71 Falun Gong Practitioners Harassed or Persecuted in November 2020

In the month of November, there was documentation of 71 Falun Gong practitioners in 31 cities or counties in 12 provinces who were harassed or persecuted.

Below are four highlighted cases:

Mr. Ji Yongcheng from Taoqu Town was arrested by police assistants from the Xijiao Police Station in Lanshan District, Linyi City on September 26, 2020. At the police station, the officers interrogated and threatened him. They forcibly took his blood sample, saliva, and fingerprints. The officers confiscated a computer and Falun Gong informational materials from his dormitory. Mr. Ji was held in custody for 24 hours before being transferred to the Taoqu Police Station. He was then released on bail but remains under residential surveillance.

Ms. Wang Zhenghe and her daughter Ms. Qiao Maorong from Jiading District were arrested while distributing Falun Gong materials on July 5, 2019. They were taken to the Jiading District Detention Center where Wang was sentenced to a one-year-and-six-month prison term and Qiao to a one-year prison term.

In mid-July 2020, persecutor Xie Xiaoyan brought a young lady claiming to be a lawyer to threaten Qiao. They said if Qiao did not confess or plead guilty, she would face serious consequences, such as not being allowed a trial and being held at the detention center indefinitely.

Ms. Yi Zhaoling was arrested by director Chen Bo of the Haizhu District 610 Office and officer Zhang from the Xingang Police Station on November 18, 2020 while returning to work to look up some files.

Yi was taken to a brainwashing center, where she was ordered to write the three statements. She refused. Chen threatened that if she did not write them, she would not be allowed to leave. Yi went on a hunger strike and was released that evening.

On November 23, however, Chen brought someone to Yi’s home and knocked on the door. Since Yi did not open the door, Chen ordered community staff members to cut off the water and electricity in her home. Yi was compelled to appear at the Haizhu District Justice Bureau on November 24 before water and electricity were restored to her home.

Mr. Zhang Daochang was harassed by Residential officer Chang, director Fang from the Gulin Street Comprehensive Management Office, and director Wang from the community residential committee on November 18, 2020.

In the form of conducting a census, they asked Zhang to fill out a survey and asked him if he still practiced Falun Gong. They told him to sign the paperwork, but he refused.

Director Fang then threatened that if he did not sign, it would adversely impact his pension, his son’s job, and his grandson’s future, and they would continue to take further measures.

Since Zhang refused to cooperate, Fang grabbed his hand, forcing him to fingerprint and sign the statements.