Four Members of an Extended Family Harassed for Their Shared Faith

(Minghui.org) Four members of an extended family in Pengzhou City, Sichuan Province were harassed multiple times in 2021 for their faith in Falun Gong. The police forced them to fingerprint statements to renounce Falun Gong during the latest harassment on December 7, 2021.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

In the wee hours of December 7, 2021, a dozen police officers and village secretaries arrived at Ms. Li Yongxian’s home in Xijing Village. 

After Ms. Li opened the door, the police searched every corner of her home, including inside her shoes, in between the layers of her bedding, and inside her closets. When Ms. Li was pushed into the police car, she was surprised to see her younger brother Mr. Li Yonggang and his wife Ms. Wang Xiaoping. 

Ms. Li’s younger sister, Ms. Hu Guofen, who lived next door, was awakened by the barking of her and her neighbors’ dogs. She opened the door to see what was going on, only to find the police officers standing outside of her home. 

Officer Liu Yong came over and ordered Ms. Hu to turn in her Falun Gong materials. He threatened to search her home if she didn’t. Ms. Hu refused to comply and the police came to raid her home. As they were searching, the light in her room suddenly went out and the police decided to stop. 

When the police tried to arrest Ms. Hu, her daughter cried and begged them not to take her away. 

“She practices Falun Gong. We need to ask her some questions. We will bring her back soon.” officer Liu said to the little girl. 

“How soon?”

“One hour. You can just wait at home,” said officer Liu, before pushing Ms. Hu into the police car.

Ms. Hu, her two siblings, and her sister-in-law were then brought to the village office. They were held in separate rooms and interrogated. When all of them refused to sign the prepared statements to renounce Falun Gong, the police forced them to put their fingerprints on the documents. None of the officers showed their IDs during the entire process.

Ms. Hu said she tried to clarify the facts about Falun Gong to the police. The police listened and didn’t argue with her. One officer still ordered her to sign three documents, while only allowing her to take a look at the titles. The first one was a statement for her to promise never to practice Falun Gong again. The second one was to renounce Falun Gong and admit her mistake in practicing it. Before she could read the title for the third one, the police had already taken them away. Ms. Hu refused to sign the documents, but Liu ordered the officers to force her to fingerprint them.

Prior to the harassment in December, the village officers had led the police to Ms. Li’s home in March 2021. They then harassed her sister Ms. Hu on April 20. As Ms. Hu wasn’t home, they kicked on the door and spit on her front door. Her daughter, who was home alone, was terrified and couldn’t stop shaking. 

The officers came again on May 6 when Ms. Hu just had her lunch. They took her photos despite her protests. The officers returned again in the evening. They woke up Ms. Hu and demanded to take her photo again. She didn’t let them. 

The village deputy secretary Xie Xingru came on May 25 and told Ms. Hu that her low-income subsidy was suspended. 

In addition to the siblings, Ms. Li’s father, Mr. Hu Dingfang, and her older sister, Ms. Li Yongxiu, were also targeted for practicing Falun Gong and both have passed away. 

The elderly Mr. Hu was surrounded by a group of police officers when he was buying groceries with Ms. Li Hongxian in November 2009. He was shoved and beaten by the police. He fell ill and became bedridden upon returning home. He passed away in less than six months.

Ms. Li Yongxiu was arrested in 2004 and held in a brainwashing center and psychiatric hospital. She was injected with toxic drugs. She suffered systemic edema and lost the ability to care for herself. She died on February 21, 2016.

Perpetrators’ contact information:
Yang Yi (杨毅), head of Longfeng Police Station: [phone]Liu Yong (刘勇), police officer: [phone]Zeng Anbo (曾安波), secretary of Xijing Village: [phone]

(More perpetrators’ contact information is available in the original Chinese article.)