(Minghui.org) Four Falun Gong practitioners in Laishui County, Hebei Province, as well as a practitioner’s daughter and son-in-law, were arrested in August 2026.
Mr. Zhang Dongsheng and his wife, Ms. Liu Jinying, noticed a location tracking device on their electric bikes in late June 2026. When Ms. Liu went out on July 23, 2026, she was followed by a car. Both she and her husband were arrested shortly after. Their detention location is unclear.
Mr. Zhang is a former director of the Office of the Laishui County Local Taxation Bureau, and Ms. Liu was the deputy director of the Laishui County Appeals Office. After the Chinese Communist Party ordered the persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999, they were repeatedly arrested.
Ms. Liu was sentenced to five years following an arrest in August 2000. While in prison, she was subjected to brutal torture and involuntary drug administration. Her hair fell out, her skin turned dark, and her teeth became loose. To avoid being poisoned, she sometimes ate other inmates’ leftovers rather than the drug-laced food she was being given.
Mr. Zhang was sentenced to 15 years after being arrested at work on August 19, 2001. By the time he was released in August 2016, he was emaciated and only had two teeth left.
Mr. Zhang Xiuqi, 79, was arrested at home around midnight on August 4, 2026. His daughter and son-in-law, neither of whom practices Falun Gong, were also seized and taken into custody. Their current status is unknown.
This isn’t the first time that Mr. Zhang has been targeted for his faith. He has been arrested multiple times and had his home ransacked. He was also given two labor camp terms in 2004 and 2007, respectively.
Ms. Wang Wenling, 73 and who lives alone, was arrested around 8 p.m. on August 6, 2026. Several armed officers broke into her rental unit and confiscated her computer, cell phone, and other personal items.
The police claimed that they were with the Baoding City Police Department and then took Ms. Wang to a lockup for interrogation. Ms. Wang experienced chest tightness, shortness of breath, and vomiting around midnight. She was then released.
The police approached her child and questioned them about the source of Falun Gong materials confiscated from Ms. Wang. They also wanted to know about other practitioners she had contact with.
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Former Deputy Head of County Appeals Bureau and Family Are Persecuted
Details of the Persecution of Falun Dafa Practitioners in Laishui County, Hebei Province