(Minghui.org) Ms. Zhang Guangjie’s mother has been living with her in the past few years. The ailing woman in her 80s was dealt a heavy blow on September 9, 2022, when her daughter was arrested for her faith in Falun Gong, just one day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional holiday for family reunions.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Zhang, a Jingmen City, Hubei Province resident in her 50s, was deceived by the police into opening the door on the early in the morning of September 9. The officers from Baimiao Police Station rushed in and raided her home without showing their identifications or any legal documents. Suspecting that she had distributed informational materials about Falun Gong, they forcibly took her to the police station for an interrogation. The police returned in the afternoon and ransacked her home again. She was released in the evening to take care of her mother.

In addition to Ms. Zhang, four more practitioners in Hubei and two other provinces have also been arrested or harassed prior to the holiday. 

In Gu’an County, Hebei Province, Mr. Jin Tongyin was arrested on September 5 and has been held at the Gu’an County Detention Center since.

Also on September 5, a dozen plainclothes officers in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province arrived at Ms. Huang Huaichen’s home. They tricked her into opening the door, claiming to be there to check her COVID-19 test results. Upon breaking in, two female officers grabbed Ms. Huang by the shoulders and forced her to sit down. They claimed to be from Qionglai City Police Department and started to search every room in her home. Her computer, 700 yuan in cash, and many Falun Gong books and materials were confiscated.

The police took Ms. Huang to Qionglai City Police Department around 4:00 p.m. for interrogation. They forced her to provide personal information and sign the paperwork. They drew her blood and took her photo. She was released on bail around midnight.

Another practitioner in Chengdu, Ms. Liu Surong, was also arrested and taken to Qionglai City Police Department around the same time as Ms. Huang. She was released that evening as well.

Ms. Jiang Hongyan, of Suizhou City, Hubei Province, received a call from local police officer surnamed Xu on September 7, who asked for a visit to her home. Xu had called about ten days earlier making the same request. Ms. Jiang refused to let him come but said she would go to the police station in the afternoon.

Ms. Jiang went to the police station and spoke with Xu. She emphasized that no law has ever criminalized Falun Gong in China and that she didn’t do anything wrong in practicing her faith.

Another officer who was listening to their conversation warned Ms. Jiang that their coworkers from the Domestic Security Division would treat her seriously if she talked like this in front of them, hinting they might seek her out in the future.

Ms. Jiang returned home after her conversation with Xu.