(Minghui.org) Between June 2018 and April 2019, Taiyuan police carried out three mass arrests of Falun Gong practitioners. Over 20 practitioners were affected, many of them forced to pay large fines.

The practitioners in each group were monitored and tracked for months before they were arrested.

First Mass Arrest: Eight Senior Practitioners Imprisoned

Officers from the Yingze Police Department arrested seven Falun Gong practitioners at home on June 25, 2018. They were: Ms. Wang Suping (67), Mr. Luo Baojun (62), Ms. Sun Zhifen (60), Ms. Zhang Qingxiang (69), Ms. Zhang Runying (71), Ms. Guo Runxian (68), Ms. Tian Yuqin (60), and Ms. Hu Lanying (65). Then, on October 8, they arrested 72-year-old Ms. Wang Lanmei at her home.

When they appeared in Yingze Court on April 2, 2019, all of these practitioners were handcuffed and had their feet chained, despite their ages. During her rebuttal, Ms. Wang talked about the benefits of Falun Gong and that the practice was welcomed in over 100 nations and only suppressed in China. Prosecutor Ren Xingui and judge Guo Xiaoqin interrupted her many times and told her she wasn't allowed to mention the name “Falun Gong.”

The attorney for one practitioner said that the police had produced fake witnesses, that his client's home had been ransacked without a warrant, and that she was arrested without a warrant. The attorney also said that all the evidence was produced at a later date. In short, everything that was done was illegal and the practitioners were framed.

During closing arguments, prosecutor Ren slandered Falun Gong. When Ms. Sun tried to protest, the judge and other officials stopped her, so she called out, “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!”

After being detained for nearly a year, all of them were sentenced to prison terms of from one to 10 years and fined as follows:Ms. Sun Zhifen, 60, 10 years, fined 30,000 yuanMs. Wang Suping, 67, 10 years, fined 30,000 yuanMs. Zhang Qingxiang, 69, 6 years, fined 20,000 yuanMs. Tian Yuqin, 60, 6 years, fined 20,000 yuanMr. Luo Baojun, 62, 5 years, fined 20,000 yuanMs. Zhang Runying, 71, two years, fined 10,000 yuanMs. Guo Runxian, 68, one year, fined 6,000 yuanMs. Hu Lanying, 65, one year, fined 5,000 yuan

Second Group Arrest: Six Senior Practitioners Arrested and Homes Ransacked

Dozens of officers from the Yingze Police Department, Yingze Police Station, and Changfeng Police Station arrested six practitioners on the evening of October 19, 2018; ransacked their homes; and confiscated personal items. All the officers were in plainclothes and pretended to be water utility workers to deceive the practitioners into opening their doors.

These practitioners were: Ms. Chen Yuhua (in her 60s), Ms. He Aihua (in her 60s), Ms. Zhang Fengying (in her 70s), Ms. Yao Yuling (in her 60s), Ms. Ren Qinghua (78), and Ms. Ren's husband Mr. Chen (85).

Ms. He’s blood pressure was 245 and Ms. Chen had heart problems, but they were still taken to the Gujiao Detention Center in Taiyuan City.

Four practitioners were put under house arrest due to poor health, including Ms. Zhang, Ms. Yao, and Ms. Ren, and Ms. Ren's husband.

These practitioners’ health improved significantly after they started to practice Falun Gong. For example, Ms. Zhang suffered from severe rheumatoid arthritis and had deformed joints. She could not take care of herself until after she practiced Falun Gong. Ms. Yao and Ms. Ren both had been diagnosed with cancer. But after they began to practice Falun Gong, they recovered and have lived cancer-free for more than 20 years.

Third Mass Arrest: Six Practitioners Arrested

Agents from the Taiyuan Police Department and Jiaohuafang Police Station arrested six practitioners on the morning of April 20, 2019. They were: Ms. Zhang Aiying and three practitioners from Jiaohuafang, Ms. Li Lianying, and Mr. Han from Jiancaoping. Ms. Zhang was detained for 15 days; the whereabouts of the other practitioners are unknown.

Police had followed them for about two months prior to their arrests. Videos were taken when these practitioners clarified the facts about Falun Gong and put materials in bike baskets. The mass arrest order came from the Taiyuan Police Department.

Key Parties Responsible:

Liu Xinyun, Party secretary of Shanxi Province Police Department. Liu was also former deputy director of the Zibo 610 Office.Ma Runsheng, director of the Taiyuan Police DepartmentWei Min, Party secretary of the Taiyuan Political and Legal Affairs CommitteeHan Mizhong, deputy director of the Taiyuan Police Department: +86-13903435368