75-year-old Landlord and Tenants Harassed by Police for Their Faith
Falun Gong practitioner arrested by police in Tiananmen Square during the early days of the persecution.
Police in Huaihua City, in Hunan Province, China raided the homes of Falun Gong practitioners on August 29, 2022. Police started the raid by harassing a 75-year-old landlord, Ms. Li Faxiu, and ransacking her property.
Terrified by the police raid, some of Ms. Li’s tenants moved out, which directly affected her rental income.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Details of Raid
On August 29, 2022, Ms. Li received a call from a woman. The woman asked if she had any units available for rent in her building (which she owns and where she also lives). Ms. Li said “yes” and the two agreed to meet outside of the building.
A man in his 40s joined the woman. As they were approaching Ms. Li’s apartment unit, the man suddenly stopped and said, “I’m the police.” He quickly showed his ID and put it back in his pocket before Ms. Li could actually see it. Then he snatched her key and opened the door.
In no time, several officers in police uniforms also showed up. Some were videotaping and photographing Ms. Li. One held a tool in preparation for prying open her door. A small group of armed officers were also present. They held Ms. Li on the ground and also arrested three other Falun Gong practitioners who were visiting her at the time in her home.
The police spent the next few hours searching Ms. Li’s apartment building and harassed her other tenants. The ransacked the home of Ms. Li’s fourth floor tenant, who is also a Falun Gong practitioner. They confiscated the practitioner tenant’s Falun Gong books, photos of Falun Gong’s founder, brochures, and media players.
Several of Ms. Li’s tenants have since moved out.
The three practitioners arrested at Ms. Li’s home were brought to the police station. One of them was released that night and the other two were released the next day. The police also attempted to arrest Ms. Li but relented after more than two hours of a standoff. They forced her to sign her name on a piece of blank paper before they left.
Based on an original report published in Minghui.org.
