(Minghui.org) Authorities in Xinjiang Autonomous Region have been targeting residents and visitors alike for their faith in Falun Gong ever since the Chinese Communist Party began the persecution of the practice in July 1999. This report covers incidents that have taken place since 2021.
One Xinjiang Resident Died
Mr. Zhen Zuoyun of Fukang City, Xinjiang, died at 84 on April 29, 2024, six months after his home was raided. He was arrested numerous times over the past two plus decades.
After one such an arrest in late November 2016, Mr. Zhen was sentenced to two years with three years probation. The Fukang City Court had the police install surveillance cameras at his door and ordered him to wear electronic handcuffs. He was not allowed to leave home without permission. Every month he had to report to the judicial bureau to sign paperwork and be questioned, even when he was sick. An officer surnamed Zeng broke into his home many times to raid his residence. The confiscated items included a cell phone and Falun Gong books. The police also summoned him from time to time.
Mr. Zhen’s health declined due to such tremendous pressure, and he was hospitalized. As soon as he was discharged from the hospital in October 2023, the police raided his home. His condition worsened and he died on April 29, 2024.
One Xinjiang Resident Sentenced
Ms. Yan Xuehua of Urumqi City, Xinjiang, was arrested in mid-July 2023 and sentenced to six years in January 2024. She is serving time in the Xinjiang Women’s Prison (located in Urumqi). Prior to this, she was harassed and arrested multiple times.
Four Xinjiang Residents Arrested or Harassed
Secretary Peng Qing and director Gao Tianshui of the Zhonghe Community in the Midong District of Urumqi, along with officer Xu Xiaolei, pried open the door to Ms. Li Xiaoping’s home on January 7, 2023, when she was not in.
Ms. Li Heping, a retired official with the Fukang City Water Conservancy Bureau in Xinjiang, was summoned to the police station in 2023 because she sought the reinstatement of her pension. She was previously sentenced to three years in prison following an arrest on November 26, 2015.
Mr. Zhang Di, a native of Yingcheng City, Hubei Province, was arrested around April 2024 while doing odd jobs in Xinjiang. The Xinjiang police went to his hometown to raid his childhood home and confiscated a Falun Gong book. They also harassed an 80-year-old disabled relative of his and extorted 1,000 yuan from his family.
Ms. Xiao Yan, 60, of Urumqi, Xinjiang, was arrested in August 2024 after being reported for talking to a taxi driver about Falun Gong. She was admitted to the Urumqi Third Detention Center. Her latest arrest was preceded by a prior arrest in April 2018, also for talking to a taxi driver about Falun Gong. The Tianshan District Court heard her case on September 10 and again on November 12, 2018. It is not clear what the verdict was.
Out-of-towners Arrested While Visiting Xinjiang, One Sentenced
Mr. Chen Jiaqing, 68, of Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, was arrested on June 11, 2023, while staying at a hotel in Urumqi City after the police found Falun Gong information on his phone when they were randomly questioning visitors. He was later sentenced to one year in prison. Following his release in June 2024, the retired engineer’s pension was suspended.
Other cases of out-of-towners arrested while visiting Xinjiang include the following:
Ms. Li Juhua, 78, of Gejiu City, Yunnan Province, was arrested on April 8, 2021, as soon as she got off a train in Urumqi. Officer Chen Jiangfeng from the Railway Police Station confiscated her cell phone and three memory cards.
Mr. Zhang Hua of Dangshan City, Anhui Province, was arrested on May 19, 2021, while exiting a train station in Xinjiang. The police confiscated his Falun Gong materials and detained him for seven days.
Mr. Zhang Yongyou of Huixian City, Henan Province, was arrested at the Urumqi City Train Station at around 4 p.m. on September 2, 2022, after the police discovered Falun Gong books in his luggage. It’s not clear how long he was detained.
Ms. Zhu Xiuhua of Huixian City, Henan Province, was arrested on September 26, 2022, by her local police and officers from the Urumqi City Domestic Security Office.
Mr. Zhang Lijun of Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, was arrested at around 8 a.m. on September 12, 2023, while visiting Yining County, Xinjiang. He was released on December 19, 2023.
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