(Minghui.org) Four Falun Gong practitioners were arrested by officers from the Ruihe Police Station in Guiyang on September 23, 2013, because they submitted legal documents on behalf of practitioner Ms. Li Xia.
One of the four, 76-year-old Ms. Zhou, was released the same night. A practitioner surnamed Li, about 40 years old, went missing. Ms. Zeng was detained at a local police station. The local committee intended to send her to a brainwashing center. Another Ms. Zhou, in her 60s, was arrested and taken to a hotel, from which she later escaped.
Ms. Li Xia is a Falun Gong practitioner from Guiding County in Guizhou Province. She was arrested for her belief in Falun Gong on March 14, 2013, by officers from the Guiding County Domestic Security Group and Changjiang Road Police Station. Guiding County brought charges against her and put her on trial in Guiding County Court on August 13. She hired lawyers from Beijing to defend her. The judge eventually adjourned the trial.
On behalf of Ms. Li Xia and her family, the four practitioners visited the Guiyang Procuratorate at 10:00 a.m. on September 23, 2013, to deliver Ms. Li's indictment and documents from her lawyers. Personnel at the petition office of the Procuratorate told the practitioners to go to the petition office at the police department. They went to the police department, where they registered and explained their intention to the petition office staff. Their documents were accepted.
Following proper legal procedures, the practitioners went to Changjiang Road Police Station, the agency that made the arrest, to deliver Ms. Li Xia's letter of complaint, indictment, and lawyer's defense. Changjian Road Police Station was just being redistricted and its name had changed to Ruihe Police Station. The police there denied having anything to do with Ms. Li Xia's case. The practitioners were then detained.
Mr. Li Xia's husband, Mr. Xu Xinshan, went to the Ruihe Police Station to demand the release of the four practitioners. Mr. Xu explained that they were his relatives and friends, who were willing to help deliver legal documents because he was very busy with work. Mr. Xu stayed from 7:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m., but the station refused to release the four practitioners. Mr. Xu was very persistent. The police threatened him and said, “You will be arrested, too, if you don't stop talking.” The station chief said eventually, “You may send the file, but you have to deliver it yourself. Don't ask friends and relatives to deliver it for you.” Mr. Xu was sent home.
Shortly after Mr. Xu got home, a group of police officers, including SWAT personnel, arrived and wanted to search his home. The officers were from the police department, the Domestic Security Division, and the local police station. Mr. Xu argued that, without any evidence or legal procedures, they were not allowed to touch anything in his home. The officers claimed a thorough investigation was needed before they released Ms. Li Xia.
Upon learning of her mother's arrest, Ms. Zeng's daughter went to the police station on September 24, demanding the release of her mother. She said, “My mother broke no laws, and she did nothing wrong. How can you arrest her?”
The police station refused to release Ms. Zeng. She was put into a police van and taken to a brainwashing center. Ms. Zeng's daughter also got in the van but was pushed out of the vehicle midway. The brainwashing center did not admit Ms. Zeng, and she was later sent to Youzha Street Police Station.
Ms. Zeng's daughter visited Youzha Street Police Station, where she was told Ms. Zeng would be released the next day. Ms. Zeng's daughter went to bring her mother home the next morning, only to find that the local government agencies had decided to send Ms. Zeng to a brainwashing center for a month.
The arrested practitioners' families are calling for the attention of people from overseas to assist in releasing their loved ones.
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