(Minghui.org) A 49-year-old man in Xinmin City, Liaoning Province, completed a two-year prison term on July 25, 2025, for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Mr. Cao Yang, born in February 1977, was arrested on July 26, 2023, and put in the Xinmin City Detention Center. When his lawyer visited him on August 11, 2023, he revealed that the police beat him on the day of his arrest and that he suddenly had pancreatitis that night and passed out due to pain.
A month later, the Liaozhong District Procuratorate issued two indictments against Mr. Cao in a row. The first one accused Mr. Cao of being stubborn in his faith but failed to include any facts regarding his arrest. A new indictment was issued the next day to add “evidence” against him, including the two Falun Gong books confiscated from his rental place and the “solemn declaration” found from his social media chat records (the police searched his phone too).
Mr. Chen was previously twice jailed for a total of 15 years for practicing Falun Gong. Due to relentless torture, he was forced to write a statement renouncing his faith against his will. He later issued a solemn declaration to nullify the statement made under pressure.
Mr. Chen stood trial at the Xinmin City Court on February 29, 2024. Prosecutor Yang Di kept interrupting his lawyer. The presiding judge, Ji Xingzhong, promised to give him a lighter sentence if he “admitted guilt.” His wife was ordered to pay a 20,000 yuan fine on his behalf that day.
Judge Ji sentenced Mr. Chen to two years on March 1, 2024. He was admitted to the Dongling Prison afterward. Nine inmates were assigned to watch him around the clock in three-person shifts. He was not allowed to sleep and was ordered to write statements to renounce his faith. Around May 2025, all inmates were relocated to the Kangjiashan Prison due to construction in the Dongling Prison.
Mr. Chen was released on July 25, 2025.
Mr. Cao is not the only person in his family who has been targeted for practicing Falun Gong. His wife, Ms. Hui Liqi, and his parents, Mr. Cao Guangfu and Ms. Zhao Min, have all been arrested at one point or another during the past 27 years of persecution.
Related Reports:
Reported in 2023: 6,514 Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested or Harassed for Their Faith
Mr. Cao Yang Put on Trial Again Shortly after Serving Nine-Year Prison Sentence
Mr. Cao Yang Unjustly Imprisoned for Nine Years, Recently Arrested Again
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