Arrested in a Police Sweep, Shoe Shop Owner Faces Prosecution for His Faith

(Minghui.org) A married couple who run a popular shoe shop in Dehui City, Jilin Province were arrested on February 25, 2023 for their faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

The police had monitored Mr. Zheng Yuming and his wife’s shop for three days before making the arrests. They confiscated the couple’s three printers, two computers, and many Falun Gong books.

At least eight other Falun Gong practitioners were arrested on the same day.

Among the ten arrested practitioners, Mr. Zheng’s wife, Ms. Wang Xiuqin, Ms. Zhuang Hongyan, and Mr. Cui Tao were later released. Mr. Zheng, Ms. Su Guizhi, Ms. Xie Yunxiang, and Ms. Wang Guiying remain in custody and have had their arrests approved. The current status of Mr. Liu Zhongrong and Mr. Li Decheng isn’t clear.

Mr. Zheng’s Past Persecution

Mr. Zheng, 66, took up Falun Gong in June 1999. When the persecution started a month later, he went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong, only to be arrested and detained for 40 days.

He was arrested again when he returned to Beijing in 2000 to appeal and was given one year of forced labor.

Several officers showed up at Mr. Zheng’s store in March 2003 and questioned him, asking whether he still practiced Falun Gong. As he said “Yes,” they arrested him and detained him for another 40 days, before giving him three years at the Jiutai Forced Labor Camp.

While serving time, Mr. Zheng was forced to work for long hours without pay, even after he suffered a heart attack due to the abuse. When he returned to his cell in the evening, he was forced to sit on a small stool and watch propaganda videos smearing Falun Gong. His use of the restroom was highly restricted. The two inmates assigned to monitor him beat and verbally abused him at will.

Due to lack of management during his labor camp term, his shoe shop suffered a financial loss of over 100,000 yuan.

The police harassed Mr. Zheng several times in the past few years before arresting him again in February 2023.

Perpetrators’ contact information:

Gu Min (顾民), director of Dehui City Police Department: [phone]Zhang Yadong (张亚东), political instructor of Dehui City Police Department: [phone]Li Haibo (李海菠), director of Dehui City Domestic Security Office: [phone], [phone]

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