(Clearwisdom.net) Mr. Cui Zhanxiang, a Falun Dafa practitioner from Liangtun Village, Botou City, Henan Province was illegally arrested in May 2006. He was released after the police extorted money from him. In June 2008, the Botou City Court arrested again him because the authorities had listed him as an "escaped criminal." Over 100 villagers in Liangtun Village co-signed a petition letter for the Botou City Court to release Mr. Cui unconditionally.

Mr. Cui, 68, has been taking care of his disabled wife since her stroke. Their daughter is away from home. Since he started practicing Falun Dafa in 1998, he came to understand what life is about, his mind was broadened and he treats people benevolently. He is well respected by the villagers.

On the morning of May 10, 2006, while riding a motorcycle with another passenger, Mr. Cui was arrested by officers from the Xixindian Township Police Station. He was carrying Falun Dafa materials in the back seat of the motorcycle. The Botou City Procuratorate filed charges against Mr. Cui without following proper procedure. The Botou City Court later found him guilty of "impeding law enforcement." He was out on bail awaiting trial after the court extorted 3,000 yuan from him.

On November 12, 2006, in an attempt to deceive and arrest Mr. Cui, the court tried to serve him a subpoena requiring him to appear in court as a witness. He was not home at the time, which was confirmed by the Liangtun Village Committee. In June 2008, the Botou City Court again arrested him as an "escaped criminal." Mr. Cui has been detained in a detention center for over two months now. According to China's law, the maximum length of a probation period is one year. Mr. Cui has been home cultivating his land and caring for his wife for the past two years. How could he be an "escaped criminal?"

The police used deceptive tactics to arrest Mr. Cui. At noon on June 12, 2008, Chief of the Xixindian Township Police Station Li Guodong and his subordinates visited the head of Liangtun Village. They asked the village head to take them to Mr. Cui without any proper documents. They told Mr. Cui that they needed to question him and that it was not good to talk in his home. Mr. Cui was worried that his wife would be frightened with so many agents around, so he left with them. This was how the police got Mr. Cui to leave his home. They got into a car and went to the detention center.

The arrest and persecution of a good person enraged the residents of Liangtun Village. They co-signed a petition letter to the Botou City Court for the unconditional release of Mr. Cui and for the restoration of his good name. Three villagers including the secretary, chief and an accountant of the Village Committee delivered the petition letter to the Botou City Court. The threesome set aside their farm work to go to the court. They went four times to appeal in hopes that the court will release Mr. Cui. However, the court has ignored the villagers' appeal.