(Minghui.org) A mother and daughter in Hu County were illegally arrested early this year for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime.

Though the mother was released on bail months later, she faces constant harassment from the local police. The daughter was recently tried on charges of “using a cult to undermine law enforcement,” a standard pretext used by the Chinese communist regime in its attempt to frame and imprison Falun Gong practitioners.

This is not the first time that Ms. Li Yuhua and her daughter Ms. Liu Chunxia have been targeted for their faith. Ms. Liu was sentenced to 5 years in prison after being arrested in October 2001. Ms. Li was jailed for three years following her arrest in August 2002. Her husband often had nightmares of his wife and daughter being arrested again for their faith. Every knock on the door and every phone ring would startle him. He died of distress in February 2010.

Ms. Li Yuhua

Ms. Liu Chunxia

Mother Harassed after Being Released on Bail

Ms. Li Yuhua and her oldest daughter Ms. Liu Chunxia were most recently arrested on March 21, 2017. Ms. Li was initially released on June 14, but she was taken back into custody on September 15 when she went to deliver clothes to Ms. Liu at the Xincheng District Detention Center.

Weeks later, police arrested Ms. Li’s son-in-law Mr. Jia Ye, husband of her middle daughter, who lives in Australia. Mr. Jia also practices Falun Gong and was once imprisoned for 8 years for his faith.

Ms. Li’s health quickly declined while in custody. She developed a chronic cough and her blood pressure shot up to dangerously high levels. The authorities released her on bail on November 8.

Yan Changyi, head of the local Domestic Security Office, and two officers showed up at Ms. Li’s home on December 5. They questioned Ms. Li, demanding to know whether her middle daughter has become an Australian citizen. They also asked for her youngest daughter’s contact information. (Ms. Li’s two younger daughters also practice Falun Gong.)

Yan claimed that the case has become an international case because Ms. Li’s middle daughter now lives in Australia and she’s calling for her sister’s release. Ms. Li’s relatives and friends are afraid of visiting her, as there is constant police surveillance around her house.

Daughter and Lawyer Testify Against Police

Ms. Liu’s lawyer entered a not guilty plea for her during the trial on December 26. He argued that no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong or labels it a cult and that his client should never have been prosecuted for exercising her constitutional right to freedom of belief.

The lawyer pointed out that the police ransacked their homes and arrested Ms. Liu and her mother without showing any ID or search warrant.

Ms. Liu also testified against the police. She stated that she never said anything as written on the interrogation records, which bore no signatures. Her lawyer followed up saying that there were no videotapes of the interrogation sessions as required by law to verify the authenticity of the interrogation records.

Ms. Liu questioned how she could possibly undermine law enforcement by following Falun Gong's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to be a good person.

She urged the presiding judge and prosecutors to uphold justice for Falun Gong practitioners like her.

Related Article in Chinese:陕西省西安户县李玉华及家人被关押迫害

Related Reports:

The Persecution of Ms. Liu Chunxia, a Practitioner from Hu County, Shaanxi Province

Daughter Overseas Calls for the Release of Mother and Sister Imprisoned in China