(Minghui.org) A 79-year-old woman in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, is facing indictment for her faith, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Lou A’mei was arrested near the China Construction Bank on Xiaonan Street, Shenhe District, at around 10 a.m. on July 17, 2026. Dong Tao and another officer took her to the Da’nan Police Station. Three other officers and two community workers raided her home that afternoon. They confiscated all her Falun Gong books and other personal valuables.
The police drove Ms. Lou to Xiaonan Street, where she was arrested. They attempted to take pictures of her near the China Construction Bank, but she refused to allow them to.
Ms. Lou was brought back to the police station. Wang Yingchi and another officer interrogated her at 4 p.m. They then put her in the Shenyang City First Detention Center.
Two people from the Dadong District Procuratorate deposed Ms. Lou at the detention center on July 28, 2026. They cursed at her when she demanded to know their names. She refused to answer their questions. They handed her a notice stating she had been issued a formal arrest warrant. She is now facing indictment.
Previously Jailed for Three Years, Pension Stopped 2017 – 2020
Ms. Lou was born with an incurable, chronic leg ailment that caused her to walk with a limp. Later, she developed necrosis of the femoral head, leaving her bedridden and unable to take care of herself. She lived in pain and with low self-esteem. After she took up Falun Gong, she regained mobility and got her life back.
She was arrested on November 3, 2015, and was later sentenced to three years in prison. See the related report for details.
While she was serving time at the Dabei Prison, the Shenyang City Social Security Bureau stopped her pension (2,166.23 yuan per month) in April 2017.
Ms. Lou was released in November 2018. She filed a lawsuit against the Shenyang City Social Security Bureau in 2019. The Heping District Court refused to accept the case, and she re-filed the lawsuit with the Shenyang Railway Transportation Court, which held a hearing in December 2021 and announced that the case was dismissed.
Ms. Lou filed an appeal with the Shenyang Railway Transportation Intermediate Court, which held a hearing on October 17, 2022. The presiding judge, three collegial panel members, and a clerk were present.
The director and vice director of the Shenyang City Social Security Bureau, along with their lawyers, attended the appeals hearing.
Ms. Lou represented herself. She started by saying that no law in China has criminalized Falun Gong. The judge stopped her and warned her to only talk about pension-related things. She then explained that the Shenyang City Social Security Bureau was only authorized to dispense retirement benefits and had no power to stop pension payments.
The defendants alleged that Ms. Lou was not entitled to any retirement benefits while serving time in prison. They did an audit in April 2017 and discovered she was still receiving her pension in jail. They thus stopped her pension that month but resumed it in April 2020. In total, her pension was stopped for three years, the same length as her prison term.
The judge asked what legal basis the defendants had. They cited two internal documents issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. Ms. Lou said that those were not enacted laws and could not be used to deprive her of retirement benefits. She demanded that the Social Security Bureau pay her back 77,984.20 yuan (2,166.23 yuan for 36 months).
The judge adjourned the hearing. He still has not issued a ruling as of this day.
Related Article in Chinese:
Related Report:
Woman, 70, Sentenced to 3 Years for Suing Former Chinese Dictator
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