Three Women Arrested for Practicing Falun Gong, Their Families Devastated

(Minghui.org) Three families in Linghai City, Liaoning Province, are in no mood to celebrate the upcoming 2022 Chinese New Year on February 1, as their loved ones remain detained for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. 

One woman’s husband became severely depressed because of her arrest. Another woman’s 85-year-old mother-in-law fell ill and often asked for her whereabouts. The third woman’s husband, in his 70s with very poor vision, struggles to live on his own.

Ms. Chen Yujie

Ms. Chen Yujie happened to witness the police arresting another practitioner, Ms. Wei Xiuying, while walking on the street on May 25, 2021. She tried to stop the police, only to be arrested herself. 

The police proceeded to raid Ms. Chen’s home, terrifying her husband, who is not a practitioner. He was dealt another heavy blow when she was secretly sentenced to five years by the Linghai City Court in late November 2021, after he spent months trying to rescue her. The six-foot-tall man developed severe depression. He became bedridden and unable to care for himself. He constantly has thoughts of suicide. At the time of writing, he lives with his sister, as his own daughter struggles to care for her child.

Ms. Yan Lijun

Ms. Yan Lijun, 59, was arrested at home on the evening of June 3, 2021. She had just broken her arm two days prior and was still wearing the plaster cast when the police took her away. Her husband, who doesn’t practice Falun Gong, tried to stop the police. They refused to listen and ordered him to verbally abuse Falun Gong’s founder. As he didn’t cooperate with the police, they accused him of interfering with law enforcement and arrested him as well, leaving his 85-year-old mother at home by herself. 

Ms. Yan has been held at the Jinzhou City Women’s Detention Center since and her husband was released after 15 days of administrative detention. 

Ms. Yan’s arrest devastated her mother-in-law, who relies on her for care. She quickly fell ill and often asked her son, “What law has Lijun violated? When will she come back?” Her son was unable to answer. He also struggles with declining health due to the mental pressure. 

Ms. Yan’s husband said that the detention center has asked him to deposit 1,000 yuan each month in the first three months after she was arrested. Now they have stopped asking for the deposit, but the guards refused to provide any update about her situation. He inquired about her case at the Linghai City Procuratorate, which claimed that they didn’t have her case on file. 

Ms. Xu Suqing

Ms. Xu Suqing, 71, was arrested at home on July 27, 2021, by four plainclothes officers. They searched her home, including her storage room, and confiscated many of her personal items. She and her husband, who doesn’t practice Falun Gong, were both taken to the police station. While her husband was released in the evening, she was taken to the Jinzhou City Women’s Detention Center. 

Ms. Xu was tried by the Linghai City Court through a video conference on November 19, 2021. Her family wasn’t allowed to attend the session. It’s reported that she has been sentenced to 1.5 years. 

Ms. Xu’s husband is 77 and has very poor vision. He struggles to care for himself following her arrest and has moved back to his hometown in the countryside.

Perpetrators’ contact information:
Ma Jing (马景), president of Linghai City Procuratorate: [phone]Liu Hong (刘宏), vice president of Linghai City Court: [phone]Dai Wei (戴威), instructor of Jinzhou City Women’s Detention Center: [phone], [phone]

(More perpetrators’ contact information is available in the original Chinese article.)