(Minghui.org) A 70-year-old resident of Yinchuan City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region was denied bail on March 25, 2024 following her arrest one month prior for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999. Her son, who served as her non-lawyer defender, was also not allowed to review her case file.
Ms. Xin Linyuan was arrested on February 21, 2024, by Liu Pengfei and two other officers from the Dawukou District Domestic Security Office in Shizuishan City, which is also in Ningxia and borders Yinchuan City. They took her to the Shizuishan City Detention Center, where she remains.
Ms. Xin’s 77-year-old husband, Mr. Chen Jianguo, and their son visited the Dawukou District Procuratorate on March 25, 2024, and submitted their requests to have her released on bail and to review her case file.
Prosecutors Zhang Zhaowa and Lei Ying (+86-952-2021817) denied the requests on the spot. Mr. Chen, who had an oxygen tank and a heart monitor hanging from his neck, became so emotional that he gasped for air and needed to get oxygen. Both he and his son demanded to know what legal basis the prosecutors had to reject their requests, but they received no answers.
After the father and son left the procuratorate, Zhang called the younger Mr. Chen and asked him to come back at 3:00 p.m. that afternoon. He did and Zhang said that they planned to depose his mother at the detention center and order her to admit guilt. He replied that he didn’t believe she would admit to a crime she didn’t commit, because no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong.
Ms. Xin’s husband and son planned to submit their written requests to review her case file to relevant government agencies in hopes of getting them approved.
Prior to the trip to the procuratorate, the older Mr. Chen received a visit from Xu Yifan, the local community office head in Yinchuan City. Xu said he was doing a welfare check and asked Mr. Chen to not hesitate to speak up if he needed any help. Besides Xu, a few other government officials also either personally visited Mr. Chen or sent representatives to check in on him, after receiving his letters appealing for his wife’s release. Despite the Yinchuan officials’ sympathy for the family, the Shizuishan authorities are still pursuing her prosecution for her faith in Falun Gong.
Details of Latest Arrest
The latest arrest of Ms. Xin, a former accountant at the Ningguang Electrical Co., Ltd., was triggered by her prior arrest on May 15, 2022. Officer Liu from the Dawukou District Domestic Security Office led several agents and raided her home that day. They filled out the search warrant on the spot. About one hour later, two officers, including Wang Man from the Yinchuan City Domestic Security Office, also came to raid Ms. Xin’s home. Neither group of officers had her or her family sign the list of confiscated items as required by law. She was also not given a copy of the list.
The police took Ms. Xin to the Shizuishan City Police Station, but soon released her on bail because the local detention center declined to admit her due to a local outbreak of COVID-19.
The Dawukou District Domestic Security Office called Ms. Xin’s husband on June 13, 2022, and ordered him and his wife to report to them. The couple’s car was hit and totaled while they were en-route to the Domestic Security Office the next day. They notified the Domestic Security Office and were told to take care of the accident first and report to the police in a few days.
While the couple was still reeling from their car accident, the Dawukou District Domestic Security Office threatened to sentence Ms. Xin to 4-7 years for her faith in Falun Gong. In order to avoid being sentenced, she lived away from home for a period of time. The police tracked her down and arrested her on February 21, 2024.
Ms. Xin took up Falun Gong in 1996 and was repeatedly targeted for her faith after the persecution began in 1999. She was arrested and had her home raided multiple times prior to her latest ordeal.
Related Report:
70-Year-Old Ningxia Woman Detained Again for Practicing Falun Gong
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