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Man Detained for His Faith, Family and Neighbors Harassed

August 26, 2017 |   By a Minghui correspondent in Hebei Province, China

(Minghui.org) While a Tangshan City resident remains detained for his faith, his family and neighbors are subjected to ongoing harassment from police.

Mr. Wang Baoshan was seized at work on July 3, 2017. According to insiders, he was targeted because he was suspected of hanging up banners bearing messages about Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime.

Lin Wenjun, head of Fengrun District Domestic Security Office, and his officers snatched Mr. Wang’s car key and house key and ransacked Mr. Wang’s house when no one was around. They confiscated Mr. Wang’s computer, printers, and around 80,000 yuan of cash.

Mr. Wang’s wife, who does not practice Falun Gong, returned home from grocery shopping to find police at her home. Her phone and three yuan of change were confiscated. She was next taken to the local police station for interrogation. Police didn’t release her until five hours later.

She learned the next day that her husband was being held at Tangshan City Lockup. She tried to visit him there but was barred outside. She then called Lin, who immediately hung up when he heard who she was.

Wednesday, July 5, was the lockup’s open house day, but Mr. Wang’s family was still denied visits. They were told that his was a “special case” and that higher-ups had given instructions that Mr. Wang was not to be allowed any family visits.

Mr. Wang’s wife and relatives went to the lockup on July 18 and saw Zeng Xianghai, deputy head of Fengrun District Domestic Security Office, and another officer. The family requested to see Mr. Wang, but Zeng called in three more officers who videotaped and shoved the family. The police said they were there to move Mr. Wang to the Fengrun District Detention Center.

The family rushed to the detention center but were told that Mr. Wang was not there. Hours later, Mr. Wang’s wife received a notice of administrative detention from the police, which confirmed that her husband was indeed at the detention center.

The police kept harassing Mr. Wang’s family at home. They took his son to the local police station at around 7 p.m. on August 5. The young man wasn’t released until one hour later. Police came at him again in a few days, but this time he refused to open the door.

Mr. Wang’s neighbors were also harassed. They told Mr. Wang’s wife and son that the police questioned them about who Mr. Wang had contact with and what they knew about his family.

This is not the first time that Mr. Wang has been targeted for his faith. He was once detained for 15 days in December 2015 for filing a criminal complaint against former Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin for initiating the persecution of Falun Gong. He sued the arresting officers upon his release, but the local court refused to take his case.