(Minghui.org) At present 16 Falun Dafa practitioners from Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province remain incarcerated after being arrested for not renouncing their faith, which has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.

Most of the 16 practitioners lived in Liaoyang County and Dengta City of Liaoyang City. Seven of them have been sentenced to prison, and the whereabouts of four of them remain unknown. The families of the other nine practitioners have not been able to ascertain their current situations.

Three Sentenced and Transferred to Prisons

(1) Ms. Yu Guimei, in her 70s, lived in Shoushan Town, Liaoyang County. She was arrested on November 6, 2020 while visiting another practitioner and released on bail the next day. Four months later in March 2021, the police took her into custody at Liaoyang City Detention Center. She was sentenced to three years and has been taken to the Liaoning Province Women’s Prison.

(2) Ms. Sui Boqin from Dengta City was arrested on September 18, 2021. After two years in the Liaoyang City Detention Center, she was transferred to Liaoning Province Second Women’s Prison in April 2023 to serve an unknown term.

(3) Ms. Cui Rong was among seven practitioners arrested on December 8, 2021 by officers from Liaoyang City Domestic Security Office, Baita District Police Department, and Wensheng Police Station. She was sentenced to 3.5 years and transferred to Liaoning Province Women’s Prison on August 1, 2023.

Four Sentenced, Whereabouts Unknown

(4) Ms. Ma Kunfang, in her 80s and from Liaoyang County, was arrested on November 6, 2020, after officers from Liaoyang County Domestic Security Office broke into her home. She was released on bail the same day. She appeared in Dengta City Court on March 29, 2021 and was subsequently sentenced to 3.5 years. The authorities refused to disclose to her family her whereabouts.

(5) Ms. Liu Aihua from Liaoyang City was arrested on January 12, 2021 and held in Liaoyang City Detention Center. After two hearings on August 11 and September 6, 2021, the Dengta City Court sentenced her to three years. She filed an appeal, and a judge at Liaoyang City Intermediate Court upheld the original sentence. The authorities refused to tell her family her location of imprisonment.

(6-7) Among the seven practitioners arrested on December 8, 2021 by officers from Liaoyang City Domestic Security Office, Baita District Police Department, and Wensheng Police Station, Mr. Zhao Juncheng was sentenced to two years in prison and his sister Ms. Zhao Junlan three years. The authorities also refused to disclose their whereabouts.

Four Tried in Courts, Sentences and Whereabouts Unknown

(8) Mr. Wang Hongxu was arrested in front of his home on September 14, 2020 by Li Chenglin, head of the Dengta City National Security Bureau and other officers. His home was ransacked. Hu Yanfen, prosecutor of Dengta City Procuratorate interrogated him on October 22 and indicted him on November 3. He appeared in court on November 16, 2020 and his family hasn't received any update about his case since.

(9-11) Three practitioners were arrested on July 13, 2020 by officers from Dengta City Police Department, a day after they handed out Falun Dafa fliers in Jiantaizi Village. Their last names were Dai, Wang, and Dai, and their first names were unknown. They were later released on bail. The police forwarded their cases to Dengta City Procuratorate on September 29 and prosecutor Hu Yanfen submitted their cases to the court on October 28. Their families have not received new information on their situations since then.

Five Arrested, Current Situations Unknown

(12) Ms. Zhou Yawei lived in Gongchangling District of Liaoyang City. She was arrested by officers from Gongchangling District Police Department and Anping Street Police Station on June 23, 2022 and had her Falun Dafa literature confiscated. She was held in Liaoyang City Detention Center. Her family are kept in the dark regarding her current situation.

(13) Ms. Dong Yanmei from Liaoyang City was arrested from her rented apartment in Anshan City in the same province on September 14, 2022. She was held in Liaoyang City Detention Center. Her current situation remains unknown.

(14) Ms. Yuan Jingxiu worked at an electrical design company in Liaoyang City. She was arrested at work on June 26, 2023 by officers from Gongchangling District.

(15) Mr. Wang Haojia lived in Zhangtaizi Village in Dengta City. He was arrested at home on July 21, 2023 and had his place ransacked. He was held in Wujia Detention Center and denied family visits.

(16) Ms. Jin Ying from Dengta City was arrested in June 2023 while working in Beijing. Her current situation is unknown.