(Minghui.org) A 34-year-old woman in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, is appealing a wrongful prison sentence of three years and three months for her faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since 1999.
Ms. Liu Runmiao
Ms. Liu Runmiao was arrested on March 20, 2025, by officers from the Yingze District Police Department and the Haozhuang Police Station. Her home was ransacked. She was held at the Taiyuan City Fourth Women’s Detention Center. Prosecutor Li Xinquan of the Yingze District Procuratorate indicted her in July 2025.
Ms. Liu appeared in the Yingze District Court on August 14, 2025. Judge Li Donglin sentenced her to three years and three months with a 5,000-yuan fine.
Ms. Liu appealed with the Taiyuan City Intermediate Court in October 2025. Appeals judge Min Jia has indicated an intention to uphold her original verdict, but no formal ruling has been issued yet.
Ms. Liu’s mother, Ms. Liu Guihua, around 56, also practices Falun Gong. To avoid being arrested herself, the elder Ms. Liu has been forced to live away from home.
Below, Ms. Liu Runmiao’s younger brother recounts the persecution the family had endured over the past 27 years.
Family’s Ordeal
Taking Up Falun Gong
As I remember it, my childhood was filled with hardship and bitterness. My parents struggled with poor health and had bad tempers. My mother received so many injections that the skin on her buttocks was badly damaged.
In the spring of 1999, my parents started practicing Falun Gong. Within a couple of months, they had completely recovered their health. They also became more considerate.
Once, my father, Liu Wuyun, was hit by a car and thrown into the air. Before he landed, he felt a giant, warm hand holding him. He ended up uninjured. I had a similar experience when the brakes in my car suddenly stopped working while I was driving on the highway. I flew into the air, but only had some scratches on my skin.
During the pandemic, I read Zhuan Falun, the main text of Falun Gong, and decided to start practicing Falun Gong. I live by the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and my friends support me in practicing my faith and becoming a better person. Many have offered help in different ways.
Father’s Passing
Shortly after the persecution began, my father—our family’s main breadwinner—was given one year of forced labor. My mother was arrested and detained as well. I felt like my whole world had collapsed. We relied on financial support from other Falun Gong practitioners to get by. After my mother was released, she took me to the labor camp many times to visit my father, but the guards always kept us outside the gate. They said, “As long as he doesn’t give up Falun Gong, he won’t be allowed to have family visitations.”
One night in 2004, the police broke into our home while we were sleeping, and arrested my parents again. My father was later sentenced to three years. I was nine years old at the time. My 13-year-old sister stepped forward to support us by selling vegetables harvested from our farm. She injured her knees during that time.
In 2009, the persecution escalated. One day, I returned home from school to be told that my parents had been detained again. My mother was sentenced to three years. I stayed with my grandmother. Due to the relentless persecution, I dropped out of school and started working to support my family.
Even after my parents were released, the police continued to harass us. We were forced to live out of town and were afraid to return home.
Before the Mid-Autumn Festival in September 2024, my father passed away. The police arranged for a neighbor to monitor us during the funeral. Local government officials also harassed us after we returned home.
Sister’s Arrest
My sister was arrested in March 2025. During the arrest, an officer hit her hard on the temple twice. They took the 50,000 yuan that we had painstakingly saved.
Because I wrote letters seeking justice for my sister, I was arrested and detained for 15 days.
Now, my mother has been displaced. However, I always remember what she told me: that the police are the real victims of the persecution. No matter how hard they persecute us, I shouldn’t harbor resentment, but rather compassion, for them.
The persecution won’t defeat us. I believe that one day, justice will prevail.
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