(Minghui.org) Ms. Wang Shuqiu was home with nine guests on October 25 when about eight officers knocked on the door. They claimed to be people from the local street committee who came to register her granddaughter as a new member of the family.
The Jilin City, Jilin Province resident refused to open the door, as she and her guests were reading a book of Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline persecuted by China’s communist regime.
The police then called Ms. Wang’s son, demanding that he return home to open the door. He refused to comply.
Ms. Wang and her friends finished reading about half an hour later. As she walked them out, the waiting police seized them and took them into custody.
Ms. Wang is currently being held at Jilin City Detention Center, but the whereabouts of the other nine remains unknown.
Harassed for Years for Practicing Falun Gong
This is not the first time Ms. Wang has been targeted for her faith. The 65-year-woman credited Falun Gong for returning her to health, so she never shied away from telling people that the persecution is wrong. The police targeted her in response.
She was first arrested in November 2008 while distributing Falun Gong informational materials on the street. Officer Due Xingze slapped her in the face when she refused to disclose her name and address. He kept her restrained in a chair for a whole night before sending her to a local detention center the next day.
Ms. Wang and other detained practitioners were monitored around the clock.
About 20 days into her detention, Ms. Wang was given one year of forced labor and transferred to Heizuizi Labor Camp. A guard surnamed Xu told the police, “I say you should arrest more Falun Gong [practitioners]. Don’t waste your time on thieves, as they are forced to steal since they have trouble making a living.”
Ms. Wang refused to give up her belief and was subjected to various forms of abuse. She was forced to stand still for long periods of time. The guards also shocked her with electric batons.
Ms. Wang was again arrested on April 23, 2014, this time outside the Jilin Prison, where she was to pick up a local practitioner who had just finished her prison sentence. Ms. Wang wasn’t released until 10 days later.
