(Minghui.org) Two sisters and their cousin were arrested between November and December 2018 for not renouncing their faith in Falun Gong. They remained in police custody during the Chinese New Year, leaving their families in deep agony.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

The three women are all residents of Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province. The local police threatened their families not to expose their detentions, so their loved ones have been hesitant in contacting other local practitioners or seeking justice for them.

Ms. Gao Fengyun, 65, was arrested on November 9, 2018. The police ransacked her home and confiscated her Falun Gong books, computer, printer, as well as 5,000 one-yuan banknotes with information about Falun Gong printed on them.

Due to the strict information censorship in China, many Falun Gong practitioners turn to grassroots methods to expose the brutal persecution against their faith, including printing messages on banknotes.

Ms. Gao is now facing indictment after her arrest was approved. Prior to her latest ordeal, she had served eight years in Harbin Women's Prison for practicing Falun Gong.

Ms. Gao's cousin, Ms. Gao Fenghui, 61, was arrested on December 11, 2018. The police also ransacked her home and confiscated her Falun Gong books and 3,000 one-yuan bills printed with Falun Gong-related information. Her 95-year-old father-in-law was terrified by the police raid. It was reported that Ms. Gao Fenghui had been monitored by a young woman for more than a month before being arrested.

Ms. Gao Fengyun's sister, Ms. Gao Fengqin, was arrested on December 25, 2018, for talking to a plainclothes officer on the street about Falun Gong. Her residence was also ransacked by the police.

All three women are currently being detained at the Harbin No. 2 Detention Center.