(Minghui.org) Ms. Pan Xueming, a 65-year-old resident in Dalian City, Liaoning Province, was sentenced to three years for practicing Falun Gong. She developed lung cancer due to the abuses she suffered while in detention. 

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Pan was seized at home during a group arrest on July 10, 2019. The police claimed that the arrests were made in order to “maintain social stability” prior to the 70th anniversary of the Chinese communist regime’s rule. 

Ms. Pan was held at Yaojia Detention Center. Following the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020, the authorities blocked her family from sending clothes or making cash deposits for her. The incarceration, poor living conditions and police interrogations caused Ms. Pan to develop a lung condition and a chronic cough. 

Ms. Pan was sentenced to three years by the Gaoxinyuan District Court around April 2021. The Liaoning Province Women’s Prison denied her admission due to her medical condition. With her term now expiring in weeks, it’s not clear whether she is still held at the detention center or has been transferred to the prison at the time of writing.

According to information collected by Minghui.org, at least 38 Falun Gong practitioners in Dalian were sentenced to prison in 2021, with another 142 arrested and 276 harassed. A total of nine practitioners passed away as a result of the persecution.