(Minghui.org) Mr. Fan Jinhe, a government employee from Anlu City, Hubei Province, was arrested on January 26, 2023 for putting up posters about the health benefits of Falun Gong. He has been held in custody since and is facing prosecution.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient spiritual discipline with five sets of slow-moving exercises. It was introduced to the public in 1992 and soon drew millions of practitioners across China due to its tremendous health benefits. Upon finding out that the number of practitioners had reached between 70 and 100 million in 1999, the Chinese communist regime, which had spared no effort in wiping out spirituality and traditional culture from the Chinese people, ordered a nationwide campaign against Falun Gong in July 1999. The persecution still continues today.
Seeing so many people die from the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Fan risked his life posting information about Falun Gong, hoping people could see through the communist regime’s demonizing propaganda against the practice and benefit from Falun Gong instead.
The day before Mr. Fan’s arrest, the police ransacked his home and confiscated his computer, printer, and Falun Gong posters. The officers claimed that they saw in surveillance videos Mr. Fan putting up the posters. As Mr. Fan wasn’t home when they came, they left shortly after and returned the next day to arrest him.
Mr. Fan was first given 15 days of administrative detention, and then another 15 days of criminal detention. His arrest was approved on February 24, 2023. The police are now preparing to submit his case to the Procuratorate, accusing him of “undermining law enforcement with a cult organization,” the standard pretext used to criminalize Falun Gong practitioners.
Mr. Fan took up Falun Gong in 1996. Prior to his latest ordeal, he was arrested for appealing for the right to practice his faith shortly after the onset of the persecution. He was also given two years at the Shayang Forced Labor Camp in October 2000.