Arrested with Their Guests for Readings Books Together, Elderly Couple Forced into Displacement to Avoid Persecution

(Minghui.org) As soon as seven Suining City, Sichuan Province residents arrived at a local couple’s home at around 2 p.m. on April 18 to study the teachings of Falun Gong together, someone who claimed to be from the property management stopped by and knocked on the door. 

When the homeowners, Mr. Yang Yunmao, 74, and his wife Ms. Xu Yunhua, 66, refused to open the door, the police called a locksmith and broke in. The four staff members from the property management were told to stay outside of the couple's home, while the police ransacked the place. 

At least 12 officers participated in the raid. None of them showed their police IDs or a search warrant. One officer watched the nine Falun Gong practitioners, with two in their 80s and others in their 60s and 70s, while the other officers searched around. The practitioners weren’t allowed to answer their cellphones when their families called them.

Not until 3:50 p.m. did Fu Tao, the director of the Domestic Security Office, show his ID. Another officer delivered a search warrant to the site after 5 p.m.

During the raid, the police kept asking where the couple’s computer and printer were, likely thinking the practitioners were using the place to print informational materials about Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. The entire raid was videotaped by the police.

The police confiscated the couple’s Falun Gong books, photo of Falun Gong’s founder, cellphone, several booklets about Falun Gong, as well as 4,000 yuan of banknotes printed with information about Falun Gong (due to the strict information censorship in China, practitioners are using creative ways to raise awareness about the persecution, including printing messages on banknotes). 

One of the couple’s guests, Ms. Chen Qiuju, 53, had a cellphone and 100 yuan banknotes printed with messages about Falun Gong confiscated. 

The six other practitioners arrested included Mr. Luo Youfu, 82, Ms. Liang Zhenlin, 80, Ms. Gou Surong, 77, Ms. Zhang Jinxiu, 76, Ms. Yang Qiongying, 67, and Ms. Liu Xianbi, 63. 

After an entire evening of interrogation, the practitioners were released at around 2:40 a.m. The police threatened Mr. Yang and Ms. Xu that they would come back and check on them the next day.

The police put seals on the couple’s door and didn’t allow them to go out. To avoid further persecution, they have been forced to live away from home. 

It’s reported that the authorities in Suining have hired 500 people to stay in places with high traffic across the city. As soon as they see Falun Gong practitioners talking to people, they take pictures of them and then arrest them. At least 45 practitioners have been arrested between February and April 2021.