(Minghui.org) A Xinmin City, Liaoning Province, man is facing indictment for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Mr. Cao Yang, around 46, was arrested at around 10 a.m. on July 26, 2023. More than twenty other local Falun Gong practitioners were also arrested at the same time. Multiple police stations across the city were mobilized to carry out the group arrest.
The Liaozhong District Procuratorate has approved Mr. Cao’s arrest and is in the process of filing an indictment against him. His lawyer is working on his case at the time of writing.
Mr. Cao is not the only person in his family that has been targeted for practicing Falun Gong. His wife, Ms. Hui Liqi, and his parents, Mr. Cao Guangfu and Ms. Zhao Min, have all been arrested at one point or another during the past 24 years of persecution. Mr. Cao had previously served two prison terms totaling 15 years.
Past Persecution
Mr. Cao was admitted to the Dalian University of Foreign Languages in Liaoning Province in 1998, but was unable to finish his university studies, as he was repeatedly arrested for his faith in the years that followed.
He and his parents were arrested in November 1999, while appealing for Falun Gong in Beijing. The trio was held at the Xinmin City Government’s Liaison Office in Beijing, before being escorted back to Liaoning Province. Mr. Cao and his father were taken to the Xinmin City Detention Center, while his mother was taken to the Shenyang City (the provincial capital) Fifth Detention Center. The family of three were released seven days later, after they were forced to pay 5,000 yuan.
Mr. Cao and his parents were arrested by officers from the Tiexi District Police Station in Shenyang on May 2, 2001. The police raided their shared home and confiscated their computer, printer and other personal belongings. Ms. Zhao was held at the Shenyang City Detention Center for two months before being transferred to the Longshan Forced Labor Camp in Shenyang to serve a two-year term.
Mr. Cao was held at the Tiexi District Detention Center for more than a year before being sentenced to seven years in July 2002. He was forced to do hard labor and brutally tortured at the Dengtahuazi Prison in Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province.
After it was discovered that Mr. Cao had brought Falun Gong teachings into the prison, he was locked up in solitary confinement for six months in a one-square-meter cell. He was also handcuffed and shackled for more than three months. Afterward, three more years were added to his prison term and he was transferred to Nanguanling Prison in Dalian City. He was released on January 7, 2010.
Mr. Cao married Ms. Hui in October 2010 and they had a baby girl in November 2011. Officers from the Shenyang City Domestic Security Office arrested Mr. Cao at work on August 28, 2012. He was a teacher at the Xiongshi Fine Arts School in Shenyang at the time. The police took him to the Xinmin City Detention Center and later raided his home.
The police detained Ms. Hui for an unknown amount of time, despite the fact that she had to breastfeed her nine-month-old infant.
The Xinmin City Court held two hearings, on January 9, 2013 and January 22, 2014 before sentencing Mr. Cao to five years in prison. He was initially admitted to the Xinshou Prison before being transferred to Benxi Prison.
For details of Mr. Cao’s past persecution, please refer to the following two related reports.
Related Reports:
Mr. Cao Yang Put on Trial Again Shortly after Serving Nine-Year Prison Sentence
Mr. Cao Yang Unjustly Imprisoned for Nine Years, Recently Arrested Again
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