(Minghui.org) Today's news from China includes incidents of persecution that took place in 13 cities or counties in 5 provinces, where at least 17 practitioners were recently persecuted for their belief.

1. [Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province] Ms. Wu Yanhua Imprisoned, Pension Suspended
2. [Jixi City, Heilongjiang Province] Ms. Wang Yumei Sentenced
3. [Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province] Practitioner Cong Arrested
4. [Hulin City, Heilongjiang Province] Ms. Wang Qiang’s Appeal Rejected
5. [Jianping County, Liaoning Province] Mr. Wang Huaxue Harassed
6. [Huludao City, Liaoning Province] Mr. Fan Zhigang’s Sentence Affirmed
7. [Shenyang City, Liaoning Province] Ms. Liu Gongli’s Case Resubmitted
8. [Changchun City, Jilin Province] Ms. Yang Li Indicted, Ms. Zhao Shanying Imprisoned
9. [Shulan City, Jilin Province] Mr. Meng Xiangfu’s Pension Suspended
10. [Shanghai] Ms. Yang Manhua and Ms. Gu Jihong Summoned
11. [Shanghai] Ms. Xu Fengqing and Zhang Yi Harassed
12. [Shouguang City, Shandong Province] Mr. Xiao Zhenguo Harassed
13. [Gaomi City, Shandong Province] Ms. Wang Kexiu Arrested
14. [Maoming City, Guangdong Province] Mr. Wu Chaoqi Imprisoned

1. [Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province] Ms. Wu Yanhua Imprisoned, Pension Suspended

Ms. Wu Yanhua and her husband, Mr. Guan Xingtao, were arrested on November 9, 2018. She was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison and is imprisoned in the Heilongjiang Women’s Prison. Mr. Guan was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Clerks from her community's property management assisted police in arresting the couple. They also put a delinquent notice for the property management fee on their door while the couple was imprisoned and their salaries and supplemental pays were suspended. Ms. Wu’s pension has been suspended since January 2020.

2. [Jixi City, Heilongjiang Province] Ms. Wang Yumei Sentenced

Ms. Wang Yumei was sentenced to three years in prison by the Jidong Court. She has appealed.

3. [Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province] Practitioner Cong Arrested

Practitioner Cong (first name and gender unknown) was arrested at 2:30 p.m. on February 23, 2021. Cong was released after 8:00 p.m. since detention centers do not take new inmates because of the pandemic. Police ransacked Cong’s home and confiscated books, computers, and other belongings.

4. [Hulin City, Heilongjiang Province] Ms. Wang Qiang’s Appeal Rejected

Ms. Wang Qiang was notified to report to the Mishan Court by an officer from the Hulin Domestic Security Division on February 24, 2021, but was not told why. She and her husband went there the next day. Court staff and her first instance trial judge Cai Hongli said that they were announcing the appeal decision on behalf of the Jixi Intermediate Court. The appeal court affirmed the lower court's decision. Ms. Wang was sentenced to one year in prison.

Ms. Wang is imprisoned in the Jixi Detention Center, even though her physical exam showed she did not meet prison requirement.

5. [Jianping County, Liaoning Province] Mr. Wang Huaxue Harassed

Mr. Wang Huaxue was harassed at home on the morning of February 22, 2021. The harassers were Wang Xiangwen, deputy secretary of Taipingzhuang Township; Wang Xiaoxuan, officer from the Taipingzhuang Police Station; Wang Xiaoping, agent from the Taipingzhuang Township Comprehensive Office; and two others whose names were unknown. Wang Xiaoxuan tore down a couplet and a calligraphy decoration, and threw them on the ground. The harassers ordered Mr. Wang to sign a prepared “Transform Announcement” renouncing Falun Gong. He refused. His family refused to sign on his behalf. After an hour or so, the harassers left with the couplet and the calligraphy decoration. 

6. [Huludao City, Liaoning Province] Mr. Fan Zhigang’s Sentence Affirmed

Mr. Fan Zhigang was sentenced to two years in prison. The Huludao Intermediate Court affirmed the sentence on February 4, 2021.

7. [Shenyang City, Liaoning Province] Ms. Liu Gongli’s Case Resubmitted

Ms. Liu Gangli was arrested at home by four officers from the Qimalu Police Station, including officer Sun Hongliang, on December 8, 2020. She was imprisoned in the Shenyang City No. 1 Detention Center on December 9, 2020. The police station submitted her case to the Economic Development Zone Procuratorate on December 15, 2020. The procuratorate approved the arrest on December 22, 2020, and later returned the case to the Teixi District Domestic Security Division. The police resubmitted the case to the procuratorate on February 20, 2021.

8. [Changchun City, Jilin Province] Ms. Yang Li Indicted, Ms. Zhao Shanying Imprisoned

Ms. Yang Li was arrested and taken to the Changchun No. 4 Detention Center by officers from the Hongqi Street Police Station on December 16, 2020. She was indicted by the Chaoyang District Procuratorate. Her mother-in-law, Ms. Zhao Shanying, was arrested by officers from the Edao Police Department on November 26, 2020. Afterward, there was no news about her except that she was held in a “sick ward brigade.”

9. [Shulan City, Jilin Province] Mr. Meng Xiangfu’s Pension Suspended

Mr. Meng Xiangfu was sentenced and imprisoned between November 2007 and the first half year of 2013. The Labor Protection Office of the Jishu Mine suspended his salary during his imprisonment. After his family appealed, the bureau returned half of the money, and the remaining half was pocketed by the office leaders.

Mr. Meng learned his pension was suspended at the end of 2020. He was told that the salary he received during his imprisonment, over 70,000 yuan, would be deducted in full from his pension.

Mr. Meng and his wife, Ms. Chen Qinglan, are nearly 70. He was sentenced to five-and-a-half-years in prison. She was twice subjected to forced labor, held in brainwashing centers, detained, and repeatedly harassed. As a result of being persecuted, Mr. Meng speaks and walks slowly.

10. [Shanghai] Ms. Yang Manhua and Ms. Gu Jihong Summoned

Ms. Yang Manhua and Ms. Gu Jihong were summoned and taken away by officers from the Putuo Police Department at 7:30 a.m. on February 25, 2021.

11. [Shanghai] Ms. Xu Fengqing and Zhang Yi Harassed

On February 21, 2021 officer Dai from the Yanji Police Station went to eighty-five-year-old Ms. Xu Fengqing’s home and ordered her to stay home and not step out of her door.

Zhang Yi (gender unknown) was harassed at home by officer Huang Jun from the Ganquan Police Station and two clerks from the community committee around 10:00 a.m. on February 25, 2021. They demanded that Zhang give a blood sample. Zhang refused. They then threatened to taken Zhang away if Zhang did not cooperate.

12. [Shouguang City, Shandong Province] Mr. Xiao Zhenguo Harassed

Four officers raided Mr. Xiao Zhenguo’s supermarket around 3:00 p.m. on February 24, 2021. They ransacked both floors and seized two Falun Gong books. Two officers were from the Shouguang City Domestic Security Division. Yang Yigui was the leader of the raid. The other two officers were from the Shengcheng Police Station.

13. [Gaomi City, Shandong Province] Ms. Wang Kexiu Arrested

Ms. Wang Kexiu was arrested at home by officers from the Xiguan Police Station on the morning of July 23, 2020. The officers ransacked her home and seized a picture of the founder of Falun Gong, five Falun Gong books, a printout, a copy of Minghui Weekly, two cell phones, a record, two players, a cassette, two amulets, and several Falun Gong calendars. They took her to the police station, ordered her to sign and press her fingerprints on the list of seized property, and extorted 5,500 yuan cash from her family before they released her.

Ms. Wang was arrested at home again by officers from the Xiguan Police Station in the morning of December 18, 2020. The officers ransacked her place and seized seven amulets, cash notes with Falun Gong messages worth 6 yuan, and a Falun Gong book. She was held for three hours at the police station before they called her family to pick up her.

14. [Maoming City, Guangdong Province] Mr. Wu Chaoqi Imprisoned

Mr. Wu Chaoqi was imprisoned in the Sihui Prison in early April 2020.