(Minghui.org) Ms. Yang Xu, a Yibin City, Sichuan Province, resident in her 70s, has had her social security suspended since May 2022 for not renouncing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. She was recently harassed by the authorities again, who made another attempt to force her to renounce her faith.
Ms. Yang used to work at the state-owned Sanjiang Machinery Factory. She took up Falun Gong in 1996. For upholding her faith since the onset of the persecution, she has been incarcerated several times for a total of nine years and seven months.
On March 30, 2000, Ms. Yang was fired by her employer and her over 30 years of service were wiped out, making her unqualified for any retirement benefits. Her family contributed to her social security account so that she could receive the minimum income. But since May 2022, the local residential committee, despite having no authority to do so, has suspended her social security payments, leaving her destitute.
Yin Yuhui, a member of the 610 Office branch in the factory, ordered the police to harass Ms. Yang again on August 30, 2022, when she went to visit her father-in-law, who is in his 90s. Ms. Yang demanded that they show their IDs. One officer took out his ID, only to quickly put it back into his pocket and say he mistakenly took another person’s ID. They handed Ms. Yang two documents, a search warrant, and a detention notice. “If you don’t cooperate with us, we will arrest you and get you sentenced to prison. This won’t be the first time that you have been sentenced.”
Shortly after, five more people came, including police officers and residential committee staff members. They videotaped Ms. Yang and took photos of her. They ordered her to give them her new address (since she had moved recently) and her cellphone number. They warned her that she couldn’t practice Falun Gong anymore or contact other local practitioners. She was ordered to report to the residential committee every day as well. They attempted to force Ms. Yang to sign a statement to renounce Falun Gong, but she refused to comply.
Yin Yuhui (殷予辉), 610 Office agent: +86-13550708807Cai Mao (蔡茂), residential committee director: +86-17780800080Xiang Li (向莉), residential committee director: +86-18090976660Gong Jianquan (龚建权), 610 Office agent: +86-19981581683Li Fang (李舫), director of Cuiping District 610 Office