(Minghui.org) Eight residents of Qishan County, Shaanxi Province, are facing indictment for their faith in Falun Gong, an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ten Practitioners Arrested
Ms. Wang Ruiqin, Ms. Ya Lan, Ms. Xu Mingxia, Ms. Jiao Binglan, Ms. Cao Luxia, Ms. Hui Hui, Mr. Zhang Duocai, and Mr. Shao Qihu were studying the Falun Gong teachings at Ms. Li Huiqin’s home on July 10, 2019, when more than 30 police officers suddenly broke in and arrested the nine Falun Gong practitioners.
Another practitioner, Ms. Song Hongqi, had stopped by Ms. Li's home earlier to drop off some home-grown fruit but didn’t stay to read. She left before the police came but was arrested on her way home.
The police ransacked all ten practitioners’ homes and confiscated many of their personal items. They were then held in a local hotel and interrogated. Ms. Song was hit on the head by Chen Yingnian, an agent from the 610 Office, an extralegal agency created specifically to persecute Falun Gong.
Seven practitioners were soon released on bail, with Ms. Xu, Ms. Jiao and Ms. Ya remaining in custody.
Eight Face Indictment
Except for Ms. Song and Mr. Zhang, the other eight practitioners’ cases have been submitted to the local procuratorate. The prosecutor recently summoned the practitioners for a meeting and warned that they would be given longer sentences if they didn’t plead guilty.
Mr. Shao and Mr. Zhang, two of the seven practitioners on bail, have recently been fitted with electronic monitoring bracelets, which has really upset them and their families.
