(Minghui.org) Three women were having lunch at a KFC restaurant in Shenzhen City on March 11 when they were seized by more than ten people from various police agencies.
Their “crime”? All three are practitioners of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice being persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party.
The practitioners and their families suspected that they were either reported to or had been monitored by police for some time.
Ms. Ling Honghua, a native of Hubei Province who was visiting relatives in Shenzhen at the time, currently remains at Nanshan District Detention Center. According to insiders, the police are gathering more “evidence” against her after the local procuratorate returned her case, citing insufficient evidence.
Ms. Yang Jian and Ms. Aping, both Shenzhen locals, were first taken to Gaoxin Police Station together with Ms. Ling, but their current detention locations are unknown.
Ms. Ling Physically Abused and Denied Family Visit
The first three times when the police tried to get Ms. Ling admitted to Nanshan District Detention Center, they were turned away because she was diagnosed with tuberculosis during the required medical examination.
The police then held her at the hospital affiliated with the detention center for two days. When she refused to sign the arrest warrant, two policewomen beat her savagely, injuring her neck and leaving her covered with bruises. One of her fingers was fractured when they forced her fingerprint on the arrest warrant.
The detention center gave in when the police tried a fourth time. Ms. Ling refused to wear the inmate uniform and was subjected to various forms of abuse, including sleep deprivation, intimidation and humiliation. When she saw her lawyer for the first time, she couldn't help but burst out crying – finally she had someone to talk to about her suffering.
The police department submitted her case to the local Procuratorate on April 17, but the latter soon returned the case, citing insufficient evidence.
The last two months have also seen Ms. Ling's family running back and forth between Hubei and Shenzhen to seek her release. Their request to visit her, however, was turned down everywhere they went, be it Gaoxin Police Station, Nanshan District Detention Center, or Nanshan District Procuratorate.
Ms. Ling's mother was threatened when she told the police about how her daughter benefited from practicing Falun Gong.
The police still yet have to return items seized from Ms. Ling, including her laptop, cellphone, cash, and bank card.
The perpetrators' names and phone numbers are available in the Chinese version of this article.
