(Minghui.org) A 61-year-old resident of Changyi City, Shandong Province, was arrested on August 19, 2024 for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Officer Liu Chang’en from the Changyi City Domestic Security Division revealed that Ms. Xu Wanxiang was seized at the Shibu Town Second Cotton Processing Factory in Changyi City. It was unclear whether she worked there or happened to be visiting. She is currently held at the Weifang City Detention Center. Weifang oversees Changyi.
Ms. Xu’s latest arrest was triggered by an earlier arrest on the night of February 23, 2020 after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong. The same officer Liu led seven agents to raid her home and did not leave until 1 a.m. They extorted 10,000 yuan from her family as bail bond. They returned to harass her at home in early October 2020. To avoid further persecution, Ms. Xu lived away from home but was arrested again on August 19, 2024.
This is not the first time that Ms. Xu has been targeted for her faith, which she credits for restoring her health and giving her strength to face life’s challenges. She was previously sentenced to one year and one month after an arrest in 2018.
Falun Gong Gives Her Strength to Face Life’s Trials
Ms. Xu’s husband died when their son was only six years old. She had no job at the time and struggled to support her son and teenage daughter. The burden of life resulted in Ms. Xu’s health decline and she suffered from migraines, toothache, breast hyperplasia, stomach pain, back pain, and blurred vision. Her daughter had to quit school and work to support the family.
Their fate changed in 2007 when Ms. Xu took up Falun Gong. Her vision soon recovered and her other symptoms gradually disappeared too.
Ms. Xu’s son had a car accident in 2016 and his skull cap sank into his head. His vision was severely damaged after a surgery to repair his skull and his eyes are still crossed to this day. He also suffers from memory loss and remains incapacitated. He broke his arm after a fall in 2017 and had a surgery to reset his bones.
Ms. Xu was able to cope with her son’s tragedies thanks to Falun Gong. She remained calm and took meticulous care of her son on top of doing odd jobs to pay her son’s medical debt.
Sentenced to 13 Months After Arrest in 2018
Ms. Xu’s firm faith in Falun Gong rendered her a persecution target by the local authorities. She and 162 other local practitioners were arrested between April and May 2018 ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit that was later held at Qingdao City, Shandong Province, on June 9-10, 2018.
Weifang authorities targeted the practitioners in an attempt to prevent them from going to Qingdao (about 100 miles away) to appeal for Falun Gong.
Ms. Xu and her incapacitated son were both seized from home on April 24, 2018. After her son was released hours later, his health further declined and he became withdrawn.
The Fangzi District Court tried Ms. Xu on January 18, 2019 and later sentenced her to one year and one month. She served the entire term at the Weifang City Detention Center and was released on May 26, 2019.
Related Reports:
Three Shandong Women Targeted in Mass Arrest Tried for Their Faith
Three Shandong Women Detained for Their Faith, Families Devastated
163 Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in Weifang, Shandong Province Ahead of SCO Summit
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