Police Rescue Turns Into Persecution: Woman in Bike Accident Arrested and Imprisoned for Her Faith

A bicyclist in China. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

After a woman fell from her bike while out on a ride, the police were called to assist her. But instead, they arrested the woman for carrying materials about her faith. The woman was detained and then transferred to a mental hospital where she was forced to take drugs that have caused her to have persistent hallucinations, according to the Minghui.org, a website that documents the persecution of Falun Gong in China.

The woman, named Yu Qionghua, was riding her bike in Kunming City, the capital of the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan on May 5. She was carrying materials about the meditation practice known as Falun Gong, a peaceful belief-system that focuses on self-improvement and teaches its adherents to follow the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance.

Yu fell off her bike, and bystanders called the police to help her out. But when the police arrived, they saw the Falun Gong literature. Instead of helping Yu, they arrested her. She was detained for two weeks, then transferred to a mental hospital where she was forced to take drugs.

The Chinese regime has banned Falun Gong since it began a brutal crackdown on the practice in 1999. Adherents have suffered 20 years of persecution under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Around 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners march in the World Falun Dafa parade in New York on May 13, 2016. Edward Dye/Epoch Times

Police Rescue Turns to Persecution

Yu, 51, was described as having a small and frail stature, according to Minghui.org. On the evening of May 5, she was out riding her bike in Kunming City, but fell off. When police arrived to assist her, they found that she had materials in her bag that told of the atrocities committed by the CCP against practitioners of Falun Gong.

Instead of taking her to the hospital, the police took her directly to a detention center.

On May 6, the police took Yu to her house, but not to send her home. When Yu’s 79-year-old mother answered the door, she asked them, “What are you ransacking us for? We don’t have anything,” according to Minghui.org.

The police told Yu’s mother that they were searching for the materials that they found on her daughter. However, after illegally searching the house, they found nothing, and took Yu away once more.

Later that same day, a police officer threatened Yu’s parents with a notification that their daughter would be detained for three to four years. Yu’s 92-year-old father couldn’t eat for several days after hearing the news.

To make matters worse, Yu was the only family member looking after her elderly parents.

Drugs and Confinement: Punishment for One’s Faith

On May 11, Yu’s mother, with the help of other family members, began demanding that the police release Yu from custody. The police made an excuse that they are not allowed to directly release detained individuals, and said that if the family members agree to send Yu to a mental hospital for one week, she would be turned over to the family, the report said.

The family members said that Yu had no mental illnesses, and that there was no reason to send her there. However, the police responded that if they did not comply, Yu would still be detained. Under these conditions, the family members complied with the police coercion, and agreed to have Yu sent to a mental hospital.

While Yu was in the detention center, she was persistently shackled by the wrists and ankles. At the same time, she was forced to consume unknown drugs, the report said.

After Yu was sent home, her two hands have remained numb at all times. She has difficulty maintaining consciousness, and sleeps all day. When she is awake, she constantly says that she has to move out of the house and live elsewhere. All of these symptoms are by-products of the CCP’s persecution against Yu.