Mother and Daughter Detained for Three Weeks and Counting for Their Faith

(Minghui.org) A mother and daughter in Dongying City, Shandong Province have been detained for over three weeks for their faith in Falun Gong. Their family is in the process of filing complaints against the police for violating legal procedure in handling their case, and demanding their release.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Taking Up Falun Gong

Ms. Bai Xingwen suffered from a severe stomach problem and anemia since childhood. After she gave birth to three daughters, she became even weaker and was often bedridden. She tried many treatments, but none had much effect on her.

Ms. Bai took up Falun Gong in 1995. Only six days later, she realized that she was no longer out of breath when she climbed the stairs. All of her symptoms disappeared within six months. Now in her late 60s, she still enjoys good health and doesn’t feel tired from taking care of the family.

Ms. Bai’s oldest daughter, Ms. Ji Yingmei, also practiced Falun Gong prior to the persecution, but later gave up due to the pressure. In 2019, she was diagnosed with late stage cervical cancer. She resumed practicing Falun Gong and her condition quickly improved.

Arrests, Home-ransacking, and Illegal Collection of Biometrics

Banners celebrating the World Falun Dafa Day on May 13 appeared in the small town Ms. Bai lives in on May 8, 2021. Suspecting her of putting up the banners, Ren Anyuan of the Domestic Security Office led a group of officers to break into her home on July 15 and arrest her.

While the police were raiding her home, Ms. Bai’s 12-year-old grandson tried to record them with his cellphone. Ren shouted at him and forced him to delete the video. Ms. Bai’s Falun Gong books, related materials, DVDs, DVD player, and an MP3 audio device were confiscated.

The police also searched the homes of Ms. Bai’s two older daughters on the same day. Ms. Ji Yingmei’s Falun Gong books, related materials, and a tablet were confiscated. Her younger sister, Ms. Ji Yingping, had her printer, an electric reader, and 10,000 yuan in cash taken away. The police later returned the money.

The mother and two daughters were all interrogated at the police station and had their blood, hair, fingerprints, and urine samples collected. The police also recorded their voices and took photos of their faces. Ms. Bai was put on criminal detention and released on bail seven days later due to a medical condition.

Mother and Daughter Arrested Again

Officer Ma Yuqiang and Song Mingxuan harassed Ms. Bai at home on September 3, 2021 and ordered her to sign two documents, saying they forgot about them previously.

Ms. Bai responded, “I was deceived by you into signing the paperwork last time and detained for several days. You turned my home upside down. Even things I haven’t used for over 20 years were taken away. There is no way I will sign anything now.” Officer Song threatened to arrest her if she didn’t comply.

For the next few days, Ms. Bai’s daughters urged Ren Anyuan from the Domestic Security Office to drop the case against their mother, and issue a proper arrest warrant, detention notice, and confiscation list. Ren rejected them and asked who asked them to do so. Ms. Bai’s youngest daughter said, “Should we do nothing and just wait at home for you to send our mother to prison?”

Officer Liu Luying and Song came and arrested Ms. Bai on September 16, 2021. When her three daughters went to the Chaoyang Police Station to demand her release, the police arrested the oldest daughter again. Both the mother and daughter have been detained since.

Ms. Bai’s family is filing complaints against the police for illegally searching their home, collecting their biometrics, detention, and interrogation. They are also demanding that the police drop the case against Ms. Bai and Ms. Ji.