(Minghui.org)
Name: Ma KunfangChinese Name: 马坤芳Gender: FemaleAge: 85City: LiaoyangProvince: LiaoningOccupation: retired physicianDate of Death: May 27, 2025Date of Most Recent Arrest: November 6, 2020Most Recent Place of Detention: N/A
An 85-year-old retired physician in Liaoyang County, Liaoning Province, died on May 27, 2025, after suffering years of persecution for her faith in Falun Gong.
Ms. Ma Kunfang took up Falun Gong in 1998 and soon recovered from her numerous diseases. After the communist regime launched a nationwide campaign against Falun Gong in July 1999, she went to Beijing to appeal for it and was arrested and briefly detained. She returned to Beijing in October 1999 and was arrested again. She was taken back to Liaoyang and detained for over twenty days.
After another arrest in February 2001, Ms. Ma was detained for an unknown amount of time. Following her release, she lived away from home for over two years to avoid further persecution.
Ms. Ma was arrested one more time on August 10, 2006, and held at the Shizuizi Brainwashing Center. The police seized her at home on the morning of November 6, 2020, and interrogated her in a dark room at the Liaoyang County Police Department. They bound her to a metal chair, with her hands and feet shackled to the chair. Ms. Ma refused to answer any questions.
When Ms. Ma was released from the chair five hours later, her wrists were swollen and bruised. She had pain in her back and legs. Her legs were also numb, and she was unable to walk on her own. With the help of her family, she returned home that evening on bail.
Ms. Yu was taken to the Liaoyang Detention Center the next day. Due to her high blood pressure, she was refused admission and released.
The police later submitted Ms. Ma’s case to the Dengta City Procuratorate. She was tried by the Dengta City Court on March 29, 2021, and sentenced to 3.5 years. It was unclear where she served time and whether she was released in May 2024 as scheduled.
After she returned home, Ms. Ma still faced police harassment from time to time. They ordered her to renounce Falun Gong, and she lived in fear. Her health declined, and she passed away on May 27, 2025.
80-year-old Retired Physician Sentenced to 3.5 Years for Her Faith