(Minghui.org) Three practitioners had been illegally detained at a local detention center for one year and nine months. When we learned that the court agreed to release them at 9 a.m., several family members and practitioners stood on both sides of the detention center entrance. We sent righteous thoughts and waited for the practitioners to arrive.
When an officer asked one of the family members why so many people were there, the family member said, "We came to pick up our relative.” The officer then said that since there were too many people there, they would not release the practitioners. Some of the practitioners decided to stand by the entrance, while others scattered around the detention center.
Practitioner A was picked up by her family at 10 a.m.
Around 10:30 a.m., Practitioner B, who was from another town, arrived in a police car. The practitioners standing by the door asked that B be let out of the police car so she could ride home with one of them. The officer took pictures of the practitioners and threatened them. The practitioners were unfazed.
After a while, Practitioner B told everyone that she'd be fine and not to worry, so the other practitioners stepped away. Practitioner B safely returned home that afternoon, and everyone was deeply relieved by the news.
Practitioner C was picked up by family around 11:30 a.m.
These three practitioners operated an information material production site. When they were arrested in April 2012, the police confiscated a lot of materials, including currency with truth-clarification messages printed on them. Learning of the arrest, local practitioners got together to discuss a rescue plan. We also looked inward to identify our problems and the cause of this incident.
Some practitioners said they realized that they were too selfish and had depended on these practitioners for everything. Master asked us to set up material sites everywhere, but we had not shared the workload, and instead placed the work and responsibility on these practitioners alone. They were so busy, they had less time to study the Fa, and the old forces seized upon our loopholes. We found our own attachments and sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate them.
After deciding what to do, we divided up what needed to be done. One practitioner reported the illegal arrest on the Minghui website. Two of us contacted everyone to send forth righteous thoughts. Many practitioners in the city participated in sending forth righteous thoughts, no matter how busy they were, and they did not stop until the release. Two practitioners asked the arrested practitioners' families to formally request that the 610 Office and the Domestic Security release their loved ones. Several other practitioners notified practitioners in different Fa-study groups about the situation and to send righteous thoughts.
A few practitioners who did not directly participate in the coordination silently worked hard to rescue the practitioners. Everyone’s hearts were together and demonstrated, "The next person's things are your things, and your things are his things." ("Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference" in 2002)
We then hired a lawyer from Beijing. We also clarified the truth to local lawyers and asked them to explain the situation to the 610 Office and the Political and Legal Affairs Committee (PLAC).
One group of older practitioners also sent letters to the local 610 Office and the PLAC advising them not to do things against their conscience.
Some of us communicated with the detained practitioners and encouraged them to maintain righteous thoughts. The three practitioners maintained strong righteous thoughts, and in denying the persecution, did not sign any guarantee statements.
After detaining the practitioners for more than a year, the authorities scheduled a trial for December 2013. We coordinated with local practitioners and began sending forth righteous thoughts at home three days before the trial to eliminate the evil factors in other dimensions.
On the day of the trial, many practitioners sent forth strong righteous thoughts from around the courthouse beginning at 8 a.m. Practitioners B and C were tried in the morning, and Practitioner A was tried that afternoon.
Some practitioners saw a huge shining character for “Eliminate” over the courthouse. Outside the courthouse stood only a few uniformed officers and none in plainclothes. We felt that the atmosphere was no longer as oppressive. In addition, more than 20 practitioners entered the courtroom, and everyone sent forth righteous thoughts and listened to the lawyers’ statements.
The lawyers pointed out that it was unconstitutional to apply Article 300 of the Criminal Law to charge Falun Gong practitioners, and that it was illegal to detain them for as long as they had. They also noted that conducting searches without a warrant is illegal, that misappropriation of private property is illegal, and that the practitioners had not violated any laws in printing Falun Gong books and materials. The prosecutor had no rebuttal.
Throughout the morning and afternoon, overseas practitioners called the court to demand the practitioners' release. When the staff could not handle the number of calls, they unplugged the phone lines.
After the trial, the court did not announce the release right away. So, practitioners continued to mobilize families to visit the 610 Office and the PLAC to urge the release of their family members. After 13 days, the court finally agreed to release them.
All three practitioners returned home, and many of the police officers chose a good future for themselves. In past cases, when the police found so many Falun Gong materials, the practitioners would have been sentenced to at least 8 or 10 years.
Master said:
“When disciples have ample righteous thoughtsMaster has the power to turn back the tide”(“The Master-Disciple Bond" in Hong Yin Vol. II)
The entire rescue process went according to the Master’s arrangement, and only Master had the final say.
All the practitioners were encouraged by what happened. It clearly validated what Master said: "The evil is finished and the environment has changed, so it is even more imperative that you not let up in cultivation." (“Greetings” in The Essentials for Further Advancement Vol. III)