(Minghui.org) A 55-year-old resident of Suizhong County, Liaoning Province, was arrested on April 19, 2024 for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999. The Suizhong County Procuratorate is considering whether to issue a formal arrest warrant for Mr. Yang Jiangwei.
This is not the first time that Mr. Yang has been targeted for his faith. He has been able to spend only a bit over seven years with his family during the past 25 years of persecution. Prior to his latest arrest, he served three forced labor terms totaling 7.5 years, between 2000 and 2008. Not long after he completed his third forced labor term, he was arrested again in February 2008 and later sentenced to ten years in prison.
Mr. Yang’s employer, Liangmiandayang Power Company, was pressured to fire him, and he then had to do odd jobs to make ends meet. His mother was so devastated by his repeated arrests that she fell ill. She remained bedridden for six years before passing away in 2022. Her husband, 84, suffers from severe hearing loss and vision problems. After Mr. Yang’s latest arrest, the elderly man became depressed and lost his appetite.
Details of Latest Persecution
Mr. Yang was putting up a self-adhesive sticker reading “Falun Dafa is good” on April 19, 2024, when he was stopped by officer Guo Tiejun from the Gaoling Town Police Station and a woman of unknown identity. Guo was wearing plainclothes at the time but took out his uniform from his cruiser to show Mr. Yang. The woman held Mr. Yang’s car door to stop him from leaving.
Guo called in another cruiser and arrested Mr. Yang. Captain Wang Baomin of the Suizhong County Domestic Security Division led a group of officers to raid Mr. Yang’s home. They confiscated one copy of Zhuan Falun, the main teaching of Falun Gong, two music audio players, and four calendars.
Mr. Yang’s father became very emotional upon seeing the police arresting his son again. Wang threatened to arrest the elderly man too. Mr. Yang’s younger sister was also present, and she urged Wang to stop persecuting law-abiding citizens like her brother.
Chief Xu Bo of the Gaoling Town Police Station notified Mr. Yang’s wife that night that he had been given three days of administrative detention. On Monday (April 22), the fourth day, Xu put Mr. Yang on criminal detention and extended the detention duration to seven days.
Mr. Yang’s lawyer and wife visited the Gaoling Town Police Station on April 24, 2024 to submit applications to represent him in the case. They also demanded that his case be dismissed. Chief Xu was not in and the receptionist called him for directions. Xu instructed officer Chang Yu to take the applications. Chang took a look and returned the paperwork to the lawyer. He said he needed further instructions before he could accept the applications.
Officer Guo, who arrested Mr. Yang, showed up and ordered Mr. Yang’s lawyer and wife to leave the police station, citing an order from the Suizhong County Domestic Security Division.
Mr. Yang’s lawyer and wife refused to leave and kept urging the police to not prosecute an innocent person. After an almost three hour standoff, the police still refused to accept the application. They returned Mr. Yang’s impounded car that night however.
Mr. Yang’s lawyer and wife went to the Suizhong County Procuratorate afterwards to file a complaint against the police station for refusing to accept their application to represent Mr. Yang. The appeals office within the procuratorate initially declined to talk to them, and they managed to talk to the chief inspector, who then instructed the appeals office to hear their concerns.
The police submitted the case to the procuratorate on the afternoon of April 25, 2024. Mr. Yang’s lawyer submitted four documents to the procuratorate the next day, including “a request to not issue an arrest warrant,” “a request to exclude inadmissible evidence,” “Mr. Yang’s father’s request to release him on bail,” and “Mr. Yang’s wife’s letter to explain their family’s situation.”
Prosecutor Kang Qi, in her 30s, deposed Mr. Yang at the detention center on April 26, 2024. She has still not made a decision whether to issue a formal arrest warrant for Mr. Yang.
Related Reports:
Yang Jiangwei Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison after Enduring Seven Years of Forced Labor
Yang Jiangwei Severely Persecuted at Nanguanling Prison
Yang Jiangwei Imprisoned Since 2008, Family Visitations Denied
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