(Minghui.org) Five women in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, were arrested on October 9, 2024, because they practice Falun Gong. Minghui.org previously reported that two of them were sentenced on July 17, 2026. New information has emerged that the other three had been sentenced earlier, on April 21, 2026.
The Xihu District Court tried Ms. Xu Julian, 69, and Ms. Qiu Deying, 66, together on July 14, 2026, and convicted both of them three days later. Ms. Xu was given one year and 11 months with two years probation and was fined 2,500 yuan. Ms. Qiu received one year and eight months with two years probation and was fined 2,300 yuan.
Ms. Xiao Genxiang, 76, Ms. Shi Xiurong, 73, and Ms. Zhang Xianmei, 73, appeared in the Xihu District Court on April 20, 2026, and were convicted the next day. Ms. Xiao was sentenced to three years and three months and was fined 10,000 yuan. Ms. Zhang was sentenced to two years with two years probation and was fined 2,000 yuan. Ms. Shi was sentenced to one and a half years with two years probation and was fined 1,500 yuan.
The prosecutor in charge of the cases said before the verdicts were issued that the women could be given probation if they agreed to pre-pay their court fines. Ms. Xiao, the oldest of the five, was given the heaviest sentence and was denied probation because she did not pre-pay the court fine.
Ms. Xiao’s Appeal Denied and Likely Serving Time Now
Ms. Xiao filed an appeal with the Nanchang City Intermediate Court, which deposed her in May 2026. Without holding an opening, the higher court ruled to uphold her original verdict. Two officers from the Qingyunpu District Police Department, one surnamed Mao, took her for a physical exam on August 21, 2026. Her blood pressure registered at 215/105 mm Hg (a normal range is 120/80 or lower).
The police sent Ms. Mao, who had been out on bail in the past two years, home, but warned that they would return the next Monday (August 24) and take her for another physical exam. There are no new reports about her, and her friends fear that she might have been sent to jail to start serving her prison term.
The Other Four Women Closely Monitored While on Probation
The other four women serving probation have been subjected to close surveillance since their sentencing. The court installed a surveillance app on their phones and ordered them to deposit 100 yuan into an account every month to pay for the surveillance. They must take a photo of themselves every day and upload it to the app.
The women must also perform community service every week and report to the Qingyunpu Brainwashing Center twice a month to “study” materials that slander Falun Gong.
The court issued a notice calling on citizens to report on “organized crime and gangs.” The four women were each given a copy of the notice, which also included a list of 18 “evil forces.” At the top of the list was “dark forces jeopardizing political stability—specifically the security of the political system and state power—or infiltrating the political sphere,” a pretext used by the communist regime to target the practitioners for raising awareness of the persecution.
Additional Information About Ms. Xiao’s Prosecution
Ms. Xiao was released on bail 10 days after she was arrested on October 9, 2024. She was indicted on May 29, 2025. About one month later, on July 6, she filed a request to drop the indictment. When they heard about this, the police took her for a physical exam on September 23, 2025, intending to put her back in detention. Her systolic blood pressure was 230 mm Hg, and the police had to send her home.
During Ms. Xiao’s trial on April 20, 2026, her court-appointed lawyer was instructed to enter a guilty plea for her. He recommended probation given her advanced age.
The presiding judge reprimanded Ms. Xiao for being impolite as she was not quick to respond to his questions. She had difficulty hearing due to her age-related hearing issues.
Ms. Xiao refuted the prosecutor’s allegation that she was “using a cult organization to undermine law enforcement” (a standard pretext used to frame Falun Gong practitioners). No law in China criminalizes Falun Gong or labels it a cult.
She also testified against the police for fabricating evidence against her. Ms. Xu and Ms. Qiu were arrested near a local maternal and children’s hospital on October 9, 2024, while the women were using a device to send text messages which had information about Falun Gong to cell phone users.
Ms. Xiao said she was arrested at home later that day. The police took her to the hospital and photographed her there. They then claimed that she also sent out text messages using a device like Ms. Xu and Ms. Qiu did.
The police had another “witness” who claimed that Ms. Xiao gave him a similar text-sending-device. The witness however walked back his allegation when he appeared in court for cross examination.
The judge then asked Ms. Xiao why she visited Ms. Luo Yinhua (a practitioner in her late 80s). She said that she was just checking in on Ms. Luo, who was not in good health. The police however alleged Ms. Xiao was holding “an illegal gathering.”
The judge still sentenced Ms. Xiao the day after her hearing. The sentence was exactly the same as the one the 610 Office head threatened to give her while she was held at a brainwashing center following her arrest.
When Ms. Xiao was deposed at the Nanchang City Intermediate Court, an appeals judge asked the same two questions as the trial judge: did she send out text messages outside the hospital and did she visit Ms. Luo.
Ms. Xiao reiterated the same answers and added that the arresting officers didn’t show their IDs or give her a list of the items they confiscated. They instead had the property management in her apartment complex sign the confiscation list on her behalf.
The appeals judge asked if she acknowledged the statement her daughter wrote on behalf of her to renounce Falun Gong. She said no because her daughter was forced to write the statement after being threatened by the police.
Ms. Xiao requested the appeals judge overturn her wrongful conviction. He however ruled against her without holding a hearing.
This is not the first time that Ms. Xiao has been targeted for her faith, which she took up in May 1997 and credits for resolving her heart disease, arthritis, asthma, and bleeding stomach. She was previously arrested five times and give two forced labor terms totaling four years and nine months. She was tortured while she was detained, including being subjected to punitive forced-feeding and beatings.
Related Reports:
76-Year-Old Jiangxi Woman Faces Trial for Her Faith in Falun Gong
Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners by Jiangxi Women's Forced Labor Camp
Jiangxi Woman Suffers Brutal Persecution for Her Faith
Two Jiangxi Women, 66 and 69, Sentenced for Raising Awareness of the Persecution of Falun Gong
Two Jiangxi Women Indicted for Raising Awareness About the Persecution of Falun Gong
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