(Minghui.org) A married couple was arrested at 2 a.m. on April 25, 2024 by officers from the Dayu Police Station in Mentougou District, Beijing.

Mr. An Chaoxu and his wife, Ms. Liu Meili, are both natives of Baoding City, Hebei Province. Ms. Liu still lives in their hometown but visited Mr. An in Beijing from time to time as he worked there. During their latest reunion in Beijing, they were targeted by police because of their shared faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.

It is unclear whether the couple did specific things to raise awareness of the persecution that resulted in their arrests in the early morning of April 25, 2024. The Mentougou District Procuratorate issued formal arrest warrants of them on May 29 and they are now facing indictment.

On May 30, the couple’s family and lawyer went to the Mentougou District Police Department, which oversees the arresting agency, the Dayu Police Station, to seek the return of items that were confiscated from Mr. An’s apartment, including Ms. Liu’s temporary residence card in Beijing. Captain Sun Dong and officer Han Dong, who were in charge of the case, not only refused to return the items but also threatened the lawyer to not defend the couple’s right to practice Falun Gong.