(Minghui.org) Today's news from China includes incidents of persecution that took place in 14 cities or counties in 8 provinces, where at least 23 practitioners were recently persecuted for their belief.

1. [Tianmen City, Hubei Province] Mr. Ma Zhilin and Wife Ms. Cao Xiangmei Sentenced to Prison
2. [Zunhua City, Hebei Province] Mr. Li Yongzhi and Mr. Jia Fengzhong Tried
3. [Lanzhou City, Gansu Province] Ms. Wang Yaqin Arrested
4. [Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province] Mr. Li Xue and Wife Ms. Wang Wenping Harassed
5. [Baoding City, Hebei Province] Ms. Tong Kunqing Detained
6. [Tianmen City, Hubei Province] Ms. Wang Zaiqing Held in Custody
7. [Chongqing] Ms. Yang Yingfen Arrested
8. [Anguo County, Hebei Province] Ms. Tuo Xinping Arrested
9. [Qingdao City, Shandong Province] Ms. Lu Xinli Held in Custody
10. [Changsha City, Hunan Province] Ms. Chen Chun’e Harassed
11. [Chenggu County, Shaanxi Province] Ms. Li Jinfeng Arrested
12. [Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province] Ms. Cai Shuping Detained
13. [Mengyin County, Shandong Province] Several Practitioners Harassed
14. [Wuhan City, Hubei Province] Cases Against Ms. Huang Hongwei and Ms. Luo Yuanying Brought to Court
15. [Cangzhou City, Hebei Province] Ms. Cao Shulan Harassed After Being Imprisoned for Seven Years

1. [Tianmen City, Hubei Province] Mr. Ma Zhilin and Wife Ms. Cao Xiangmei Sentenced to Prison

Mr. Ma Zhilin and his wife Ms. Cao Xiangmei from State-owned Jianghu Farm were arrested by staff members from the Tianmen City 610 Office in 2019. They were secretly tried after being held in the Tianmen City No. 1 Detention Center for over two years. Mr. Ma was secretly sentenced to five or six years in prison. Ms. Cao is believed to have been sentenced for the same length of time. Ms. Cao was taken to the Hubei Women’s Prison, and Mr. Ma to a prison under the administration of the Shayang Prison Administration Bureau. Their current situations are unknown.

2. [Zunhua City, Hebei Province] Mr. Li Yongzhi and Mr. Jia Fengzhong Tried

Mr. Li Yongzhi and Mr. Jia Fengzhong were tried on March 10 and March 11, 2022, by the Zunhua City Court. It was reported that Mr. Li was sentenced to one year and one month in prison. Mr. Jia was later tried two more times.

3. [Lanzhou City, Gansu Province] Ms. Wang Yaqin Arrested

Ms. Wang Yaqin from Anning District was arrested by officers from the Peili Police Station, staff members of the Peili Sub-district Administration Office, and security personnel from the community property management on August 26, 2022. She was held until after 9 p.m. The next day, the officers pressured her to write a “four statements” document renouncing Falun Gong, and threatened to take her directly to prison for sentencing.

Four or five of these people also violently restrained Ms. Wang’s son who had just returned home from work, which resulted in injuries to or bruises on his wrists and neck.

4. [Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province] Mr. Li Xue and Wife Ms. Wang Wenping Harassed

Tan Jun, director of the Mutoudeng Police Station in Qinglong County, led an officer to break into the home of Mr. Li Xue and Ms. Wang Wenping at 6 a.m. on August 23, 2022. They searched the place and threatened the couple not to practice Falun Gong.

The same officer who showed up early in the morning, returned to harass the couple again at around noon on August 23.

5. [Baoding City, Hebei Province] Ms. Tong Kunqing Detained

Officers from the Qingfengdian Town Police Station in Dingzhou City, led by public security staff member Zhang Fucai in Lianzhong Village broke into the homes of Gao Xiufeng and Ms. Tong Kunqing on August 23, 2022. They confiscated several Falun Gong books from Gao’s home. Gao managed to escape. Ms. Tong was detained in the Chengbei Detention Center for 12 days.

6. [Tianmen City, Hubei Province] Ms. Wang Zaiqing Held in Custody

Ms. Wang Zaiqing, 77, from Zaoshi Town, was searched on her way from Wuhan to Shanghai by train in August 2022. The railway officers on board the train, which originated in Wuhan City, confiscated two Falun Gong books that Ms. Wang was carrying. When the train arrived at Shanghai, the Shanghai railway police detained and fined her. Further details are pending.

7. [Chongqing] Ms. Yang Yingfen Arrested

Ms. Yang Yingfen, 68, from Yubei District, was harassed by residential officer Hou Songting from the Huixing Police Station and other people on August 26, 2022.

Officer Hou again led several people to break into Ms. Yang’s home on the morning of August 29 and ransack the place. They confiscated about 30 Falun Gong books, a tablet computer, a few amulets, and about ten five-yuan paper bills with Falun Gong facts printed on them. Ms. Yang was dragged into a police car from the fifth floor and taken to the police station, where she was forced to have her fingerprints taken and blood samples collected. The officers threatened to withhold her monthly pension payments. It was not until five or six o’clock that afternoon that Ms. Yang’s son was notified to take her home.

8. [Anguo County, Hebei Province] Ms. Tuo Xinping Arrested

Five officers from the Anguo County Domestic Security Division broke into Ms. Tuo Xinping’s home on July 16, 2022. They asked Ms. Tuo to open the wardrobe with a key, but she refused to cooperate. The officers called two more people and used a screwdriver to pick the lock on the wardrobe. They confiscated all her Falun Gong books and photos of the founder of Falun Gong. The officers took Ms. Tuo, as well as her two-year-old grandson, to the Xifuluo Police Station. They subsequently released her and her grandson.

Three plainclothes arrested Ms. Tuo again on August 31 and took her to the Anguo County Police Department. They said that the issue was not over. Because there was a child at home, the police let her go home first. The officers said they would come to get her the following day and detain her for two weeks.

9. [Qingdao City, Shandong Province] Ms. Lu Xinli Held in Custody

Ms. Lu Xinli was arrested for talking to people about Falun Gong. She was held in the Pudong Detention Center for 15 days. On September 3, 2022, her family members went to pick her up, but officers from the Liuting Police Station gave them a hard time. Ms. Lu had to sign a guarantee statement renouncing Falun Gong before she could be released. She refused to sign and was kept in custody. The police told the family to come pick her up the following day.

10. [Changsha City, Hunan Province] Ms. Chen Chun’e Harassed

Kaifu District Domestic Security Division instructed criminal police officers in the Qingshuitang Police Station to harass Ms. Chen Chun’e continuously on July 6, July 7, and July 8, 2022. Three criminal police officers confiscated four copies of her Falun Gong books at 11 a.m. on July 7. On July 8, the officers tried to detain Ms. Chen for ten days, but failed.

On August 19, two officers and community management office members stood outside Ms. Chen’s house to take photos of her. After Ms. Chen stopped them, they put down their cell phones and left without entering her home.

11. [Chenggu County, Shaanxi Province] Ms. Li Jinfeng Arrested

Ms. Li Jinfeng was reported to the police for distributing Falun Gong materials, and was arrested on the evening of August 30, 2022. She was held in the Wulangmiao Police Station for one night. The next day, the officers located her rented room and ransacked it. Ms. Li was told to stay at home and wait for a summons which could come at any time.

12. [Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province] Ms. Cai Shuping Detained

Ms. Cai Shuping from the Pingfang District was arrested at home by director Min Yu of the Baoguo Police Station and other officers on July 13, 2022. The officers confiscated her Falun Gong books, printed materials, and weekly publications. After being held at the Legal Affairs Office of Pingfang District Police Department for two and a half days, she was transferred to the Harbin Shizhi Detention Center for 15 days of administrative detention.

13. [Mengyin County, Shandong Province] Several Practitioners Harassed

Wang Haifeng, head of the Duozhuang Town 610 Office, led police station officers to arrest nine practitioners, who were reading the Falun Gong teachings together on August 26, 2022. Among the practitioners, the oldest was over 70 years old and the youngest was in their 50s. The officers confiscated their Falun Gong books, photos of the founder of Falun Gong, and audio players.

Wang recently instructed police station officers to harass practitioners Qi Chengrong, Zhao Chuanwen, Zhao Chuanwu, and Zhou Guangming in their homes.

14. [Wuhan City, Hubei Province] Cases Against Ms. Huang Hongwei and Ms. Luo Yuanying Brought to Court

Ms. Huang Hongwei and Ms. Luo Yuanying were respectively sentenced to three-and-a-half years and seven years in prison by the Hanyang District Court on August 8, 2022. They and their family members appealed the sentencing. Their cases have been brought to the Wuhan Intermediate Court.

15. [Cangzhou City, Hebei Province] Ms. Cao Shulan Harassed After Being Imprisoned for Seven Years

Ms. Cao Shulan was sentenced to seven and a half years for practicing Falun Gong. She was beaten, insulted, and tortured in Shijiazhuang Women’s Prison, and suffered heart failure. She was in a coma several times and almost lost her life. She was brutally beaten, which resulted in a dislocated spine and a torn hamstring. She also endured terrible mental harm.

When Ms. Cao was released in 2019 and returned home, she had not quite fully recovered physically and mentally. On August 16, 2022, an officer from the Jianbei Police Station called and harassed her husband for no reason, and told Ms. Cao to go to the police station.

Two officers went to Ms. Cao’s home on August 25 for a so-called “home visit within five years” after her release from prison. They pressured her to sign paperwork and press her fingerprints. Ms. Cao refused to cooperate. The officers asked her family to sign and fingerprint the paperwork on her behalf.