(Minghui.org) Fifteen Changsha, Hunan Province, residents arrested on October 27, 2020, are facing trials for their faith in Falun Gong. A 16th practitioner, arrested on October 28, has been secretly sentenced and transferred to a local prison.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
21 Arrested in One Day, 15 Facing Trial
The 15 practitioners facing trial were among a group of 21 local practitioners arrested on October 27.
Ms. Xu Lihua, a senior police officer herself, was the first to be arrested at 6 p.m. on October 27. The police broke into her home after prying open her lock.
When Ms. Xu’s daughter went to seek her release and urged the officers not to persecute her, she was arrested herself and had her home ransacked. Four officers carried her from the 6th floor downstairs, took a blood sample from her without her consent, and detained her for seven days.
A police officer recently told Ms. Xu’s family when they went to inquire about her case that she would be sentenced in May.
Seven practitioners—Mr. Chen Yang, Ms. Cao Zhimin, Mr. Cao Zhifang, Ms. Yang Fang, Ms. Yu Hui, Ms. Wen Jing, and Ms. Long Langqiong—were arrested at Mr. Li Zhigang’s home at 10:30 p.m. on October 27 while studying the Falun Gong teachings together. All of them were handcuffed and had their own homes ransacked.
When the police were taking away items they’d confiscated from Mr. Li, his mother, nearly 80, tried to hold onto them so that the police wouldn’t walk off with them.
Mr. Li’s mother was kept in the dark concerning his whereabouts and case update following his arrest. Not until February 5, 2021, did she receive an arrest warrant issued by the Liuyang City Police Department. Except for a ten-digit cellphone number, there was no other information, not even the names of the officers handling his case.
Mr. Li’s family hired a lawyer for him, but the lawyer hasn’t yet been allowed to visit him.
Other practitioners who were arrested on October 27 included Ms. Zhang Lingge, Ms. Zhang Furong, Ms. Li Donghui, Ms. Liu Yanping, Ms. Zhu Cuihua, Ms. Gong Xianghui, and Ms. Yuan Jing.
Ms. Xia Jingze, 74; an elderly practitioner surnamed Li (no relation to Ms. Li Donghui); and Li’s two daughters Ms. Mo Ji and Ms. Mo Fang were arrested on the same day but were released later that evening.
Details about which of the practitioners are still detained and facing trials aren’t clear at this time. It is known that, of the 15 practitioners, the males are being held in the Changsha City No.2 Detention Center and the females in the Changsha City No.4 Detention Center. The authorities have barred their families and lawyers from visiting them. Their lawyers have visited several agencies in charge of their cases to seek justice but were stonewalled.
Mr. Meng Kai Imprisoned
Mr. Meng Kai, a lawyer, was arrested at around 5 a.m. on October 28, when he was heading out of town for a hearing. The police took him home at around 4 p.m. and ransacked his place.
When his family went to the police station upon finding out about his arrest, an officer said, “Just based on his attitude [of not pleading guilty], we will give him ten years.”
The police issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Meng the next day and transferred him to the Changsha City No.1 Detention Center. In the next five months, his family hired two lawyers to visit him, but neither was allowed to see him in the detention center.
When his family recently went to the detention center to make a deposit for him, the system indicated that he was no longer there.
His family then went to the police station to ask where he was, but the officers all said they didn’t know anything about him. Suspecting that he might have been sentenced, his family went to the Changsha Prison. A guard said, “We can’t tell you anything without approval from our supervisors.”
His family then asked if they could make a deposit for him and send him some clothes. Then the guard responded, “You don’t need to send him anything. We have everything here. After studying [undergoing brainwashing] here for a month and a half, you’ll be informed which prison he will be assigned to. Just go home and wait for the notice.”
Prior to his latest prison term, Mr. Meng was sentenced to seven years in 2001 after being reported for transporting 2,000 Falun Gong leaflets from Changsha to Yueyang City, where he was living.
Mr. Meng moved to Changsha for a job after he was released, yet the police continued to harass him and his family.
Related reports:
Former Ph.D. Candidate Li Zhigang Arrested for the 5th Time for His Faith
Hunan Police Refuse to Meet with Falun Gong Practitioners’ Lawyers
Updates on Falun Gong Practitioners Targeted in Changsha City, Hunan Province Group Arrest
13 Hunan Residents Detained Incommunicado for Two Months and Counting
Changsha City, Hunan Province: Fourteen Arrested and One Harassed for Their Faith
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