(Minghui.org) Three women in Anshun City, Guizhou Province, were arrested for their faith in Falun Gong, and two still remain in custody.
Ms. Cheng Hua, 79, was arrested at home, after the police pried open her door. Ms. Yang Yuying, around 80, fainted during her arrest but was still taken to the local detention center. She was later released on bail. Ms. Lin Lanfen, 79, and Ms. Cheng are currently held at the same detention center’s in-house hospital.
It is unclear when exactly the three women were arrested. Ms. Lin and Ms. Cheng were both previously jailed for practicing Falun Gong.
Ms. Cheng, born in February 1947, took up Falun Gong in May 1997, and soon recovered from her rheumatoid arthritis and hyperthyroidism. After the persecution began in 1999, she held firm to her faith and was repeatedly arrested. She served a three-year prison term and saw her pension suspended. See the related reports for details of Ms. Cheng’s past persecution.
Ms. Lin, a retired factory worker, also credits Falun Gong for restoring her health. Like Ms. Cheng, she was repeatedly persecuted for her faith. She was arrested in 2011, after a village secretary reported her for distributing Falun Gong informational materials. She stood trial four months later, in handcuffs and shackles. No lawyer represented her and the prosecution witness was not called to the stand. One assistant judge was sympathetic and asked the presiding judge to give Ms. Lin a lighter sentence, but the latter still sentenced her to six years because she refused to renounce Falun Gong.
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