened her and ordered her not to practice Falun Gong anymore. Frightened and overwhelmed, Ms. Pu signed and fingerprinted a piece of paper without knowing what was on it.
On the morning of June 3, 2014, officers from the Domestic Security Team illegally arrested nine practitioners who were over 60 years old, including Zhang Jiacheng, Tao Shaoyu, Luo Hongmin, Wang Guilan, Lei Fengying, Yue, Fan, Yang Shihui, Yang, while they were reading Falun Dafa teachings together.
Officers interrogated them separately. They forcibly took their photographs, and kept pressuring them to tell who the confiscated Falun Gong flyers belonged to and how they were obtained.
Ms. Wang Guilan fainted while she was being interrogated. Due to her fragile condition, she was released.
The police took five of the detained practitioners including Zhang Jiacheng and Luo Hongmin to Tuohuang Detention Center. The practitioners told them that they were good people and should not be detained, and they refused to walk through the gate. In the hot, humid weather, some of the practitioners were obviously weak and about to faint. Afraid that they would be held responsible, the authorities released the all five.
Around 10 p.m. on June 3, 2014, the remaining practitioners were released.