(Minghui.org) A 74-year-old woman in Xinyang City, Henan Province, was recently sentenced to one and a half years for her faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Zhang Qiuju was arrested in late June 2025 by Gao Zhihai and Li Shiwei of the Shihe District Domestic Security Office. She was held at the Xinyang City First Detention Center. Minghui.org confirmed in January 2026 that she was convicted by the Huangchuan County Court, and that she has appealed the verdict.
This is not the first time that Ms. Zhang has been targeted for upholding her faith in Falun Gong. She was previously sentenced four times.
First Prison Sentence (Term Unknown)
Ms. Zhang was arrested in 2000 by agents from the Shihe District Domestic Security Office. They took her to a remote area to torture her. They punched her so hard that her face was badly bruised. They also yanked out some of her hair. In order to prevent others from hearing her screams, they covered the windows with comforters. Ms. Zhang was sentenced a few months later, though the exact prison term was unclear. When her family visited her, her face was still deformed and bruised.
Second Prison Sentence (Three Years)
Ms. Zhang’s next arrest was on June 10, 2009, again by agents from the Shihe District Domestic Security Office. She was later sentenced to three years in the Henan Province Women’s Prison in Xinxiang City.
Third Prison Sentence (Five and a Half Years)
Ms. Zhang distributed informational materials about Falun Gong on February 17, 2015, and handed a copy to an agent from the Shihe District Domestic Security Office, unaware of his identity. He arrested her on the spot. She was sentenced to five and a half years by the Shihe District Court in August 2015 and admitted to the Henan Province Women’s Prison in mid-November 2015. She was subjected to various forms of torture, including solitary confinement, sleep deprivation, and denied restroom use, for refusing to renounce her faith.
More Arrests and Harassment
Officer Zhao Mingya of the Shihe District Domestic Security Office broke into Ms. Zhang’s home in October 2022 and accused her of mailing letters containing information about Falun Gong to them. Her media player, which she used to do the Falun Gong exercises, was confiscated. She was taken to the Gongqu Road Police Station for a brief interrogation.
Officers from the Gongqu Road Police Station called Ms. Zhang many times on January 3 and 4, 2023, ordering her to report to the them. She refused, and was forcibly taken to the police station on January 9. The police attempted to take her biometrics. She strongly resisted and they couldn’t obtain them. Her legs, arms, and fingers were injured as a result of the struggle.
Fourth Prison Sentence (One Year)
Ms. Zhang was arrested again on May 16, 2023, while talking to people about the persecution of Falun Gong. The police accused her of being a fugitive and detained her at the Xinyang City Detention Center. She was later sentenced to one year, and her appeal was denied.
Woman Previously Jailed Three Times Detained Again for Her Faith in Falun Gong