(Minghui.org) A young woman and her mother detained for their faith were set free after the local procuratorate twice returned their case to the police, citing insufficient evidence.
Ms. Jing Huan was arrested on June 1, 2016 while spreading information about Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime. Her mother, Ms. Zhou Xiaoli, and her uncle, Mr. Zhou Faming, both Falun Gong practitioners too, went to her residence to check on her but were seized by police officers who were ransacking the home.
Ms. Zhou and Ms. Jing were sent to Mianyang Detention Center the next day, while Mr. Zhou was transferred to Santai Detention Center. Ms. Jing’s husband had to quit his job to take care of their 1-year-old child.
Mr. Zhou, a high school teacher, was released on bail on July 6. Prior to his latest arrest, he was twice sentenced for his faith and served a cumulative 10 years in prison. His sister, Ms. Zhou, was once detained at a labor camp for one and half years.
Upon his release, Mr. Zhou worked with other local practitioners to seek the release of his sister and niece. They made phone calls and wrote to relevant agencies and reminded them that no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong.
Ms. Jing’s and Ms. Zhou’s husbands also went to the police station to call for the two women’s release. In the meantime, they hired a civil rights lawyer to defend the two women’s innocence.
The procuratorate returned the case to the police in late September upon hearing the defense lawyer’s argument. The police, though, resubmitted the case to the procuratorate two months later.
Mr. Zhou and local practitioners kept talking to officials at the procuratorate and urged them to release Ms. Zhou and Ms. Jing.
The procuratorate returned the case for a second time in January 2017. On February 25, the police withdrew the case and set Ms. Zhou and Ms. Jing free.
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