(Minghui.org) Since 2019, the police in Henan Province began to travel to other provinces and arrest Falun Gong practitioners for spreading information about the persecution of their faith online, which has lasted 22 years under the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Among the seven practitioners, including five Chongqing residents, whose arrests have been confirmed, two are now awaiting verdicts after a court hearing in January 2021, four are facing prosecution, and one practitioner’s case status remains to be investigated.
First Arrest, Whereabouts Unknown
Ms. Yu Xiurong of Chongqing was the first one targeted in the series of arrests by the internet police in Henan Province.
On December 31, 2019, officers Zhang Gongyong and Yao Ke traveled 700 miles from Shangshui County, Zhoukou City, Henan Province to Chongqing and arrested Ms. Yu. After showing a blank search warrant, they ransacked her home.
It’s reported that the police found Ms. Yu published information about Falun Gong on Sina Weibo, a popular Chinese microblogging website. A few more practitioners whom the police suspected of raising awareness of Falun Gong online or exposing the persecution on Minghui.org were also arrested.
It’s not clear where Ms. Yu is being held right now. It’s reported that she may have been sentenced. But further information about her case remains to be confirmed.
Two More Arrests Followed by Court Trial
Another group of police went to Chongqing on July 1, 2020, and arrested Ms. Han Weifang. They ransacked Ms. Han’s home and confiscated her computer and some memory cards.
Ms. Wang Daiqing, a native of Suining City, Sichuan Province who was staying at her daughter’s home in Chongqing, was also arrested on July 1. The police searched her daughter’s home and confiscated their Falun Gong books, a dozen cellphones, two laptops, a printer, and a few flash drives. Ms. Wang’s daughter demanded that the police show their IDs. One officer took out a piece of paper, shook it in front of them while covering some information with his hand, and then quickly put it away.
Both Ms. Han, in her 70s, and Ms. Wang were taken to Henan on the next day and held at the Zhoukou City Detention Center. When their lawyers submitted their legal opinions and demanded the practitioners’ release, the police intimidated them and said they suspected the lawyers to be friends of Falun Gong.
The police later submitted the two practitioners’ cases to Shangshui County Procuratorate, which indicted them with the charge of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” and moved their cases to the Chuanhui District Procuratorate in Zhoukou.
Both practitioners were tried by the Chuanhui District Court on January 14, 2021, and are now awaiting verdicts.
More Arrests in Other Provinces
Between October and December 2020, Henan police arrested four more Falun Gong practitioners, with two in Chongqing, one in Shandong Province and another one in Hebei Province.
Ms. Yuan Rong, of Chongqing, was arrested by both Shangshui County Police and Chongqing Police on October 24, 2020. She is now detained in Zhoukou City.
On the next day, Ms. Yu Hong, 65, was arrested at her home in Chongqing. A dozen officers spent four hours ransacking her home, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Her computer and memory cards were confiscated. She is now held at Chongqing City Detention Center.
Mr. Wu Jiajian, of Laixi City, Shandong Province, was arrested at around 6 p.m. on November 7, 2020, by officers from Luoyang City, Henan Province. The police didn’t allow him to change out of his pajamas or put on his socks before taking him away. He is now held at the Luoyang Detention Center. His family said the police had submitted his case to the procuratorate.
Mr. Sun Wanshuai, in his 50s, is an art teacher in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province. He was arrested on December 3, 2020, also by officers from Luoyang City, Henan Province. His computer and cellphone were confiscated. It’s reported that he was arrested for sharing information considered sensitive by the Chinese Communist Party to his friends on WeChat. He is now held at a detention facility in Luoyang.
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