(Minghui.org) Ms. Jin Zhimei, 49, in Kunming City, Yunnan Province, was sentenced to five years in September 2026 because she practices Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Jin was arrested at her home around 11 p.m. on March 25, 2026, by officers from the Lufeng City Domestic Security Office, the Chuxiong City Domestic Security Office, and the Guandu District Domestic Security Office in Kunming City. Both Lufeng City and Chuxiong City are under the administration of Chuxiong Prefecture and about 100 miles away from Kunming. Ms. Jin grew up in Lufeng City.
A local court held a virtual hearing of Ms. Jin’s case in September 2026 without notifying her family. She was then sentenced to five years. Other details of her prosecution are unknown. She is likely still held at the Lufeng City Detention Center.
Taking Up Falun Gong Amid Ongoing Persecution
Ms. Jin suffered numerous chronic diseases including cystitis, pharyngitis, a breast lump, asthma, sinusitis, recurrent colds, and coughing. Her poor health also resulted in her quick-temper, and she had endless conflicts with her family.
While hospitalized at the Kunming City Chinese Medicine Hospital in April 2008, Ms. Jin ran into a Falun Gong practitioner who told her about the amazing health benefits of Falun Gong. She became interested and started reading Falun Gong books and doing Falun Gong exercises.
All her symptoms gradually disappeared. She also became a calmer and more considerate person.
A Prior Prison Sentence
Ms. Jin was arrested on the night of July 18, 2017, after being reported for giving out two CDs containing Falun Gong information to a passerby near Taoyuanhu Park in Chuxiong City. The police searched her and confiscated 76 CDs and over 30 banknotes printed with Falun Gong messages.
Ms. Jin was sent to the Chuxiong Prefecture Detention Center the next morning. Officers from the Chuxiong City Police Department threatened her family to not hire a lawyer for her or she would face a heavy sentence. Her loved ones were not intimidated.
When the lawyer went to the detention center to visit her, he was turned away as the police had instructed the detention center to not grant any meetings without their approval.
The lawyer protested the illegal police instruction and insisted he be allowed to see his client.
Two officers who were in charge of the case came to the detention center on September 28, 2017, to inspect the lawyer’s license and other documents. He was eventually granted a meeting.
Ms. Jin told the lawyer that she’d have long died if she didn’t practice Falun Gong. She expressed her determination to never submit to the police demand to renounce her faith.
The police later went to Lufeng City to question her parents and brothers. They also interviewed her supervisor and coworkers. They all said that she was a good daughter, sister, and colleague.
The Chuxiong City Police Department still intended to prosecute her. Her case was assigned to the Dayao County Procuratorate. Dayao is also under the administration of Chuxiong Prefecture.
Ms. Jin stood trial on March 22, 2018. Her lawyer pointed out that no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong. The CDs and banknotes the police confiscated could not be used as evidence against her as she did not cause any harm to anyone or society at large.
The Dayao County Court still sentenced Ms. Jin, though the exact prison term was unknown.
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