(Minghui.org) A prosecutor in Ju County, Shandong Province dismissed the case against local resident Ms. Sun Shifen for practicing Falun Gong, but the police continued to harass the elderly woman, who is in her 70s.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Sun’s ordeal started in June 2019 after she was noticed by the police for putting up two stickers that said “Falun Dafa is good” and “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance is good” on utility poles. A group of officers first harassed her at home on the morning of June 18, 2019. After the police left, she sought shelter at her son-in-law’s home in the nearby village, only to be followed there by police.
Three officers ransacked Ms. Sun’s home on the next morning and took away her Falun Gong related materials, including magazines, calendars and posters. Ms. Sun was brought to the Guozhuang Police Station, forced to fingerprint some case documents and given ten days of administrative detention. Due to her advanced age, the detention wasn’t enforced.
The police ransacked Ms. Sun’s home again on November 4, 2020 and confiscated her Falun Gong books, a computer memory card with Falun Gong’s teachings and eight posters. The police returned a day later and forced her to fingerprint more documents. They came again on November 10 and questioned her on where she got the informational materials about Falun Gong. Her oldest daughter was taken to the Guozhuang Police Station on the same day and threatened with monetary fines. On November 11, the police issued a notice to put Ms. Sun on bail.
On January 7, 2021, the Wulian County Procuratorate returned Ms. Sun’s case to the police, citing insufficient evidence. In June 2021, the prosecutor decided to dismiss her case and also lift her bail condition.
The police, however, didn’t give up targeting Ms. Sun. They harassed her again on September 27, and removed the decoration at her home that said “Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance is good.” They also attempted to take away her music player for Falun Gong exercises music.
Another group of officers harassed Ms. Sun one more time on October 13, 2021 and attempted to force her to write a statement to renounce Falun Gong.
Prior to the harassment in recent years, Ms. Sun has been harassed at an earlier time on June 7, 2017. A group of police officers broke into her home, and confiscated her Falun Gong books, other materials and photo of Falun Gong’s founder. They forcibly took her photos, videotaped her and collected her fingerprints. They also threatened her granddaughter who was attending college in Qingdao City that she wasn’t allowed to apply for a college (likely not knowing she was in college already).