(Minghui.org) After serving an 8-year illegal prison term from 2001 to 2008, and being detained at brainwashing centers three times since 2010, Ms. Ma Yunhua was arrested again recently for her faith in Falun Gong.
Before sending her to prison, the authorities prepared for her mandatory medical exam. The 65-year-old Ms. Ma managed to escape from the hospital despite heavy police supervision.
The authorities issued a nationwide search for the “fugitive” Ms. Ma and began their hunt for her in Xi'an and the surrounding cities. Many Xi'an Falun Gong practitioners received visits from local police shortly after Ms. Ma's escape.
Most recently, Ms. Li Surong and her son Mr. Mao Rui, both Falun Gong practitioners from Baoji City (100 miles away from Xi'an), had their homes ransacked without search warrants.
A group of officers from the Jintai Police Department in Baoji City showed up at Falun Gong practitioner Li Surong's home on April 30, 2014. With no search warrant, they ransacked Ms. Li's home in the name of looking for Ms. Ma. They searched the computer and the printer, and they also confiscated some of her Falun Gong books.
Around midnight on May 1, a group of officers from Baoji and Xi'an arrived at the home of Ms. Li's son, Mao Rui. Once more in the name of looking for Ms. Ma, they refused to show any identification or search warrants. They raided Mr. Mao's home and confiscated many personal items and 50 yuan in cash. Mr. Mao was not home at the time, so the officers made various threats against his wife, Ms. Wang Juxiang, who was 7 months pregnant.
More officers returned the next day, confiscated Mr. Mao's computer, and forced his wife to sign some documents.
Ms. Ma, 65, began practicing Falun Gong in 1997. She has been detained and sent to labor camps and brainwashing centers numerous times because she refuses to give up her faith in Falun Gong.
She was detained for 15 days in October 1999 after she went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong. She was sentenced and sent to a labor camp in March 2000 for one year. She was again sentenced to a labor camp for three years in April 2001; she escaped, but shortly after, she was captured again and sentenced to seven years in a labor camp. When she was released in 2008, she was severely traumatized after the prolonged persecution. Later, she was arrested and sent to brainwashing centers in 2010, 2012, and 2013 for various terms.
Recently, when Ms. Ma and some other practitioners went to a police department to ask about her suspended retirement pension, they were all arrested. Ms. Ma was held at the Lianhu Subdivision in Xian City for several days, and the authorities prepared to send her to prison.
When they took her to the hospital for her mandatory physical exam, she escaped despite the presence of several guards. The authorities then issued a nationwide search to find her and send her back to prison.
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