(Minghui.org) A 75-year-old veteran is facing prosecution for his faith in Falun Gong, an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Mr. Cheng Defu of Dianjiang County, Chongqing City, was arrested at home on March 7, 2020. The police confiscated his 3,300 yuan in cash, as well as many other personal belongings. Officers interrogated Mr. Cheng for more than ten hours and beat him, causing two of his teeth to fall out.
After Mr. Cheng was found to have a severe heart condition and denied admission by the local detention center, the police had to release him around 2 a.m.
In the next few days, Mr. Cheng filed several complaints with the county government against the police for confiscating his money. Under the pressure, the police returned the 3,300 yuan to him.
However, the police continued to frame Mr. Cheng. On May 21, officers arrested 87-year-old Li Zengyuan, who had just taken up Falun Gong not long ago. While interrogating Mr. Li at the police station, the officers threatened that the materials confiscated from his home were all against the Communist Party and could result in a heavy prison term.
The officers lied to Mr. Li that Mr. Cheng had confessed that he got his materials from Mr. Li. Terrified by the police, Mr. Li was forced to provide a false account that he got his materials from Mr. Cheng.
On the same day, the police arrested another practitioner, Ms. Song Jinxiu. They also intimidated her by threatening to prevent her children and grandchildren from attending colleges or finding a decent job. Fearing that her family would be implicated, Ms. Song was also forced to accuse Mr. Cheng of providing Falun Gong information to her.
On June 15, Mr. Cheng was summoned by a prosecutor at the Nanchuan District Procuratorate. The prosecutor told him that the police had submitted his case and that the prosecution process against him had started.
