(Minghui.org) In the past two decades, the Chinese communist regime has been doing all kinds of things to try to force Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their faith. One of their tactics is to persecute them financially—by levying hefty fines, cutting off their pensions, confiscating cash during home raids, and accepting payment in exchange for release or a reduced sentence.
Because some of the transactions involved huge amounts of money, the police told the practitioners and their family members to hand over cash instead of going through a bank or making an electronic transfer so as not to leave a paper trail.
Below are a few examples of extortion that have happened in recent years.
“You Still Want That 20,000 Yuan Back?”
Mr. Zhao Baolei is a small business owner in Qixia City, Shandong Province. He went to distribute Falun Gong materials in Miaohou Township in 2017 and was arrested. He was later held at a detention center.
The police ordered his family to pay 20,000 yuan as his bail bond. Later, Mr. Zhao’s sister asked the police when they would return the money. The police chief replied, “You still want that 20,000 yuan back?”
Family Paid 80,000 Yuan for Man’s Release
Mr. Cheng Yufa, 48, a retired soldier from Handan City, Hebei Province, was stopped at a road checkpoint on April 17, 2017. The police discovered some Falun Gong materials on his car and arrested him.
His family, who are not Falun Gong practitioners, used personal connections to seek his release by treating the officers to a meal. The police initially asked for 50,000 for his release and later increased it to 80,000 yuan. Mr. Cheng was eventually released after the money was paid.
Son Spent 100,000 Yuan for Mother’s Release
Ms. Zhou Houmei was arrested on December 28, 2017, by over 20 officers from the Tianjin Domestic Security Division, the Wuqing District Domestic Security Division, and the Douzhangzhuang Police Station. Ms. Zhou had been visiting another practitioner, Mr. Gao Yuming. Her son spent nearly 100,000 yuan to bribe the officials, but she was still sentenced to four years in prison.
100,000 Estorted from Shanxi Woman’s Family
Police from Yangquan City in Shanxi Province and community workers called Ms. Guo Cuiying’s daughter Lian (alias) on January 15, 2020, ordering her to go to Jinsanjiao Community and persuade her mother to give up practicing Falun Gong. They threatened her that her children’s education and jobs would be affected if her mother continued to practice Falun Gong.
The authorities extorted 100,000 yuan from Lian, saying they would return 10,000 yuan to her each year thereafter if Ms. Guo wasn’t arrested for talking to people about Falun Gong in that year. But if Ms. Guo was arrested, the 10,000 yuan would be confiscated. Due to the tremendous pressure, Lian’s husband is contemplating divorcing her.
Husband Paid 20,000 Yuan for Wife’s Release
Ms. Feng Cuixia from Zhucheng City, Shandong Province, was arrested on March 30, 2020, for telling people about Falun Gong. When her husband returned home, the police were ransacking it. He noticed the bruises on his wife’s face and asked the police why they hit her. The police tried to deny responsibility and said that the person who reported her hit her.
Initially, the police ordered Ms. Feng’s husband to pay 50,000 yuan for her release, but he said he didn’t have that much. The police called again on April 2, 2020, and lowered the amount to 20,000 yuan. She was released when her family handed over the 20,000 yuan.
Police: “Pay Us 240,000 Yuan and We Will Release Him”
After Mr. Liu Guohua from Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, was arrested on May 12, 2021, officers of the Xindu District Domestic Security Office and Banzhuyuan Police Station ordered his family to pay 240,000 yuan for his release.
Also in Chengdu, Guihu Police Station officers extorted 60,000 yuan from an elderly practitioner’s family in 2019 in exchange for her release.
In 2020, Guihu Police Station officers attempted to extort money from Mr. Wang Guohua’s family in exchange for his release. His family refused to comply, and he was sentenced to three years.
“Pay 100,000 Yuan and I Will Release Her”
Ms. Xuan Lifen of Tangshan City, Hebei Province, was arrested on October 18, 2021. When an elderly family member died, Ms. Xuan’s family insisted that she be released to attend the funeral. One police officer said, “Pay us 100,000 yuan and I will release her.” The family had to postpone the funeral for 12 days until Ms. Xuan finished serving her term of detention.
Pay 50,000 Yuan and We’ll Release Them
Ms. Xie Baohua and Ms. Wang Yuehua from Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, were arrested on November 1, 2023. Their families were ordered to pay 50,000 yuan each for their release.
“Cash Only, No Wire Transfers”
Ms. Chen Wanqiu, Ms. Wang Xiuxia, Ms. Wang Yali, and Mr. Zhen Guangtian, 55, from Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, went to a community fair on November 13, 2021, to tell people about the persecution of Falun Gong. They were reported and arrested that afternoon. Mr. Zhen was forced to pay 20,000 yuan, with 10,000 yuan as bail and another 10,000 yuan with no receipt. The police specifically asked for cash and refused to accept a wire transfer.
“Pay 50,000 to 70,000 Yuan in a Month, or She Will Get Three to Seven Years”
Ms. Lin Guolan from Tonghua City, Jilin Province, had her arrest approved on January 5, 2022. After the police submitted her case to the Liuhe County Procuratorate, they ordered her family to pay 50,000 to 70,000 yuan in exchange for her release. They said that if they didn’t receive the money in one month, Ms. Lin would be sentenced to three to seven years. It’s not clear if her family complied, but Ms. Lin was indeed sentenced to three years and admitted to Jilin Women’s Prison in early September 2022.
Family Pressured to Pay 10,000 Yuan for Woman’s Release
Ms. Sun Fengqin was arrested at home by several officers from the Xinghua Police Station in the Changyi District around 8 p.m. on August 12, 2022. Her home was ransacked. The police confiscated all her Falun Gong books and 2,300 yuan in bills with information about Falun Gong printed on them.
Ms. Sun was held in the police station for three days. Her family was pressured to pay 10,000 yuan to secure her release on bail.
Family Ordered to Pay 200,000 Yuan for Woman’s Release
By the time Ms. Zhang Yuhong from Fuxin City, Liaoning Province, finished serving four years in November 2022 for practicing Falun Gong, the once-healthy woman had become incapacitated due to a stroke induced by torture.
When the Liaoning Province Women’s Prison informed Ms. Zhang’s son to pick her up, he refused to do so and insisted that the prison take responsibility for her condition. The prison took Ms. Zhang to a sanatorium and attempted to sue her son for deserting her.
In 2021, the prison refused to release Ms. Zhang on medical parole, instead demanding 200,000 yuan from her family in exchange for her release. Unable to afford the extortion, Ms. Zhang remain incarcerated.
“Cash Only, WeChat Transfer Not Allowed”
Several officers led by Du Zhiguo, head of the Sanchahe Town Police Station, went to Ms. Wang Yan’s home in No. 9 East Village at 1 p.m. on August 12, 2023. They ransacked her home and confiscated a photo of Falun Gong’s founder and a songbook. When Ms. Wang and her son tried to stop them, the two were arrested and taken to the police station.
Ms. Wang’s husband and other relatives went to the police station later that afternoon to request the release of Ms. Wang and her son. Du insisted they pay 100,000 yuan, which was later negotiated down to 30,000 yuan. Du also insisted that the money be paid in cash, not via a WeChat transfer (a popular payment method in China). After the money was paid (with no receipt given), Ms. Wang’s son was released around 9 p.m., but Ms. Wang was held in custody for another five days.
“Pay 30,000 Yuan to Secure Son’s Release”
Police in Yinchuan City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, arrested Ms. Wang Juxiang’s son on April 12, 2021, and then told the family they could pay 30,000 yuan for his release. For two days the family tried to raise that amount but still could not secure his release. The police claimed they arrested Ms. Wang’s son because his 75-year-old mother was reported for talking to people about Falun Gong, even though the son didn’t practice Falun Gong himself.
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