(Minghui.org) In February 2025, the Minghui.org website learned of 68 cases of Falun Gong practitioners sentenced to prison for their faith.
The newly-confirmed cases include one that took place in 2023, 28 in 2024, 26 in 2025, and 13 cases with unknown occurrence years. With ever stricter information censorship under the Chinese Communist Party, many details about the practitioners’ indictments, trials, and sentences were difficult (if not impossible) to collect, which caused further delays in reporting.
The sentenced Falun Gong practitioners are from 16 provinces or centrally-controlled municipalities. Jilin topped the list with 20 cases, followed by 13 cases in Liaoning, 7 in Hubei, and 5 in Hunan. The remaining 12 regions had between 1 and 3 cases each.
The practitioners’ prison terms ranged from six months to nine years, with an average of two years and 11 months. Thirteen practitioners sentenced to prison terms from two to five and a half years were fined a total of 171,000 yuan, averaging 13,154 yuan per person.
Among the 39 practitioners whose ages at the time of sentencing were known (57% of the total), the oldest was an 81-year-old woman, who was given three years. Two practitioners were in their 40s, six in their 50s, 11 in their 60s, and 19 in their 70s. The longest term of nine years was given to a 70-year-old woman.
In particular, two practitioners had previously served 17.5 years and 13 years behind bars before they were sentenced again recently.
The following are details of select sentencing cases. The full list of sentenced practitioners can be downloaded here (PDF).
Chinese Judge and Prosecutor: “Don’t Talk to Us about the Law!”
Three residents of Huaihua City, Hunan Province, appeared in the same Zhijiang County Court separately on December 16 and 17, 2024. The judge who presided over the three trials and the prosecutor who charged all three both yelled, “Don’t talk to me about the law” during the proceedings.
Ms. Wu Fangming, 60; Ms. Jiang Changxian, 59; and Ms. Yin Qiuyang, 75, were arrested between September and October 2023. Prosecutor Zhou Yulan of the Zhijiang County Procuratorate indicted them at an unknown time and submitted their cases to the Zhijiang County Court.
Presiding Judge Chen Qingzhen heard Ms. Wu’s and Ms. Yin’s cases in two back-to-back hearings on December 16, 2024, and Ms. Jiang’s the next day. Prosecutor Zhou and judges Li Sixing and Wu Licheng were also present at all three trials.
On the morning of December 16, 2024, several police cruisers and a SWAT vehicle were seen parked in front of the courthouse. A large number of community workers were also dispatched to prevent local Falun Gong practitioners from entering the courthouse. A few practitioners who managed to get close were chased away and shadowed by plainclothes officers. Some practitioners also reported receiving threatening phone calls while on their way to the courthouse.
Ms. Wu’s hearing began at 10 a.m. Only two of her family members were allowed inside. The rest of the gallery seats were filled with people arranged by the court, including agencies overseeing the defense lawyers’ law firms.
Prosecutor Zhou stated that Ms. Wu was arrested on September 28, 2023, after the police who had been following her intercepted a letter she had dropped off at a post office and found that it contained information about Falun Gong. Her lawyers, Mr. Li Chunfu and Mr. Dong Qianyong, both pointed out that the police violated the law by intercepting private letters. They argued that the letter could not be used as admissible evidence against their client.
Judge Chen instructed the prosecution to gather more evidence and adjourned the session. He then resumed the hearing 30 minutes later when the two defense lawyers were out for lunch. The hearing ended just past 3 p.m.
At 4 p.m., judge Chen convened Ms. Yin’s trial. Her non-lawyer defender Mr. Xie Yanyi was hoarse, and she could not hear him clearly. Her son then entrusted the aforementioned lawyer Dong to represent his mother, who was previously jailed for four years (2014–2018) for her faith.
When judge Chen denied the request, Mr. Dong cited relevant laws that allowed for such last-minute requests for additional legal representation in court. Chen and prosecutor Zhou Yulan both yelled, “Don’t talk to us about the law!” Mr. Dong refused to budge and Chen relented.
As the hearing went on, Mr. Xie’s voice got better, and he joined Mr. Dong in defending Ms. Yin. Judge Chen adjourned the hearing at 7 p.m.
Ms. Jiang appeared in court at 2:30 p.m. on December 17, 2024. Mr. Dong served as her defense lawyer, too. He testified that the arresting officers had punched his client in the head after arresting her on October 15, 2023. He also pointed out that eight male officers stripped off her top when she refused to submit to a physical exam, then held her down so the lab technicians could draw her blood, take an X-ray, and do other tests. The police also later deceived her husband into giving statements incriminating her.
Mr. Dong argued that the police-supplied prosecution evidence should be inadmissible. Judge Chen and prosecutor Zhou claimed that he was not welcome in their court and ordered Ms. Jiang to hire a new lawyer in three days. Chen then adjourned the session.
All three practitioners were convicted on February 13, 2025. Ms. Wu was given four years; Ms. Yin, three and a half years; and Ms. Jiang, three years.
Violent Arrests and Unlawful Search of Practitioners’ Homes
Ms. Yan Zhiqiu, 73, from Zhaodong City, Heilongjiang Province, was talking to people about Falun Gong on July 16, 2019, when she was reported and seized by the police. She had a seizure and foamed at the mouth, so the police released her.
The police kept monitoring Ms. Yan in the years that followed. She was arrested again on September 23, 2024, while on her way to visit two relatives (a father and son). During the arrest, Ms. Yan’s relatives condemned the police for trespassing. The police pepper sprayed the son’s face and his eyes turned red. They then handcuffed him and tossed him into their cruiser, where they continued to beat him. After taking the father and son to the police station, the police ordered the older man to sign some paperwork. He refused to comply but was released hours later. His son was taken to a lockup and held for ten days.
Ms. Yan was taken to the local detention center on the day of her arrest. She was indicted by the Anda City Procuratorate at an unknown time and sentenced to two years with a 10,000-yuan fine by the Anda City Court on December 27, 2024.
Ms. Gao Ying of Beizhen City, Liaoning Province, was arrested on May 24, 2022, while working in a field. Because she refused to answer the police’s questions, the officer slapped her in the face, hit her in the ribs, and stabbed her ribs with a pen. The left side of her face, as well as multiple places on her body and arms, were covered with bruises. For the next few days, she was repeatedly denied admission by the local detention center due to her elevated temperature. While she was released soon after, the police took her back into custody in April 2024 and submitted her case to the procuratorate. She was sentenced to 4.5 years by the Linghai City Court in mid-January 2025.
Mr. Zhang Qiping, in his 70s, of Fuyang City, Anhui Province, was arrested at home by over 40 plainclothes officers on February 18, 2024. They refused to produce their IDs or reveal their identities. They raided his home and confiscated his computer, printer, Falun Gong informational materials, and other personal items.
Mr. Zhang was held at the Linquan County Detention Center and denied family visits. The police forced his son to report to them every day. His family learned in February 2025 of his 3.5-year prison sentence and admission to Suzhou Prison, but they still don’t know anything about his indictment, trial, or sentencing.
Elderly Not Spared
Ms. Liu Dianzhu, 81, of Dongfeng County, Jilin Province, was sentenced to three years with a 10,000-yuan fine at an unknown date. She was arrested on August 8, 2024, while studying Falun Gong teachings with seven other practitioners in a private home. The police raided their homes and took them to the Liaoyuan City Detention Center. Six of the practitioners stood trial in the Longshan District Court weeks later and were convicted.
Also in Jilin Province, six Jilin City residents were convicted for their shared faith. Ms. Yin Fuying, 70, was sentenced to nine years; Ms. Jiang Ruihua, 71, and Ms. Lyu Shuzhen were each sentenced to three years; Ms. Xia Guihua, 65, was given two years; Ms. Xu Min, 55, a year and a half; and Ms. Guo Zhongxin, 66, a year and four months. They were all arrested during a police sweep on June 4, 2023, and held in the Jilin City Detention Center. They were later indicted by the local procuratorate. Details about their sentencing aren’t clear.
Detained Despite Serious Medical Conditions
Ms. Zhu Ying, a 62-year-old retired bus driver from Beijing, was arrested on June 4, 2024, while visiting her father in Chengde City, Hebei Province, about 100 miles away. She was home alone when the police broke in. They did not notify her family in Beijing of her arrest until after they took her to the Chengde City Detention Center.
During the required physical exam, Ms. Zhu’s systolic blood pressure read between 200 and 220 mmHg (when a normal range is 120 mmHg or lower). Despite her condition, the Chengde City Procuratorate still issued a formal arrest warrant.
In September 2024, Ms. Zhu felt numb and was unable to walk or talk. Her lawyer requested that she be released on bail given the fact that she was still suffering from complications of a brain tumor she developed in 2020. The police denied the request.
Ms. Zhu was tried in the Chengde City Court on February 10, 2025. She was sentenced to two years three days later.
Ms. Cai Guijiao, 76, of Yueyang City, Hunan Province, was arrested on October 30, 2024, for distributing calendars with information about Falun Gong. She became seriously ill in the local detention center three days later and was admitted to the Guangji Hospital, a private institution owned by retired police officers.
The police submitted their case against Ms. Cai to the Pingjiang County Procuratorate in December 2024. Her family learned of her seven-month prison sentence in February 2025. Because they haven’t been allowed to visit her and were never told that she was prosecuted, they don’t know any details of her indictment, trial, or sentencing. It’s also unclear where Ms. Cai is currently held.
A 75-year-old woman in Changchun City, Jilin Province, is also struggling with poor health while serving time for practicing Falun Gong. Ms. Hong Ying was arrested on May 6, 2024, after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong. Despite the fact that she failed the physical exam required for detention three times, the police still forced the Changchun City Detention Center to accept her. Her family and lawyer were denied visits with her. She was later indicted by the Chaoyang District Procuratorate and sentenced by the Chaoyang District Court. She has been admitted to the Jilin Province Women’s Prison in Changchun to serve a 15-month term.
Targeted for Speaking Up
Mr. Chen Jiuwen of Xinbin County, Liaoning Province, was sentenced to 2.5 years for posting information about Falun Gong on WeChat, a popular Chinese social media platform. He was arrested at home on October 30, 2023, by police from Songyuan City, Jilin Province. It’s not clear why the Songyuan police were involved. He was convicted by the Songyuan City Court. Prior to his latest sentencing, he served a three-year labor camp term and a three-year prison term. While in custody, he was shocked with high-voltage electric batons, hit on the head with a club, and forced to do hard labor without pay.
Mr. Yang Jiangwei, 55, of Suizhong County, Liaoning Province, was given a 14-month term for putting up a self-adhesive sticker reading “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” on a utility pole. The former employee of Liangjin Dayang Electric Power Installation Company was arrested on April 19, 2024, and appeared in the Lianshan District Court on December 26, 2024, and January 16, 2025, before being convicted in February 2025.
Since the persecution of Falun Gong began in 1999, Mr. Yang has served three forced labor terms and a ten-year prison term, totaling 17.5 years. He was only able to spend a bit over seven years with his family during the past 26 years of persecution.
Mr. Zhang Sifeng, around 69, of Wuhan City, Hubei Province, was arrested as soon as he left home after 6 a.m. on May 12, 2024. The police raided his home and took him to the Jianghan District Detention Center. According to an insider, someone received a flash drive containing Falun Gong information two days prior and reported it to the police, who then identified Mr. Zhang by looking at surveillance videos.
Mr. Zhang was indicted by the Hanyang District Procuratorate in October 2024. He appeared in the Hanyang District Court on November 12 and was sentenced to four years at an unknown time.
Mr. Zhang Sifeng
Related Report:
Reported in January 2025: 97 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced for Their Faith
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