(Minghui.org) Five Hong'an County, Hubei Province residents were arrested for their faith in Falun Gong. Three of them remain in custody and were subjected to abuse at a local detention center.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Liu Youxiang, Ms. Wang You'e, Ms. Wu Liheng, and Ms. Ma Yumei, in their 50s and 60s, were studying Falun Gong teachings at the apartment of Mr. Li Changrong, 78, on the afternoon of September 19, 2019, when two residential committee members knocked on the door.

Being the lowest level government body, the residential committee has been overseeing and taking part in the persecution of Falun Gong across China in the past 20 years.

Upon seeing that the practitioners were studying Falun Gong books, the two staff members left after a short conversation with Mr. Li.

Half an hour later, a group of police officers showed up. They ransacked Mr. Li's home and confiscated his twelve Falun Gong books.

The five practitioners were then brought to Chengguan Town Police Station and interrogated.

Mr. Li was released at around 7 p.m., while the other four practitioners were transferred to Huolianfan Detention Center.

Ms. Ma was released several hours later, around midnight, for medical reasons. It's not clear whether she was mistreated during the short period of detention, as she sustained some injuries during that time.

The other three women, who remained in detention, were forced to run under the baking sun and shocked with electric batons because they refused to wear the prisoners' uniform.

When Ms. Wang's family sent clothes to her at the detention center, they saw that her face was swollen and covered with bruises and injuries. She also had injuries on her body from the electric shocks.

According to Ms. Wu's family, she was hospitalized after developing high blood pressure and fainted after extensive exposure to the sun.