(Minghui.org) Twenty-two residents of Rizhao City, Shandong Province were scheduled to appear in court over the course of three days (December 4-6, 2023) for their faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.

The concerned residents were among about 50 local Falun Gong practitioners arrested on May 12 and 13, 2023. According to insiders, the Rizhao City Police Department began to monitor the targeted practitioners on March 3, 2023 and dubbed their operation “303 Special Case.” 

More than a dozen officials were involved in the special case, including Ding Mingqing (political secretary of the police department), Gao Lei (head of the 610 Office), An Ming, Du Xianglin, Wang Yubao, Wang Yulong, Qin Yujing, Bo Tao, Ding Zhaodong, An Feng, Liu Yuanyuan, three officers surnamed Guo, Yu, and Qin, and several others whose names are not known. They mobilized police stations across various districts and counties to carry out the group arrests on May 12 and 13. 

At least 22 of the arrested practitioners were later indicted by the Wulian County Procuratorate. They were set to appear in the Wulian County Court on December 4 – 6, 2023. It is unclear whether they would be tried jointly or separated into different cases.

Ms. An Fengxia, Ms. Hong Meishuang, Ms. Gong Hua, Mr. Guo Xin, and Mr. Jiang Haibo are awaiting trial at the Rizhao City Detention Center, while the remaining 17 indicted practitioners are all under supervised residence (with some of them staying at home and others at an abandoned police station), including Ms. Qin Chong, Ms. Wang Geng, Ms. Huang Shifang, Ms. Jiang Ying, Mr. Liang Geyuan, Ms. Yang Chuanying, Ms. Zhu Xiuxia, Mr. Han Bangli, Ms. Qin Yuying, Ms. Zhu Xiuzhi, Ms. Fan Zhuling, Ms. Wang Shuhua, Ms. Gao Xiuhua, Ms. Su Cuihua, Ms. Wang Xuli, Ms. Ding Xi, and Ms. Han Gongying.