(Minghui.org) Today's news from China includes incidents of persecution that took place in 20 cities or counties in 11 provinces, where at least 31 practitioners were recently persecuted for their belief.

1. [Dongying City, Shandong Province] Ms. Shang Zhaoxiang Taken to Prison
2. [Suining City, Sichuan Province] Mr. Liao Banggui Taken to Prison
3. [Xishui County, Hubei Province] Mr. Fan Desan Arrested
4. [Shenyang City, Liaoning Province] Ms. Li Shuzhen to Lose Nine Years of Wages
5. [Beijing] Ms. Yang Wanxin’s Home Ransacked
6. [Wuwei City, Gansu Province] Ms. Zhi Fulan and Ms. Tang Yumei Harassed
7. [Heihe City, Heilongjiang Province] Mr. Liu Haikang Taken to Detention Center
8. [Dalian City, Liaoning Province] Three Practitioners’ Cases Turned Over to Procuratorate
9. [Tangshan City, Hebei Province] Ms. Ma Shuzhi and Ms. Du Junyun Arrested; Mr. Zhang Guochen Harassed
10. [Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province] Ms. Sun Ruitao Detained
11. [Chengdu City, Sichuan Province] Ms. Peng Shuhua Tried the Third Time
12. [Hechi City, Guangxi Autonomous Region] Practitioner’s Family Member Ms. Tan Yelian Arrested
13. [Zhengzhou City, Henan Province] Mr. Guo Baojun Appealed
14. [Suining City, Sichuan Province] Ms. Li Yuqiong and Another Female Practitioner Detained
15. [Changchun City, Jilin Province] Ms. Wu Shuzhen Arrested
16. [Linyi City, Shandong Province] Mr. Gong Yanquan’s Home Ransacked
17. [Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province] Ms. Zhang Li Harassed
18. [Beijing] Mr. Wu Jinchun Detained
19. [Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province] Mr. Wang Shuangchun Arrested
20. [Shantou City, Guangdong Province] Mr. Weng Yibiao Sentenced to Prison
21. [Handan City, Hebei Province] Three Practitioners Arrested
22. [Changchun City, Jilin Province] Ms. Luo Jiaqiong Officially Arrested
23. [Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province] Ms. Zhang Yili Harassed Several Times

1. [Dongying City, Shandong Province] Ms. Shang Zhaoxiang Taken to Prison

Ms. Shang Zhaoxiang was taken to the Shandong Province Women's Prison on July 14, 2020. She was arrested by Dongying City Domestic Security officers on November 24, 2018. She was sentenced to three years in prison after being held in custody for over a year. After she was transferred to prison, her family has not been allowed to visit her.

2. [Suining City, Sichuan Province] Mr. Liao Banggui Taken to Prison

Mr. Liao Banggui, 72, was given a three-year-and-ten-month prison term on June 18, 2020. He was taken to the Jiazhou Prison on July 10. In order to resist "transformation," Mr. Liao is on a hunger strike, and his condition is now critical.

3. [Xishui County, Hubei Province] Mr. Fan Desan Arrested

Officers from the Xishui County Police Department and the Police Station broke into Mr. Fan Desan’s home and arrested him on August 17, 2020. They ransacked his home and confiscated tens of thousands of paper bills with Falun Gong information printed on them, among other items. Mr. Fan’s current whereabouts are not clear.

4. [Shenyang City, Liaoning Province] Ms. Li Shuzhen to Lose Nine Years of Wages

Ms. Li Shuzhen from the Yuhong District was previously sentenced to nine years in prison. Ms. Li is a retired worker, and the Social Security Bureau of the Yuhong District will withhold all her wages for the period when she was in prison.

5. [Beijing] Ms. Yang Wanxin’s Home Ransacked

Ms. Yang Wanxin’s home in Shijingshan District was ransacked by officers from the Shijingshan Police Department and the Lugu Police Station.

6. [Wuwei City, Gansu Province] Ms. Zhi Fulan and Ms. Tang Yumei Harassed

Ms. Zhi Fulan and Ms. Tang Yumei from Yongfeng Town, Liangzhou District were harassed by the police in mid-August 2020. They were questioned about the source of their Falun Gong materials. The police confiscated a Falun Dafa book from them.

7. [Heihe City, Heilongjiang Province] Mr. Liu Haikang Taken to Detention Center

Mr. Liu Haikang from Bei’an City was transferred from the Bei’an Police Department to the Bei’an City Detention Center on August 19, 2020.

8. [Dalian City, Liaoning Province] Three Practitioners’ Cases Turned Over to Procuratorate

Ms. Qi Yan, 57, was recorded by a video surveillance camera while she was distributing Falun Gong materials in a residential community on April 2, 2020. She was arrested by officers from the Qixianling Police Station. Her home was ransacked, and a laptop, tablet, printer, DVD burner, Falun Dafa books, and printed materials were confiscated.

She was placed under police surveillance. Her case was turned over to the Ganjingzi Procuratorate on August 14, 2020.

The cases of Ms. Zhang Cui and Ms. Li Xinping, 58, were turned over to the Ganjingzi Procuratorate on August 13 and 14, 2020. Ms. Li was followed and arrested when she distributed Falun Gong materials on April 2. Her home was ransacked.

9. [Tangshan City, Hebei Province] Ms. Ma Shuzhi and Ms. Du Junyun Arrested; Mr. Zhang Guochen Harassed

Ms. Ma Shuzhi and Ms. Du Junyun from the Majiagou Sub-district, Kaiping District, were arrested when they talked to people about Falun Gong at the Kaiping Farmers' Market on August 9, 2020. The police ransacked their homes and tore down the calligraphy writings on their doors. Both practitioners were taken home that night.

Mr. Zhang Guochen from Jinghualou Residential Community, Kaiping District, was harassed at home by four people, who claimed to be from the Liyuan Town government, on the afternoon of August 21, 2020. Mr. Zhang was required to sign a form they had prepared to not practice Falun Gong. The people claimed that it was an order of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, and failure to sign would adversely impact the future of his child.

10. [Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province] Ms. Sun Ruitao Detained

Ms. Sun Ruitao was arrested by officers from the Longgang Police Department on August 20, 2020. She was made to undergo a physical exam. She was taken to the Taikang Detention Center on August 21, where she was detained for four days to wait for the court's judgment.

11. [Chengdu City, Sichuan Province] Ms. Peng Shuhua Tried the Third Time

Ms. Peng Shuhua was tried for a third time by the Xinjin County Court on August 13, 2020. The presiding judge announced that the date of the next court hearing would be decided in 10 days.

12. [Hechi City, Guangxi Autonomous Region] Practitioner’s Family Member Ms. Tan Yelian Arrested

A practitioner’s family member Ms. Tan Yelian, 44, from Yizhou District, was arrested in front of her home by Wei Zengyou, deputy chief of the police department, on the morning of August 21, 2020.

13. [Zhengzhou City, Henan Province] Mr. Guo Baojun Appealed

Mr. Guo Baojun from Houzhai Township, Erqi District, was held in the Zhengzhou City No. 3 Detention Center.

It was learned on August 7, 2020, that he has appealed to the Zhengzhou City Intermediate Court.

14. [Suining City, Sichuan Province] Ms. Li Yuqiong and Another Female Practitioner Detained

Ms. Li Yuqiong, 54, and another female practitioner were arrested by plainclothes officers when they distributed Falun Gong materials on downtown streets on August 20, 2020. They were held in the Zhenjiangsi Police Station, and interrogated by Domestic Security officers.

Four Domestic Security officers ransacked their homes in the afternoon. They confiscated 10 Falun Dafa books, DVDs, and two MP3 players.

Both practitioners were taken to the local detention center for 10 days of detention.

15. [Changchun City, Jilin Province] Ms. Wu Shuzhen Arrested

Ms. Wu Shuzhen, 68, from the Hengdacheng area, was arrested by officers from the Fenjin Police Station around August 15, 2020. Her home was ransacked.

16. [Linyi City, Shandong Province] Mr. Gong Yanquan’s Home Ransacked

The police ransacked Mr. Gong Yanquan’s home in Chongshan Township, Mengyin County, on July 14, 2020. They confiscated a computer, a printer, and Falun Dafa books.

17. [Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province] Ms. Zhang Li Harassed

Personnel from the Huale Sub-district Administration Office, Yuexiu District, harassed Ms. Zhang Li several times on August 21, 2020. They threatened to send her to a “legal study class,” which was actually a brainwashing center.

18. [Beijing] Mr. Wu Jinchun Detained

Mr. Wu Jinshun from Huairou District was recorded by video surveillance cameras when he talked to people about Falun Gong and delivered Falun Gong fliers on the morning of August 5, 2020. He was arrested and taken to the Shunyi Detention Center.

Officers from the Shunyi Police Department, the Huairou Police Department, the Yangsong Police Department, the 610 Office, and the Domestic Security Division arrived in four police cars at Mr. Wu's home and ransacked the place that day. They confiscated Falun Dafa books and printed materials.

Mr. Wu was taken to the Shunyi Detention Center. After 15 days of detention, he was released on bail for one month.

19. [Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province] Mr. Wang Shuangchun Arrested

Mr. Wang Shuangchun was recorded by video surveillance cameras when he was distributing Falun Gong materials on July 26, 2020. He was arrested by officers from the Anning Police Station, Yuci District, the following day. His home was ransacked and DVDs of lectures given by Falun Gong's founder were confiscated.

He was taken to a detention center for 15 days of detention by Shen Jianjun, head of the Domestic Security Division, and other officers. He returned home on August 11.

20. [Shantou City, Guangdong Province] Mr. Weng Yibiao Sentenced to Prison

Mr. Weng Yibian from the Chaoyang District was sentenced to 18 months in prison by the Chaonan District Court in July, 2020.

He was arrested by the Chaonan District police in February 2020 for talking to people about Falun Gong.

21. [Handan City, Hebei Province] Three Practitioners Arrested

Ms. Li Jun’e and Ms. Zhang Hongxia from Yuangu Township, Feixiang District, were arrested by officers in their township on February 10, 2020, when they posted Falun Gong materials.

The police pressured them for the source of the Falun Gong materials. They forced them to provide information about themselves and their family members. Their homes were ransacked. They were released after three hours of interrogation.

The next day, the police notified both practitioners’ husbands to go to the police station. They asked the husbands who their wives often contacted. The police later repeatedly called and threatened the two families, who were placed under huge pressure.

Both practitioners were taken to the police department on the afternoon of July 11, 2020. At the police department, the officers measured their height, collected their fingerprints, footprints, and blood types, recorded their voices, and also conducted cornea tests.

Ms. Zhang was helping her mother with household chores, and her mother Ms. Yang Xifeng was also arrested. The police tried to force both of them to press their fingerprints on a form which stated that one would no longer practice Falun Gong. Both women refused to cooperate. The police threatened to arrest them again if they did not put their fingerprints on the form.

22. [Changchun City, Jilin Province] Ms. Luo Jiaqiong Officially Arrested

Ms. Luo Jiaqiong, 71, from Jingyue District, was arrested by officers from the Caiyu Street Police Station when she distributed Falun Gong materials on August 1, 2020. Her home was ransacked, and her Falun Dafa books and DVDs of Falun Dafa lectures were confiscated. Ms. Luo was released that night after being forced to pay 700 yuan.

The officers returned to Ms. Luo’s home on August 10 and took her to the Changchun City No. 4 Detention Center. She was officially arrested by the Kuancheng District Procuratorate on August 19.

23. [Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province] Ms. Zhang Yili Harassed Several Times

Ms. Zhang Yili, 57, was harassed several times by plainclothes officers after August 13, 2020. They attempted to force her to sign guarantee statements renouncing Falun Gong. She refused.