(Minghui.org) A 70-year-old Chongqing resident was arrested on February 8, 2024 for exposing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s persecution of her faith, Falun Gong, a mind-body practice based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Ms. Yang Li was released one day later after the local detention center denied her admission due to her poor health.

Ms. Yang was targeted after she was reported for talking to people about Falun Gong outside the Guanyinqiao Market in Jiangbei District, Chongqing, in early February 2024. The Daxincun Police Station called her husband on the morning of February 8, asking him to tell her to report to them at 2 that afternoon.

Ms. Yang went to the police station as told and gave the police a copy of her Falun Gong materials, hoping they could learn the facts about Falun Gong. Instead of reading it, the police put the materials in a plastic bag and said it was “evidence” that she broke the law. They also searched her and confiscated four charm amulets bearing Falun Gong messages and some banknotes printed with Falun Gong messages. [As the communist regime blocked all legal channels for Falun Gong practitioners to appeal for their right to practice their faith, they use creative ways to spread messages about Falun Gong.]

The police next took Ms. Yang to the Jiangbei District Police Department and held her there overnight. The next morning they had her undergo a physical examination, and she was found to be unfit for detention. The police still took her to the local detention center in the afternoon. She was found to have high blood pressure and denied admission.

The police eventually released Ms. Yang that night. She learned from her husband that the police raided her home while she was in detention. They confiscated her Falun Gong books, more than ten copies of Falun Gong materials, and lists of people who renounced their membership in the CCP for its persecution of Falun Gong.

The Daxincun Police Station ordered Ms. Yang to report to them any time she was summoned. They also warned her not to go out and talk to people about Falun Gong again. They ordered her to sign statements to renounce Falun Gong, and it’s unclear whether she complied.

This is not the first time that Ms. Yang has been targeted for her faith. She was previously sentenced to four years in prison and detained at least six others times (three times in brainwashing centers, once in a detention center, and twice in a lockup). The details of her past persecution remain to be investigated.