(Minghui.org) Ms. Zhang Xuemei's daughter was dealt a heavy blow two months before her college entrance exam – her mother was arrested for her faith in Falun Gong.
The twelfth grader was shocked to see her home in Nanpi County, Hebei Province in a mess when she returned home for lunch break on March 28, 2019. She went to another Falun Gong practitioner, Ms. Sha Mei, to seek help, only to be deceived by officer Shan Cifang, who was ransacking Ms. Sha's home after raiding her home, into turning in her cellphone.
With Ms. Zhang being held at the Cangzhou City Detention Center, her sister stepped in to take care of her daughter.
It was reported that Ms. Zhang was targeted after being suspected of putting up posters with information about Falun Gong at a residential area in Nanpi County.
Ms. Zhang, nearly 50, began to practice the Falun Gong spiritual discipline in 2012. Many of her ailments were resolved. She also became more open and positive by following the core principles of Falun Gong – Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.
With the nationwide persecution of Falun Gong still going on in China under the Chinese communist regime, Ms. Zhang's husband became very worried and strongly opposed her in continuing the practice. They eventually divorced and Ms. Zhang was given custody of their daughter.
Originally, Ms. Zhang was resentful of her husband and didn't accept anything he bought for their daughter. But as she studied Falun Gong's teachings and gradually let go of her resentment, she became more considerate of her ex-husband and got along well with him again.
Ms. Zhang Not the Only One Targeted by Officer Shan
Ms. Zhang is not the only Falun Gong practitioner in Nanpi County targeted for upholding their faith in Falun Gong.
Officer Shan, who raided Ms. Zhang's home and arrested her, is the head of the Nanpi County Domestic Security Office. He has been actively carrying out the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners for many years.
On January 20, 2008, he led five officers to break into the home of Ms. Zhang Yuying at 11 p.m. and stayed there for more than two hours. He didn't release Ms. Zhang until February 5, 2008 when her family was forced to pay 10,000 yuan. He targeted Ms. Zhang again around May 2014 and extorted another 20,000 yuan from her family.
Shan participated in the arrest of Ms. Huang Xiuling on September 5, 2009. Ms. Huang was later sentenced to three years in prison for refusing to renounce Falun Gong.
More than 40 Falun Gong practitioners in Cangzhou City, which oversees Nanpi County, were arrested on August 17, 2014. While practitioners Chang Shouxuan and Zhao Junru were in detention, Shan often led his officers to harass the two practitioners' families and ransacked their homes.
Mr. Yin Jian and Mr. Zhang Changjiang were arrested on July 21, 2017, after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong. Shan and another officer extorted 10,000 yuan from the two practitioners before releasing them that night.
Mr. Wang Lianying went out to visit a friend around March 2019 when he ran into Shan, who lives in the same apartment building as the friend. Shan snatched Mr. Wang's bag and confiscated his Falun Gong books.
