(Minghui.org) Eleven residents in Linghai City were arrested for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime.
Authorities in Jizhou City, which oversees Linghai City, were behind the arrests that took place between March 24 and April 19, 2017. Li Meishan and Zhang Yue led officers to raid the practitioners’ homes. Value of items confiscated totaled around 300,000 yuan.
The affected families were ordered to pay an exorbitant amount of money, ranging from several thousand, to tens of thousands of yuan, when they requested their loved ones’ release. Ten of the practitioners paid a total of 500,000 yuan and were later released.
Ms. Wang Yuehong, whose family couldn’t afford the extortion, remains at Jinzhou City Detention Center. When her husband called to inquire about her case, an officer responded, “Haven’t you hired a lawyer for her? See you in court!”
Details of the Arrest
Ms. Jia Yongmei was released hours after her arrest on March 24, but not before her family was forced to pay 70,000 yuan.
Ms. Liu Jian was arrested at work on April 13 and had her home raided soon afterwards.
More than two dozen agents followed Ms. Dai Yunqin as she went to visit another practitioner Ms. Wang Yuhong on April 14. The police turned Ms. Wang’s house upside down and confiscated her desktop computer, laptop, two cell phones, three color laser printers, one ink printer, CD burner, copy paper, and Falun Gong books.
Ms. Dai’s house was ransacked hours later, and the police took away more than 1,000 yuan in cash and other valuables.
Ms. Fu Guoyan, Ms. Li Dongmei, Ms. Liu Xuemin, Ms. Zhang Guoyun, Ms. Li Xiuyun, and Ms. Zhang Guijie were arrested on April 17.
Ms. Zhao Yue was arrested outside her apartment building on April 19, as she was returning home from work.
The practitioners’ families were instructed to pay a certain sum to police in order to secure their release. Ms. Wang and her husband have been laid off for years, and the latter does odd jobs to support their family. With a 16-year-old daughter in high school and a mortgage to cover, Ms. Wang’s husband didn’t have the means to pay what the police demanded.
The police submitted Ms. Wang’s case to the local procuratorate on the tenth day of her arrest. As she awaits likely indictment, her family is extremely concerned about her well-being.
