Former Railroad Bureau Employee Detained for Practicing Falun Gong, Family Car Impounded

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Nov. 16, 2023 | By a Minghui correspondent in Shandong Province, China

(Minghui.org) Ms. Fu Yanli, 57, from Tai’an City, Shandong Province, has been held in custody since her arrest on October 26, 2023 for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. The police refused to release Ms. Fu despite her family’s concern over her medical condition.

Arrest

Ms. Fu worked for the 14th Bureau of the Ministry of Railways in Tai’an. She was fired for not renouncing Falun Gong and was also stripped of her retirement benefits. She made a living by renting out her property and running a clothing store.

When Ms. Fu returned home from having her hair cut on the afternoon of October 26, 2023, she was arrested by Zhao Feng of the Daiyue District Domestic Security Office and a few officers from the Zhoudian Police Station. The keys to her home and electric motorcycle were confiscated.

The officers, all dressed in plainclothes, broke into Ms. Fu’s home when no one was there. They took her computer, printer, IDs, as well as her daughter’s work-related items. The family’s private car was impounded. Her clothing store was also searched.

Ms. Fu demanded to know the officers’ names, but they refused to answer her. She wasn’t provided with a list of confiscated items either.

When Ms. Fu’s husband returned home from an out-of-town trip the next day, the Daiyue District Domestic Security Office ordered him to sign a search warrant. With the warrant in hand, the police raided the couple’s other residence where they no longer lived. When the couple’s daughter demanded the return of her personal items which were confiscated from the family’s primary residence, the police refused. They claimed they found Falun Gong related items in the vacant home.

Ms. Fu’s family went to the Daiyue District Domestic Security Office on November 1. One officer received them, but he said he wasn’t in charge of Ms. Fu’s case. He also refused to identify himself when the family asked who he was.

The family told him, “You police took her away. Our family is falling apart. You should release her and return the items that were taken from us.” The office replied that they were handling her case and collecting evidence following the law. He then excused himself and left.

November 1 (Wednesday) happened to be the open office day for the director of the police department’s petition office. The family went there and an officer surnamed Yin was assigned to talk to them. Below is their conversation.

Yin: “We handled the case in accordance with Article 300 of the Criminal Code. We’ve given Fu Yanli’s detention notice to her husband. If you have any questions, you should go home and ask him. It’s illegal for her to print and distribute [Falun Gong] brochures. She hampered the enforcement of the law.”

Ms. Fu’s family: “Her practicing Falun Gong doesn’t harm anyone or society.”

Yin: “She didn’t have to cause any actual damage to society before we determined that she violated the law. If the law stipulates that Falun Gong practitioners violate the law, then she broke the law.”

Ms. Fu’s family: “No law in China criminalizes Falun Gong.”

Yin: “Fu gave Falun Gong materials to someone surnamed Wang to distribute and caused Wang to arrested and sentenced. That’s the damage Fu has caused.”

Ms. Fu’s family: “You arrested Fu and raided her home. Her husband was dealt a blow and even now he can’t talk. They are unable to live a peaceful life because of you.”

Yin: “We don’t call it home-ransacking or illegal arrest. Everything we did conformed to the law. If her husband is having a medical condition, he should go to the hospital. It’s illegal for you to accuse us of causing his condition. We have the footage taken by the surveillance cameras. Everything was recorded.”

Upon realizing that their conversation with Yin wasn’t going anywhere, Ms. Fu’s family stopped talking to him and returned to the Domestic Security Office lobby. They managed to have the front desk call officer Zhao Feng, who is in charge of her case.

The family told Zhao that they consulted a lawyer and learned that it’s illegal for the police to impound the family’s private car and they should return it immediately. The family also said that Ms. Fu has a history of kidney condition and she was allergic to some medication. They are worried about her health and demanded her immediate release. Below is their conversation with Zhao.

Zhao: “Everything we did followed the law. I’m also following the law in processing her case. We don’t get to decide what to do with her. After we finish the investigation and collect the evidence, we will return the items if we should. If you want to find Fu Yanli, you can go to the Shilihe Detention Center.”

Ms. Fu’s family: “Who will be responsible if she develops a medical condition while in custody?”

Zhao: “Whoever is responsible for it will be held accountable.”

Ms. Fu’s family: “Then who is responsible for it?”

Zhao: “Whoever is responsible for it will be responsible for it.”

Ms. Fu’s family: “Are you messing around with us?”

Zhao: “Aren’t you talking about yourself?”

Zhao kept talking and Ms. Fu’s family found a chance to interrupt him. They said, “Can you let us say a few words? The car you took away belongs to Fu’s husband. She didn’t use it to distribute the Falun Gong materials. It’s our private property and you have to return it to us. Many of the things you took away are related to our job. Our work will be affected it without them.”

Zhao: “We have our own procedure. If it’s not related to the case, we will return them.”

Ms. Fu’s family: “You need to give us a timeline. If you spend a year doing your investigation, should we also wait for a year?”

Zhao: “I’m just following the order to do things. I don’t have the say and I only facilitate the investigation.”

Ms. Fu’s family: “Fu is struggling with poor health. She has been paying special attention to her diet at home. If she develops any condition now, who will be responsible for her?”

Zhao: “I will talk to my supervisor about it.”

Ms. Fu’s family: “Can we meet with you in person on Saturday?”

Zhao: “I have a secret task on that day.”

Ms. Fu’s family: “If you can’t make the decision, you should talk to your supervisor as soon as possible. We will follow up with you on Monday.”

It’s not clear whether the family received any update from Zhao regarding Ms. Fu’s case since then.