(Minghui.org) While a Yushu City resident remains detained for his faith, his daughter, who has epilepsy, is now in a nursing home.
Mr. Ma Changqing's latest detention stemmed from his arrest at Changchun City Railway Station on October 14, 2017. The railway police seized him when they found 10,178 yuan in bank notes with Falun Gong messages printed on them in his bag.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since July 1999.
Mr. Ma told the railway police that no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong. He also explained why he risked being arrested to spread information about Falun Gong. A railroad maintenance worker, he had an accident at work in 1981 and broke his spine in several places. He had to wear a metal back brace until 1996 when he began practicing Falun Gong. He recovered from his injuries and no longer needed the brace.
The Changchun police traveled to Yushu to verify his story. They learned that Falun Gong indeed cured Mr. Ma's injuries, but they still withheld the 10,178 yuan. They released Mr. Ma the following day and put him under house arrest.
Between November 2017 and April 2018, Mr. Ma was twice summoned to Changchun to be questioned. He refused to comply when asked to travel to Changchun again.
According to Mr. Ma's neighbor, agents from both Changchun and Yushu took him back into custody on May 9, 2018. The police then placed his epileptic daughter in a local nursing home.
Mr. Ma appeared in Changchun Railroad Court on May 25. Several of his relatives attended the trial to show their support.
This is not the first time that Mr. Ma has been targeted for his faith. Several agents from Yushu City Police Department broke into his home on November 15, 2010, and turned it upside down. They confiscated 33,500 yuan in cash.
His daughter had four seizures on the day of his arrest. His wife, Ms. Mu Chunbo, was forced to sign some paperwork the following day.
Mr. Ma was released 11 days later, when Chaoyanggou Detention Center declined to take him due to his poor health. He requested the return of the confiscated cash, but he was only able to get back 24,000 yuan.
Having to worry about both her daughter and husband, Ms. Mu had a brain hemorrhage and lost consciousness.
Needing money to secure treatment for his wife, Mr. Ma went to request the return of the remaining 9,500 yuan from the police on December 13, 2011. Officer Fan Hongkai said they had submitted the money to a higher government agency. Mr. Ma asked to see the receipt, but Fan had none to show him.
Mr. Ma spent more than 50,000 yuan on his wife's medical expenses before running out of money and having to take her home.
Ms. Mu remained in a coma for more than four months and died on March 29, 2012. The police never returned the 9,500 yuan.
Related Report:Police from Yushu City Break into Mr. Ma Changqing's Home and Steal Money