(Minghui.org) On July 6, 2024, the Kunming City Police Department in Yunnan Province instructed its subordinate agencies to arrest 25 locals that day for practicing Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
According to insiders, this mass arrest was dubbed the “6.6 Project.” The police monitored the targeted practitioners and collected evidence against them for at least six months before the operation.
The participating agencies included the Domestic Security Divisions in the districts of Xishan, Wuhua, Panlong, and Guandu, as well as police stations in charge of the practitioners’ residential areas.
While the majority of the practitioners have been released on bail at the time of this report, at least eight practitioners were issued formal arrest warrants and face indictment for their faith.
Previously Reported Mass Arrest of Eight at a Private Gathering
Minghui.org previously reported the arrests of eight Kunming women at a private residence. Below is a quick recap with updates.
At around 1 p.m. on June 6, more than twenty officers from the Xishan District Domestic Security Division and the Zongshuying Police Station broke into 72-year-old Ms. Liu Cuixian’s home and arrested her and her eight guests, all Falun Gong practitioners. The police searched and photographed all nine of them.
Ms. Liu’s home and another residence were raided. Her computer, printer, more than 30,000 yuan in cash, and a large amount of other valuables were confiscated. She and her guests, including Ms. Gui Mingzhen, 77, Ms. Yin Qiongying, 87, Ms. Li Zhuxiu, 73, Ms. Wang Yulan, 73, Ms. Liu Xiaoping, 67, Ms. Huang Yunjun, in her 60s, and Ms. Zhu Qin, in her 50s, were interrogated at the respective police stations in charge of their residential areas. Ms. Gui, who uses crutches, was released on bail around 10 p.m., and the other practitioners were then taken to the Xishan District Police Department for further interrogation.
One Arrested on the Street
Ms. Yang Huifang, 56, was making a phone call on the street when a group of officers seized her and took her home to raid it. She was then taken to the Xishan District Police Department.
One Arrested at Street Committee Office
Ms. Zheng Cuilan, 77, was deceived into going to her local street committee after she was led to believe the government was distributing rice to local residents. The police arrested her there and then raided her home before taking her to the Xishan District Police Department.
One Arrested Outside Own Home
Ms. Xiao Yuxia, 60, had just returned to her apartment building a bit past 6 p.m. when a group of officers who were staked outside surrounded her. They raided her home and took her to the Xishan District Police Department.
14 Arrested At Home
More than ten officers from the Zongshuying Police Station deceived Mr. Su Kun, around 50, into opening the door around 7 p.m. They arrested him and his wife, Ms. Zhang Xiaodan, around 50, and took them to the Xishan District Police Department.
Ms. Xia Cunfen, 71, was taking a nap when a group of officers broke in and arrested her. Her home was ransacked and she was taken to the Xishan District Police Department.
Ms. Ma Ling, 67, and her daughter Ms. Zhang Ji, 39, were deceived into opening the door by property management office staff. About five officers broke in and raided their home. The mother and daughter were interrogated at the Wuhua District Police Department before being taken to the Xishan District Police Department.
Ms. Ma’s younger sister, Ms. Ma Yan, in her 60s, was arrested at home hours later. She was interrogated at the Lianhua Police Station and released one day later. The police took her back into custody on June 29 and took her to the Kunming City Detention Center, where she was detained for 15 days.
Other practitioners who were arrested at their homes include Ms. Li Huanzhen (in her 80s), Ms. Zhang Xiuzhen, 65, Ms. Zhang Jiahui, 82, and her son Mr. Bi Sheng, 62, Su (first name, age, and gender unknown), Mr. Guan Xueheng (in his 40s), Ms. Zhou Yongzhen (age unknown), and a practitioner whose name, age and gender are unknown.
Ms. Zhang Jiahui and Su were released on bail that night, and the other practitioners who were arrested at their homes were all taken to the Xishan District Police Department.
22 Interrogated at Police Department
Except for Ms. Zhang Jiahui, Su, and Ms. Ma Yan, who were released on bail hours after their arrests, the other 22 practitioners were all taken to the Xishan District Police Department on the night of June 6. Officers from the Jinjiahe Police Station and another local police station were called in to stand guard. The practitioners were interrogated separately before being held in three rooms.
Mr. Guan exhibited some illness symptoms and was released on bail later that night. The next day the remaining 21 practitioners were forced to undergo physical examinations, including blood draws and CT scans. At 6 p.m. on June 7, Mr. Bi was taken to the Xishan District Detention and all the female practitioners were taken to the Kunming City Detention Center (except for Ms. Zhu who was moved to a local lockup and later released after being detained for an unknown length of time).
Current Case Status
As indicated above, Ms. Gui, Ms. Zhang Jiahui, Mr. Guan, and Su were released on bail on June 6. Ms. Wang and Ms. Ma Yan was released on bail the next day, but the latter was taken back into custody on June 29 and held for another 15 days before being released again.
Ms. Zhu was also released, although the exact date is unknown.
Ms. Xiao, Mr. Su, Ms. Zhang Xiaodan, Ms. Zhang Ji, Ms. Xia, and Ms. Li Zhuxiu were released on bail on July 12 after the Xishan District Procuratorate determined there was insufficient legal basis for their continued detention.
The procuratorate on July 12 also issued formal arrest warrants for Ms. Li Huanzhen, Ms. Zhang Xiuzhen, Ms. Yin, Ms. Liu Cuixian, Ms. Liu Xiaoping, Ms. Ma Ling, Mr. Bi, and Ms. Yang. They are now facing indictment for their faith.
The case status of Ms. Zheng, Ms. Huang, Ms. Zhou Yongzhen and the unnamed practitioner is unknown.
Past Persecution
Many of the arrested practitioners were previously detained for practicing Falun Gong.
Mr. Su was given three years of forced labor in December 2004. He and his wife Ms. Zhang Xiaodan were arrested on May 4, 2012 and sentenced to six and four years, respectively. He was fired from his teaching job at the Yunnan Vocational & Technical College of National Defense Industry, and his wife, a Chinese medicine doctor, was unable to secure a job after she was released from prison.
Ms. Li Huanzhen, a retired textile factory worker, was given two years of forced labor following her arrest on April 18, 2005. The authorities, however, did not give her a copy of her forced labor notice until she was released on December 15, 2006. She was arrested again in May 2007 and held at a brainwashing center for three days. She was also ordered to pay more than 1,000 yuan for her living expenses there. Her next arrest was on May 19, 2010 after being reported for distributing Falun Gong informational materials. Prosecutor Wu Lin of the Kunming City Procuratorate indicted her nine months later and she was sentenced to three years with three years probation at an unknown date.
Ms. Zhang Xiuzhen is a retired worker of Yunnan Province Metal Company. She was given three years of forced labor following her arrest on May 16, 2009. After another arrest on April 15, 2016, she was taken to a hospital for physical examinations. Her son was forced to pay 6,000 yuan before being allowed to pick her up at 3 a.m. the next day. Two officers from the Daguan Police Station showed up at her home on December 30, 2020 and ordered her to sign statements to renounce Falun Gong. She refused to comply.
Ms. Ma Ling, who retired from Yunnan University Library, was twice given forced labor totaling 6.5 years (in 2000 and 2004, respectively). After she and her daughter Ms. Zhang Ji were arrested on April 19, 2014, they were both sentenced, to 4 and 3.5 years, respectively. Her sister Ms. Ma Yan was arrested on June 25, 2004 and held at a brainwashing center for an unknown amount of time. After another arrest on April 20, 2014, she was detained for one month.
Ms. Yin was given an unknown term at the Yunnan Province Women’s Forced Labor Camp in 2001.
Ms. Gui used to work for the Yalong Metallurgical Company. She credits Falun Gong for curing her long term insomnia, her heart, liver and lung conditions, as well as severe rheumatoid arthritis. She was arrested in July 2000 and detained for a month for going to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. She was arrested again in December 2000 and held in a brainwashing center for a week. Following another arrest on October 16, 2007, she was given two years of forced labor. Her pension was suspended while she was serving time. In addition to her own ordeal, her son, Mr. Li Chao, was given two years of forced labor in 2000. Her husband, Mr. Li Linshu, was taken to a brainwashing center in 2000 and 2003, and sentenced to three years in 2008.
Ms. Li Zhuxiu was given 1.5 years at the Yunnan Province Women’s Forced Labor Camp in August 2002. She was sentenced to 3 years in 2012 and another 3.5 years in 2019. Her pension was suspended after she was released from prison.
Ms. Wang was given two labor camp terms, in 2002 and 2004. While in custody, she was brutally tortured. Her eyes became bloodshot; her front teeth were knocked out; and her lower spine was fractured.
Ms. Liu Cuixian was arrested on December 20, 2012 together with her daughter-in-law Ms. Peng Xueping, for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. They were each sentenced to eight years. Ms. Liu’s mother passed away during her imprisonment and she wasn’t allowed to see her one last time. The physical torture and mental distress took a toll on Ms. Peng’s health. She passed away on July 11, 2023, at the age of 46. In addition to the prison sentence, Ms. Liu was twice given forced labor terms (two years in 2003 and one year in 2005).
Ms. Liu Xiaoping was also arrested on December 20, 2012 together with Ms. Liu Cuixian and Ms. Peng, for distributing Falun Gong materials. She was sentenced to ten years and her pension was suspended for 7.5 years during her term.
Ms. Huang was arrested in December 2000 while attending a gathering of over 50 practitioners. She was later given a labor camp term.
Related Reports:
Kunming City, Yunnan Province: Eight Women Over 60 Years Old Arrested
Four Women Sentenced for Up to Ten Years for Distributing Shen Yun DVDs
Yunnan Woman Given Labor Camp Term, Extorted and Harassed for Her Faith
College Teacher and His Wife Sentenced for Helping Others Install Software
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