Mr. Xu Yongqing in Shanghai Detained Again after Police Interview

(Minghui.org) Mr. Xu Yongqing, a Falun Gong practitioner from Shanghai, went to the Jing'an District Domestic Security Division on January 17, 2017, for an interview about his application for administrative reconsideration regarding his previous detention.

However, the officer he met with notified Mr. Xu's family that Mr. Xu had been arrested and would be held in the Zhabei District Detention Center on criminal charges. He claimed that Mr. Xu had submitted a Falun Gong informational DVD as part of his application.

Initial Detention

On August 22, 2016, Mr. Xu and another practitioner, Ms. Yang Xiao, visited the Shanghai Appeals Office after noticing a bulletin board filled with messages defaming Falun Gong in the Caobaolu Subway Station. They were detained on criminal charges for 30 days. The police issued a 15-day administrative detention to Mr. Xu upon his release to offset his 30-day criminal detention.

Request for Administrative Reconsideration

After Mr. Xu filed for an administrative reconsideration regarding the administrative detention with the Huangpu District Legal Office and the Legal Office of the Shanghai Police Department, he was called in for an interview.

That was when he was detained again.

Family Retains Legal Assistance

Mr. Xu's family hired an attorney from Beijing to represent him. The attorney submitted a request to the Jing'an District Police Department and urged them to drop the case and release Mr. Xu because he has a legal right to file an application.

When Mr. Xu's family visited the Pengpu New Village Police Station on January 20, they spoke with officer Xu Hui, who asked how Mr. Xu's previous detention was handled. He then said that they would again issue a 15-day administrative detention to offset the criminal detention.

Angered at how the police had disregarded the law and arbitrarily detained Mr. Xu Yongqing, the family told officer Xu they would sue the police. Xu said it didn’t matter to him and that he was just following orders.

Mr. Xu's mother, who is over 80, was devastated after hearing what had happened. She could not understand why her son was arrested again just for going to the interview that the police requested.

Parties Responsible for Detaining Mr. Xu:

Jing'an District Police Department in Shanghai: [phone], [phone]Hong, officer from Domestic Security Division of Jing'an District Police Department: [phone], [phone], [phone]Pengpu New Village Police Station: [phone]

Related Article:

Shanghai Practitioners Detained 30 Days for Challenging a Propaganda Attack on Falun Gong