Mass Arrest in Longkou: Falun Gong Practitioners and Family Members Detained

23 people were detained in a mass arrest on May 9, 2023 in Longkou City, Shandong Province; 21 of the individuals were Falun Gong practitioners and two were family members.

Beyond detaining individual practitioners, authorities frequently execute coordinated raids or crackdowns on large groups of Falun Gong practitioners. These are often targeted at those who gather to study Falun Gong texts together or operate ‘materials sites’ to distribute information that counters the CCP’s false propaganda about Falun Gong and exposes rights abuses. Other recent mass arrests have been reported in cities in Jilin, Heilongjiang, and Hebei.

Over 100 hundred police officers from eight different police stations across Longkou City participated in the arrests. The officers, in plainclothes and unmarked vehicles, deceived the practitioners into opening their doors by posing as neighbors or local workers.

The police subsequently raided the practitioners’ homes, arresting not only them but also some family members who do not practice Falun Gong. Officers confiscated Falun Gong books, materials related to the persecution of Falun Gong, and other valuable items.

Most of the practitioners have since been released; however, four remain in detention, two are under house arrest, and one has been released on bail.

Of the four practitioners still in detention, Ms. Chen Guifang, Ms. Ge Lijuan, and Ms. Jiao Linhui are being held in the Yantai City Detention Center while Mr. Wang Zhoulin is in the Longkou Detention Center. Mr. Sun Guangjun and Ms. Wang Fengmei are under house arrest, and Ms. Wu Jingkun has been released on bail.

The families of Ms. Chen, Ms. Ge, Ms. Jiao, and Mr. Wang received formal arrest notices on June 14. Subsequently, they went to the Longkou City Domestic Security Office, seeking to have the arrests revoked. They also requested the names, titles, and IDs of the arresting officers but were not provided any information.

The families filed complaints with the Longkou City Procuratorate and the Longkou City Police Department, alleging authorities at the Domestic Security Office violated legal procedures during the arrests.

In retaliation, the authorities intimidated the families who had filed the complaints. Meanwhile, the prosecutor, Ms. Wang Fei, ignored the complaints and proceeded with the prosecutions, indicting the four detained practitioners on July 26. The families were not informed of the indictments until nearly a month later, on August 21.  

At least one of the individuals facing prosecution has faced prior persecution related to practicing Falun Gong. Ms. Jiao Linhui, originally from Tianjin, served a two-year forced labor sentence from 2009 to 2011. Throughout the sentence, her family members were denied the right to visit. Tragically, Ms. Jiao’s husband passed away during her detention, and the family was denied an opportunity to be together before his passing.

Based on an original report by Minghui