Maoming City, Guangdong Province: Six Harassed for Their Faith, Two Pass Away

The authorities in Maoming City, Guangdong Province, harassed six local Falun Gong practitioners between August and October 2020 and attempted to pressure them into giving up their faith and signing statements to denounce Falun Gong. Two of the practitioners passed away as a result of the harassment.

Officers who harassed the practitioners included some from the Meihua Police Station, along with Lu Jianguo, head of the Meihua Town 610 Office, an extralegal agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since 1999.

Ms. Chen Yangqing
Ms. Chen Yangqing was harassed at home on August 20, 2020. The officers threatened her and attempted to force her to sign statements renouncing Falun Gong.

Having been targeted for her faith during the past two decades, Ms. Chen was further traumatized by the latest harassment, and her health quickly declined. She passed away on September 24, 2020, at age 67. Eight days later, on October 2, police and 610 Office officials showed up at her home, trying to harass her again.

Ms. Chen wasn’t the only one in her family who passed away as a result of the persecution. Her mother, Ms. Li Heying, died in March 2010, at the age of 82. Before passing away, Ms. Li struggled with poor health for a few years after several arrests and two months of detention in a brainwashing center.

Ms. Lai Juying
Ms. Lai Juying passed away in mid-October 2020 as a result of the harassment. She was 65 years old. More details about her case are being investigated.

Ms. Li Shaoqing
Ms. Li Shaoqing was also harassed on August 20, 2020, and threatened and ordered by officers to sign statements to renounce and denounce Falun Gong. Ms. Li refused to comply.

The officers came back to harass Ms. Li on August 26. As she wasn’t home, the officers threatened her family and insisted on having her sign the statements. Before leaving, they took away a photo of Falun Gong’s founder, a calendar with information about Falun Gong, and a Falun Gong keepsake.

The officers returned again on September 24 and 25 and ordered Ms. Li to sign the statements. She again refused to do so. When she tried to clarify the facts about Falun Gong to the officers, they said that they knew everything she said. They threatened to come back until she signed the statement. They also took away one of Ms. Li’s Falun Gong books.

The officers came back two more times, on October 3 and 4. As she was doing the Falun Gong exercises at home when the police came, they attempted to force her husband to sign the statements for her. Upon hearing the police’s conversation with her husband, Ms. Li came out of her room and stopped her husband. She urged the officers to stop participating in the persecution. They left shortly after.

Other Harassment Cases
On August 26, and October 6 and 7, the officers three times went to Ms. Pan Dongmei’s home and asked her to sign the statements. She refused to comply.

Another practitioner, Mr. Pan Guanghan, was harassed and ordered to sign the statements on August 26 and October 3. He didn’t comply.

Mr. Chen Binggui was harassed and asked to sign the statements on August 26. He firmly rejected.