(Minghui.org) Four women in Weifang City, Shandong Province, were sentenced on January 27, 2026, because they practice Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Wang Sumei, 69, a retired fertilizer factory worker, was given 18 months; Ms. Wu Aicong, 78, received 16 months; Ms. Yan Jianyun, 77, was sentenced to 14 months; and Ms. Wang Yufen, 80, received 10 months.
The four women were arrested days apart in 2025, by agents from the Fangzi District Domestic Security Office and the Fenghuang Police Station. Ms. Wu was seized on August 29, followed by Ms. Wang Yufen on August 30, Ms. Wang Sumei on September 1, and Ms. Yan on September 3.
The women were taken to the Weifang City Detention Center. Ms. Wang Yufen was released on bail 18 days later. Ms. Yan developed edema during her detention and was released on bail at an unknown time. Her family took her to the hospital for treatment.
Ms. Wang Sumei’s daughter, who was hospitalized after a gallbladder surgery when her mother was arrested, went to the Fangzi District Domestic Security Office with her father after she was discharged. The police promised to release her mother in three days. That did not happen. She contacted them again and was told that her mother would be released in one month, which also did not happen. When she talked to the police a third time, they deceived her father into signing a document with only a seal on it.
The police later submitted the case against the four women to the Fangzi District Procuratorate, which returned the case citing insufficient evidence. The police fabricated additional evidence and eventually got the procuratorate to accept the case and indict the women.
The Fangzi District Court heard the case on January 27, 2026. Ms. Yan and Ms. Wang Yufen were accompanied to the courthouse by their family members. Ms. Wang Sumei and Ms. Wu were seen escorted to the courtroom by bailiffs, and they were in shackles.
The presiding judge repeatedly interrupted Ms. Wang Sumei and Ms. Wu when they were testifying in their own defense. He sentenced all four practitioners at the end of the hearing.
Ms. Wu was previously arrested on June 12, 2018, after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong. She was taken to the Nanyuan Police Station for interrogation. When she refused to press her fingerprints the police punched and kicked her. They took her to the Weifang City Detention Center, which refused to admit her after a physical exam indicated she was unfit for detention. She was brought back to the police station. The police took the 286 yuan in cash she had on her and forced her daughter to pay 300 yuan before they released Ms. Wu at 9:30 p.m.
Five officers from the Fenghuang Police Station broke into Ms. Yan’s home on August 27, 2019. She was not there. They confiscated all her Falun Gong books. They returned the next day to videotape and photograph her against her will. They also forced her to sign some paperwork.
Ms. Wu and Ms. Yan were talking to people about Falun Gong around 7 a.m. on April 10, 2022, when someone reported them to the police. They were taken to the Fenghuang Police Station. They were released around 5 p.m. When they returned to their respective homes they saw the police confiscated their Falun Gong books. Ms. Wu’s music player and portrait of Falun Gong’s founder were also seized. On April 15 and 18, 2022, the police harassed the two women at their homes and ordered them to sign some paperwork. They both refused to comply.