Remaining Silent Is Not Necessarily the Best Way to Respond to a Police Interrogation

(Minghui.org) After many practitioners were arrested, instead of feeling scared, they kindly clarified the facts about Falun Gong to the police and encouraged them not to participate in the persecution. Some practitioners refused to cooperate with the interrogation and would give “no statement or signature.” 

Master tells us,

“No matter what the situation, do not cooperate with the evil’s demands, orders, or what it instigates.” (“Dafa Disciples’ Righteous Thoughts are Powerful,” Essentials for Further Advancement II)

For a long time I believed that giving “no statement, no signature” was the only thing to do after being arrested, until recently I read an article on Minghui explaining why it wasn’t. I later read articles on a forum hosted by practitioners on legal issues that talked about how to use the laws to stop the persecution. I gained a new understanding of Master’s words, “No matter what the situation, do not cooperate with the evil’s demands, orders, or what it instigates.”

The police who arrest us aren’t just interested in getting us to write statements—they want us to end up in prison. Of course, not signing the deposition is one way to conform to Master’s teaching, but in most cases, we practitioners still end up being sentenced. I understand now that not cooperating with the police doesn’t necessarily mean that we remain silent when we are being interrogated. It would be great if we could do something else that conforms to the Fa and also stop the police from imprisoning us. And if we could keep from being sentenced, it would have a big, positive impact on our families, friends, and even the perpetrators. 

Master also tells us: 

“Some students suggest that the best practice of cultivation is to get placed into a detention center or a labor camp, or get sentenced to jail in order to validate the Fa. Students, it is not so. Stepping forward to validate the Fa using many different approaches is a magnificent act, but this absolutely does not mean that you have to be arrested by the evil. If that were the case, why would those students who step forward to make appeals demand the release of all those innocent students who have been arrested, detained, sent to labor camps, or sentenced to jail? Getting arrested is not the purpose. Validating Dafa is what’s truly magnificent, and it is to validate Dafa that you step forward. Since you step forward, you should try to succeed in validating the Fa—this is the real purpose of stepping forward.” (“Rationality,” Essentials for Further Advancement II)

Based on the above teachings, to be freed without charges after being arrested is a better way to validate the Fa. If most of the arrested practitioners in one area are released without being charged, it indicates that they were arrested in error and the police might stop arresting us in the future, knowing that their work would be in vain. 

Over the years there has been a general misunderstanding among practitioners who felt powerless facing the arrests and sentences. They believed that the best they could do was not to give a statement or sign anything. Some did not even read what the police wrote on their statements. 

My new understanding is that, if the statement does not contain anything that can put the practitioners in prison, then the authorities can’t proceed with the prosecution process. There are still certain internal rules the police need to follow. When we are interrogated, instead of remaining silent, we can simply say, “Your questions are irrelevant and I choose not to answer.” 

Be mindful not to let the police write “silent” or “said nothing” on the deposition. Based on some cases I know of, I suspect that the authorities took “silent” as “silently agreed.” 

It is even better to record in the deposition how the police violated the law by making the arrest and ransacking one’s home. This way, the police would not want to proceed any further, or they would expose their own crimes. When the police finish writing the deposition, we must read it carefully. Before we sign it, we can write down how they violated the laws, if it’s not there already. That way the deposition will not be used to persecute us. 

In China, many practitioners are over 70 years old and most of them clarify the truth face to face and hand out fliers. They account for most of those who’ve been arrested. They often read articles on Minghui, so it would be helpful if there were more articles on what to do after being arrested instead of just remaining silent. They will pick up tips from those articles and thereby avoid further persecution. By doing so, fewer practitioners will end up in prison and can better validate the Fa. 

The above is my understanding based on limited knowledge. Please kindly point out anything not in line with the Fa. 

Editor’s note: This article only represents the author’s understanding in their current cultivation state meant for sharing among practitioners so that we can “Compare with one another in study, in cultivation.” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin)