Additional Persecution News from China – March 19, 2022 (15 Reports)

(Minghui.org) Today's news from China includes incidents of persecution that took place in 12 cities or counties in 7 provinces, where at least 33 practitioners were recently persecuted for their belief.

1. [Weifang City, Shandong Province] Ms. Wang Guifeng Sentenced to Prison
2. [Beijing] Ms. Zhong Liwei Sentenced to Four Years in Prison
3. [Chongqing] Ms. Liu Renxiu Officially Arrested
4. [Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province] Ms. Li Huijun Detained
5. [Xianning City, Hubei Province] Ms. Huang Qiuzhen Unable to Take Care of Herself Due to Abuses in Prison
6. [Huainan City, Anhui Province] At Least Eight Practitioners Still Incarcerated
7. [Beijing] Ms. Zhen Miao and Mr. Zhang Shida Sentenced to Prison
8. [Luzhou City, Sichuan Province] Zhao Yongxiu Faces Trial
9. [Luzhou City, Sichuan Province] Original Verdicts for Four Practitioners Upheld
10. [Jinan City, Shandong Province] Mr. Zhao Bin Arrested
11. [Dingzhou City, Hebei Province] Gao Yinluan’s Home Ransacked
12. [Nanchong City, Sichuan Province] Zhou Yuanzhen and Wen Maoqun Arrested
13. [Chengdu City, Sichuan Province] Mr. Yang Yifan Arrested
14. [Beijing] Beijing No. 2 Intermediate Court Puts Off Processing 11 Practitioners’ Appeals
15. [Linghai City, Liaoning Province] Ms. Chen Yujie’s Retirement Pension Stopped

1. [Weifang City, Shandong Province] Ms. Wang Guifeng Sentenced to Prison

Ms. Wang Guifeng from Qingzhou City was being held in the Weifang Detention Center. When her friend went there to deposit money for her on March 9, 2022, she was told that no one by that name was being held there. Her friend later learned that Ms. Wang had been sentenced to prison. Details of Ms. Wang’s current situation is not clear.

2. [Beijing] Ms. Zhong Liwei Sentenced to Four Years in Prison

Ms. Zhong Liwei from the Haidian District was arrested by Babaoshan Police Station officers on the evening of August 26, 2021. She was sentenced to four years in prison in March 2022.

3. [Chongqing] Ms. Liu Renxiu Officially Arrested

Ms. Liu Renxiu, 58, from the Banan District was seen on video surveillance cameras when she talked to people about Falun Gong on February 22, 2022. She was arrested by officers from the Yudong Police Station. About 15 days later she was officially placed under arrest by the Banan District Procuratorate. She is being held in the Jieshi Detention Center in the Banan District.

4. [Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province] Ms. Li Huijun Detained

Ms. Li Huijun from the Qingyunpu District was arrested and detained for 15 days. She returned home on March 17, 2022. Her non-practitioner sister was detained for five days.

5. [Xianning City, Hubei Province] Ms. Huang Qiuzhen Unable to Take Care of Herself Due to Abuse in Prison

Ms. Huang Qiuzhen, 60, was arrested on March 14, 2018. She was sentenced to four years in prison by the Xian’an District Court in August 2019. She appealed, but the original verdict was upheld. She was taken to the Wuhan Women’s Prison on October 23, 2019. Her relatives eventually brought her home. Due to the abuse she was subjected to in prison she is unable to take care of herself.

6. [Huainan City, Anhui Province] At Least Eight Practitioners Still Incarcerated

At least eight practitioners, including Ms. Zhang Ruxia, Mr. Zhang Qinyou, Mr. Pan Feng, and Ms. Pan Yunxia, are still being held in prison.

7. [Beijing] Ms. Zhen Miao and Mr. Zhang Shida Sentenced to Prison

Ms. Zhen Miao and Mr. Zhang Shida from the Haidian District were sentenced to prison. Their lawyers contacted their families on the morning of March 18, 2022, and told them that Ms. Zhen was sentenced to one year and six months in prison and Mr. Zhang was sentenced to two years.

8. [Luzhou City, Sichuan Province] Zhao Yongxiu Faces Trial

Zhao Yongxiu (gender unknown) from Hejiang County was arrested by officers from the Hejiang County Domestic Security Division at Zhao’s own downtown store in late August 2018. Zhao was held in the Naxi District Detention Center.

Zhao was indicted by the Hejiang Procuratorate. The Hejiang County Court had originally scheduled a trial for March 1, 2022. Due to the detention center’s lockdown during the pandemic, the trial was postponed.

9. [Luzhou City, Sichuan Province] Original Verdicts for Four Practitioners Upheld

On February 24, 2022, the Luzhou City Intermediate Court issued a ruling to uphold the Jiangyang District Court’s original verdicts for Ms. Tang Zuqun, Ms. Ao Qizhen, Ms. Zhang Xinglian, and Ms. Peng Zhaoqun.

The practitioners were arrested at their homes on the morning of September 10, 2019. Their homes were ransacked. They were detained and their cases were filed with the Jiangyang District Court.

On August 24, 2021, the court sentenced all four to prison. Ms. Tang and Ms. Ao were each sentenced to three years and three months and fined 10,000 yuan. Ms. Peng and Ms. Zhang were each sentenced to three years in prison and fined 8,000 yuan.

Ms. Ao refused to accept the verdict and appealed. The intermediate court notified her lawyer that her case would not be heard publicly. On February 24, 2022, the court issued a ruling to uphold the original judgment of the Jiangyang District Court.

10. [Jinan City, Shandong Province] Mr. Zhao Bin Arrested

Mr. Zhao Bin from the Tianqiao District was seen on video surveillance cameras posting Falun Gong materials in late February 2022. Based on video footage, the police tracked him down to his home. They arrested him and ransacked his home. Mr. Zhao was placed in criminal detention and held in the Jinan City Detention Center.

11. [Dingzhou City, Hebei Province] Gao Yinluan’s Home Ransacked

Officers from the Mingyuedian Police Station went to Gao Yinluan’s home in Mingyuedian Village on January 25, 2022. After they coaxed Gao into going to the police station, two other officers ransacked Gao’s home. They took away Falun Gong books and pictures of the founder of Falun Gong.

Gao returned home that afternoon. On January 31, the officers went to Gao’s home again and confiscated Falun Gong materials and couplets.

12. [Nanchong City, Sichuan Province] Zhou Yuanzhen and Wen Maoqun Arrested

Ms. Zhou Yuanzhen and Wen Maoqun (gender unknown), in their 70s, were arrested by two officers from the Suian Police Station, Yingshan County, on March 12, 2022. Both practitioners were released at 8 p.m. that night.

13. [Chengdu City, Sichuan Province] Mr. Yang Yifan Arrested

Mr. Yang Yifan, nearly 50, from the Wenjiang District was arrested on January 20, 2022. His whereabouts are unknown.

14. [Beijing] Beijing No. 2 Intermediate Court Puts Off Processing 11 Practitioners’ Appeals

After Ms. Xu Na and ten other Falun Gong practitioners were sentenced on January 14, 2022, they appealed to the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate Court. Some family members submitted paperwork to defend them as family and friends. The judge said that, due to the special nature of the case, no family or friends were allowed to defend them. The judge has thus denied them their rights as prescribed by law. The trial in the intermediate court has also been postponed due to the pandemic.

15. [Linghai City, Liaoning Province] Ms. Chen Yujie’s Retirement Pension Stopped

Since February 2022, the Linghai City Social Security Bureau has stopped Ms. Chen Yujie’s retirement pension.

She went to the Social Security Bureau and was told that, because she was sentenced to prison, the Social Security Bureau would stop any retirement payments starting on the day of her arrest. She even had to return the over 20,000 yuan she received between June 2021 and January 2022.