(Minghui.org) A woman in Shouguang City, Shandong Province, was sentenced to three and a half years and fined 20,000 yuan on February 2, 2026, because she practices Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since 1999. Ms. Ren Chunlian, in her 60s, said she planned to appeal the wrongful conviction after hearing the verdict.
Ms. Ren was arrested on April 22, 2025, by Dong Zhihua and other officers from the Jitai Police Station. Although she failed the required physical exam several times, the Shouguang City Domestic Security Office still managed to get her admitted to the Weifang City Detention Center. Weifang oversees Shouguang.
Ms. Ren’s health declined in the detention center. She was taken to the Weifang Hospital and examined every few days. She was found to have gallstones and a shadow on on her lung. She was forced to take several kinds of medication but she was not told what they were for. She fainted and didn’t come to until hours later.
In July 2025, the lawyer hired by Ms. Ren’s daughter went to the Jitai Police Station to update the police on her medical conditions and demand that she be released on bail. The arresting officer, Dong, claimed that he handed over the case to his counterparts in the Shouguang City Domestic Security Office.
Ms. Ren’s daughter and lawyer went to the Shouguang City Domestic Security Office and were told that deputy director Zhang Linfeng was in charge of her case. The lawyer called Zhang and demanded Ms. Ren’s release on bail for medical treatment. Zhang asked for a written request and hung up.
Ms. Ren’s daughter and lawyer also went to the Shouguang City Procuratorate and informed the prosecutor in charge of the case, Sang Zijun, of Ms. Ren’s medical conditions. Sang said it was impossible for Ms. Ren to be released for medical care.
When Ms. Ren’s daughter did not hear from Zhang, she called him two days later. Zhang stopped her from talking and said that he was “handling the case according to the law” and that she “should not have any hope that her mother would be released on bail.” He hung up and wouldn’t answer when she called again.
Ms. Ren was still forced to take medications every day.
Prosecutor Sang indicted Ms. Ren at an unknown time. During her hearing at the Shouguang City Court on October 16, 2025, she felt extremely dizzy, and judge Chen Shengyun adjourned the session.
A second hearing was held on October 27, 2025. Ms. Ren’s three daughters were present. Her lawyer refuted the allegations against her and demanded her acquittal.
Prosecutor Sang recommended a prison sentence of 3.5 to 4 years. One of Ms. Ren’s daughters questioned what legal basis he had to sentence a law-abiding citizen like her mother who just wanted to live by Falun Gong’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance. Sang did not respond.
During the sentencing hearing on February 2, 2026, judge Chen announced he would sentence Ms. Ren to three and a half years with a 20,000-yuan fine. She said she planned to appeal.
Shandong Woman Faces Prison Sentence for Her Faith, Struggles with Poor Health While Detained