(Minghui.org) An elderly woman was arrested and detained recently for her belief in Falun Gong, a spiritual practice being persecuted by the communist regime in China. The arrest left her 71-year-old paralyzed husband on his own. A few months prior to her arrest, her oldest son was imprisoned, also for resisting the persecution. The family is now in a dire situation.
Recent Arrest
Almost twenty police officers climbed over a fence and broke into Ms. Wang Lianshuang's home in Yangzhuang Town, Sanhe City at around midnight on August 22, 2016. Without identifying themselves, they ransacked the house and confiscated Ms. Wang's personal belongings, including her Falun Gong literature and cash. Officers did not inventory the confiscated items or give the family a list of what was taken.
When Ms. Wang's second son and daughter-in-law came over and tried to intervene, the police threatened to arrest them, too. The stand-off lasted about two hours. Eventually, the police dragged Ms. Wang into a police vehicle and drove away.
Ms. Wang, 65, was interrogated overnight and went without food the next day. Two weeks later, her arrest—for the possession of Falun Gong literature, which is within her constitutional rights since no law in China deems the practice illegal—was officially approved.
Prior Incidents of Persecution
Ms. Wang used to have arthritis and severe lower body pain. She relied on painkillers so that she could work on her farm. After her oldest son introduced her to Falun Gong in 1997, she recovered from her health problems and has since stayed healthy and active.
On her way home from the fields one day, a village official stopped her and called the police to arrest her. She was put in a detention center for fifteen days before being confined in a cage in a police station for a month.
The police arrested Ms. Wang in February 2001 for distributing Falun Gong literature. They handcuffed her to a railing and had her stand, facing a wall, for hours. To protest, she went on a hunger strike. She was released, only to be arrested again two days later and confined in a cage for months. She was then sent to Kaiping Forced Labor Camp for a year.
Battered by Oldest Son's Imprisonment
Ms. Wang's oldest son, Mr. Wang Zhanqing, used to be a middle school teacher. He lost his job and his wife divorced him because of the persecution. The authorities arrested him in April 2014 and tried him three times between June and August of 2015. He was sentenced to six years in prison in November and incarcerated in May 2016.
When Ms. Wang called to confirm where her son was being held, the director of Sanhe Detention Center told her to go to Chengde City. The elderly couple traveled about 100 miles to Chengde, only to be told that their son wasn't there.
They called the director again and were told that their son was 200 miles away in Tangshan City. When they finally got to Jidong Prison in Tangshan, the authorities refused to let them see him.
Family Difficulties
Ms. Wang's second son and his wife both work low-paying jobs. Ms. Wang used to care for their two children while the parents worked. Now, with the oldest son imprisoned and Ms. Wang detained, her second son and daughter-in-law have to take care of their children and their children’s paralyzed grandfather.
Related Reports:
Elderly Couple Not Allowed to Visit Their Son in Jidong PrisonHebei Province: Four Locals File Complaints Against 610 Office Head and Court OfficialsLawyer Tossed into Street for Protesting Court Violations in Joint Trial of Falun Gong Practitioners
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