Opinion ID: 2612
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Li's Application Claim of Past Persecution

Text: In her initial application for relief from removal, Li stated that she began practicing Falun Gong in 1996 in response to various health problems. By 1998, Li was gathering people to practice Falun Gong in a public park, and she was appointed director of a local Falun Gong practice station. After Chinese authorities declared Falun Gong illegal in 1999, Li continued to practice its exercises in her home. She was doing so together with four other persons on December 16, 2000, when police raided her home and arrested all five persons. Li asserts that she was detained for three months, during which time she claims to have been tortured. To secure Li's release, her husband paid 10,000 yuan. Upon Li's return to work, her employer demoted her from a managerial position to a janitorial one. A few months later, Li fled to Canada and then to the United States.