Targeted in Group Arrest, Kind Man Sentenced to Four Years for His Faith

(Minghui.org) A Jiaozhou City, Shandong Province resident was sentenced to four years on October 25, 2022 for his faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Mr. Ji Jinmu was among the over 40 Falun Gong practitioners arrested on June 2, 2021. More than 200 police officers were dispatched for the group arrest. Mr. Ji was seized by the police in the afternoon, when he was in the hospital caring for his ailing father-in-law. The police took him back home after the arrest and then filled out the search warrant, even though they had raided his residence in the morning when no one was around. His Falun Gong books, computer, printer and other belongings were confiscated.

Mr. Ji was held at the Ducun Detention Center. After the Huangdao District Procuratorate indicted him on November 10, 2021, his wife hired a lawyer for him. She also applied to be his family defender. 

Although the judge agreed to have an in-person hearing of Mr. Ji’s case, he still scheduled a virtual session on September 23, 2022. 

Mr. Ji’s lawyer said that according to the police, his client’s arrest was ordered by the municipal public security bureau. The lawyer argued that there must be a legal basis for any arrest and that the security bureau had no authority to arbitrarily decide whom to arrest.

The judge sentenced Mr. Ji to four years with a 32,000-yuan fine on October 25. He has appealed the verdict. 

A Conscientious Worker and Filial Son-in-law

Mr. Ji’s family, including his parents and six siblings, struggled with poverty as he grew up. Unable to afford medical treatment, one of his sisters died of a disease. This deeply traumatized Mr. Ji and he worked very hard to earn a better income. Although he enjoyed a successful career, years of hard work took a toll on his health and he developed severe hemorrhoids. He had an anal fissure every time he had a bowel movement and the pain was severe. 

Several colleagues urged Mr. Ji to practice qigong. He rejected the idea at first, thinking that it was superstitious and something for uneducated retirees. But when his mother-in-law, a senior college professor, began to practice Falun Gong in 1996, he was amazed to see that her high blood pressure disappeared shortly after and that she even had a menstrual period again in her 60s. 

Impressed by Falun Gong’s healing power, Mr. Ji took up the practice himself and his hemorrhoids disappeared without any treatment. He also easily gave up his strong addiction to alcohol, attachment to money, as well as his hot temper. 

As Mr. Ji’s family enjoyed the harmony brought about by his practicing Falun Gong, the Chinese communist regime ordered the persecution in 1999. Mr. Ji was demoted from a managerial position to a regular worker because he refused to renounce Falun Gong. He didn’t complain but did his job well. He was later promoted as a team lead.

Later, the company moved Mr. Ji to another team. Initially, his manager gave him the hardest and filthiest job, with a low monthly pay of 600 yuan. He didn’t complain, because Falun Gong taught him to be kind and considerate. His manager was moved by his actions and stopped assigning him the hardest work three months later. His salary was also increased to over 1,000 yuan.

As his wife’s two siblings were working out of town, Mr. Ji and his wife took up the responsibility of caring for his father-in-law, especially when he was hospitalized. 

In early 2021, his father-in-law asked the couple to live with him after he was discharged from the hospital. Mr. Ji agreed. But before they moved in, he was arrested and later sentenced. His father-in-law was dealt a heavy blow and his symptoms relapsed. He remained bedridden and ate very little. He was emaciated and was issued a notice of critical condition several times. 

Perpetrators’ contact information:

Qin Hongsheng (秦红升), secretary, Jiaozhou City Political and Legal Affairs Committee: [phone], [phone]Li Chang (李昌), deputy mayor, Jiaozhou and also head of Jiaozhou Police Department: [phone]Xu Jinxin (徐进新), head, Jiaozhou City Domestic Security Office: [phone]Li Wei (李伟), deputy chief, Zhongyun Police Station: [phone], [phone]

(More perpetrators’ contact information is available in the original Chinese article.)

Related report:

Jiaozhou City, Shandong Province: 16 Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in One Day