(Minghui.org) A hairdresser in the Daxing District of Beijing was tried on January 25, 2018, for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime.
Because there is no law in China that says practicing Falun Gong is a crime, Ms. Jia Ruiping’s lawyer entered a not guilty plea on her behalf. The presiding judge adjourned the hearing without issuing a verdict, and Ms. Jia remains in the Daxing District Detention Center.
Ms. Jia’s arrest was preceded by a police visit in early April 2017. She was working in her salon when three officers showed up to check her business license and her ID. When they encouraged her to close her shop for good, she ignored them, because she had not done anything illegal.
One of the officers showed up at Ms. Jia’s home days later, on April 13, and called in three more policemen. Together they began to search her home without showing any ID or search warrant. They confiscated Ms. Jia’s Falun Gong books, 6,000 yuan in cash, and other valuables.
Both Ms. Jia and her husband, Mr. Cui Jianhua, were taken to the detention center.Mr. Cui had been operated on for colon cancer less than two months before. He asked for some hot water to drink but was only offered cold.
Mr. Cui was released the following day, although the police interrogated him at home on April 20. He and Ms. Jia’s lawyer contacted officer Guo He in mid-May to inquire about the status of Ms. Jia's case. Guo claimed that it had been forwarded to the local procuratorate, but when Mr. Cui visited the procuratorate a few days later, but they had no record of it. It wasn’t until early July that the procuratorate received the case from the police.
It has been difficult for Mr. Cui to take care of himself and seek his wife’s release. His sister has been caring for the couple's nine-year-old daughter since Ms. Jia’s arrest.
Ms. Jia used to suffer from severe menstrual cramps, but her symptoms disappeared after she began practicing Falun Gong years ago.
Mr. Cui was supportive of his wife’s practice, but he didn’t give Falun Gong a try until March 2017.
He was diagnosed with colon cancer in January 2017 and had surgery on February 15. He was discharged on February 27 but suffered severe complications. He relied on IV injections and lost about 30 pounds in a short period of the time. On top of that, he had stomach and liver problems, and he often vomited.
Ms. Jia urged him to practice Falun Gong. He agreed and began to read Zhuan Falun, the main teaching of Falun Gong. Within three days, he was able to sleep through the night. He was in awe that the insomnia that had bothered him for decades went away so easily. He started doing the Falun Gong exercises and was getting better by the day.
The recent arrest, however, took a toll on Mr. Cui’s health. He is struggling to recover and having difficulty making ends meet (he is still on medical leave).