(Minghui.org) Five people from an extended family in Guangdong Province were arrested between April 7 and 9, 2021, for their faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
The oldest sister, Ms. Zeng Yuefang, 50, was the first to be arrested at her home in Xingning City on April 7. She credits Falun Gong for curing her blood disorder, only to be targeted for upholding her faith. She is currently held at the Xingning City Detention Center.
Ms. Zeng’s younger brother, Mr. Zeng Xingyang, 48, was seized at his store in Guangzhou City on the morning of April 9. The police broke into his home at around 1 p.m. and confiscated his cellphone, computer, Falun Gong books and photo of Falun Gong’s founder. His wife, Ms. Deng Fang, 44, who works at a training institute, Ms. Deng’s older sister, and Mr. Zeng’s younger sister, Ms. Zeng Yueling, were also arrested at around 4:30 p.m.
Mr. Zeng and Ms. Deng have been put under criminal detention and are currently held at the Tianhe District Detention Center in Guangzhou. The family hasn’t been notified of the status of the younger Ms. Zeng and Ms. Deng’s sister.
The practitioners’ arrests left their family in distress. Mr. Zeng’s mother, in her 70s, was devastated to hear of the arrests of her three children and daughter-in-law, right after she was discharged from the hospital from receiving treatment for a heart condition. Mr. Zeng’s younger son, 4, is also left without his parents’ care.
On April 16, the Zeng siblings’ parents went to the police station to inquire about their younger daughter’s whereabouts. But the mother suddenly felt weak and almost fainted before she arrived at the police station, so they returned home without talking to the police.
In the past 22 years, the Tianhe District Detention Center has actively participated in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. When college instructor Mr. Gao Xianmin was held there in late 2000, detention center director Zhu Wenyong ordered four inmates to step on his limbs, cover his nose with a wet towel, pry open his mouth with a toothbrush, and force-feed him a whole bag of salt with a small amount of water. Mr. Gao died from the force-feeding shortly thereafter.
In another torture session, shackled practitioners were chained to a fixed iron ring on the floor. Their hands were placed on the sides of their legs and cuffed under their legs. No matter how one positioned oneself, one had to lower the back at a sharp angle.
At the time of writing, there are at least ten practitioners held at the Tianhe District Detention Center, including Mr. Weng Qingzhong, Mr. Fang Weixiong, Ms. Ye Xiaobing, Ms. Sun Xiuli, Ms. Zhang Yongmei, Mr. Mai Kanglin, Mr. Tong Xuesheng, Ms. Zheng Yingzhu, Mr. Zeng Xingyang and Ms. Deng Fang.
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