(Minghui.org) Eight Falun Gong practitioners in Jinan City, Shandong Province were arrested on July 16, 2019 for not renouncing their faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
While four of the practitioners have been released, three remain in custody at the time of writing. The case status of the eighth practitioner remains to be investigated.
Mr. Qi Yingjun and his wife, Ms. Chen Lianmei, were arrested at home at around 8 a.m. on July 16. According to the couple's neighbor, plainclothes officers appeared around their apartment building from very early in the morning. The officers ransacked the couple's home, their shoe and hat store, as well as their warehouse. All of their Falun Gong books and related materials were confiscated.
Mr. Yin Feng, Mr. Cheng Xijiang, Ms. Yin Xiaoxing, Ms. Wei Cuiqin, Mr. Liu Xixiu and another elderly practitioner surnamed Wu who happened to be visiting Mr. Cheng were also arrested on the morning of July 16. The police ransacked their homes and confiscated their Falun Gong books and related materials.
Mr. Yin's latest arrest was preceded by an earlier arrest on September 14, 2018 for seeking the release of his mother, who was arrested the day before for distributing Falun Gong informational materials. While the police released his mother, Mr. Yin himself was sent to the local detention center. His sister requested bail for him, and he signed a statement renouncing Falun Gong before being released. His family suspected that the police had been monitoring him in the past few months, as most of the practitioners arrested on July 16 had frequent contact with him.
Mr. Yin, Ms. Yin, and Ms. Wei were released on the afternoon of July 16. Mr. Liu was later released on bail. Mr. Cheng, Mr. Qi and Ms. Chen are currently held at Railroad Detention Center in Jinan. The status and full name of Wu remain to be investigated.
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