(Minghui.org) An artist from Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, was arrested three times in 2017 and 2018 for her faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual and meditation practice that has been persecuted by the communist regime since 1999.
The police confiscated valuable items from her home and forced her to move to a new place. She was tortured and had her blood forcibly drawn at the detention center following her third arrest. She is now facing further prosecution for not giving up her faith.
Ms. Yi Wenjun, 51, and her husband Mr. Ding Zhongbin, 54, were arrested on October 17, 2017 during the nationwide “Knocking on Doors” campaign against Falun Gong practitioners.
After being held at Chengdu City Detention Center for 37 days, the couple were released on November 24 and put under house arrest for six months.
Upon returning home, they found that the police had turned off their electricity and that many of their valuable belongings had been confiscated.
Meanwhile, their landlord was pressured by the police to terminate their lease. The couple had to find another place to live.
Ms. Yi was arrested again on November 30, 2017 and detained for another ten days when she demanded the return of confiscated items.
Shortly after she and her husband moved to a new apartment, the police arrested them again on February 12, 2018. They were interrogated overnight before being taken to Chengdu City Detention Center. Their two new computers, several cellphones, Falun Gong books, as well as some of their valuable paintings, thousands of yuan in cash and credit cards, were all confiscated.
This time, Mr. Ding was released after 37 days of detention, but Ms. Yi was still detained.
Qingyang District Procuratorate indicted her and forwarded her case to Qingyang District Court on October 29, 2018.
At the detention center, a doctor forcibly took blood from her, raising concern that it was related to the communist regime’s harvesting of organs from Falun Gong practitioners.
In addition, the detention center guards beat her and didn't allow her to use soap, toothpaste, or even toilet paper because she refused to wear the inmate uniform.
The guards withheld the clothes her husband sent her in August and November 2018. Only when Mr. Ding sent the clothes to her for the third time on December 4, 2018 did the guards give them to Ms. Yi.
Chengdu Artist and Husband Arrested Again for Their Belief