(Minghui.org) A resident of Luodai Town, Sichuan Province has been indicted and is facing trial for speaking out for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body improvement discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Her brother, also a Falun Gong practitioner, was arrested while working with her lawyer to seek justice for her.
The sister and brother's arrests dealt a heavy blow to their 87-year-old father. He went into shock and passed away shortly afterwards.
Arrested for Removing Propaganda Poster
Ms. Yuan Xuefen, 55, is a hairdresser in Luodai Town. She was arrested on May 21, 2018 for removing a poster attacking Falun Gong.
The police body-searched Ms. Yuan and confiscated her cellphone and Falun Gong materials found in her purse. She was kept at Pi County Detention Center in Chengdu City. Her arrest was approved on June 28, 2018. Her parents, son and daughter-in-law were asked to go to Luodai Police Station to sign her arrest warrant on June 30.
Her family found out on October 15 that her case had been returned to the police for more evidence.
On November 5, her father, Mr. Yuan Guangchang, her 85-year-old mother, brother and son were arrested when they went to the police station to demand her release. Her elderly parents were kept at the police station for several hours and released that evening; her son and brother were detained for seven days.
Prosecutor Tao Dongmei from Longquanyi District Procuratorate later accepted Ms. Yuan's case, which was resubmitted by the police. She indicted Ms. Yuan and forwarded her case to the district court. No court appearance has been scheduled for Ms. Yuan at the time of writing.
While working with the lawyer to defend Ms. Yuan, her other brother, Mr. Yuan Bin was arrested on January 24, 2019, twelve days before the Chinese New Year. His arrest has been approved by the procuratorate and he also faces further prosecution. Prior to his latest ordeal, Mr. Yuan, a former school teacher, has served eight years in prison and one year in a forced labor camp for not renouncing his faith.
Persecuted for Speaking Out for Her Faith
Ms. Yuan used to suffer from kidney infection and gynecological disorders. She tried different medicine and practiced several schools of qigong to improve health, but to no avail. Several weeks after she practiced Falun Gong, she was surprised to see most of her conditions disappear, and she has remained healthy for the past 20 years.
Because of speaking out for Falun Gong after the communist regime ordered the persecution in 1999, Ms. Yuan was repeatedly targeted for her faith.
She went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong in July 2000 and was arrested. She was kept at Huairou County Detention Center for a week. Two of her hair salons were forcibly closed by the police during her detention. The officers looted her shops and threatened the landlord from renting the place to Ms. Yuan again.
Ms. Yuan was arrested again on December 28, 2001. The police took her back to her hometown in Nanchong City (about 130 miles from Luodai Town) and attempted to send her to the forced labor camp. After the Nanchong authorities refused to take her case, she was brought back to Luodai Town. Although the police released her shortly afterwards, they continued to monitor her daily activities.
