(Minghui.org) In July 1999, Jiang Zemin, the former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), ordered the persecution of Falun Gong. He mobilized all state apparatus to defame Falun Gong and marginalize the practitioners. Even after he stepped down and died, his successors continued to follow the same eradication policies to “ruin their reputations, cut off their financial resources, and destroy them physically.”
During the past 26 years, countless practitioners have been harassed, arrested, detained, tortured, and even killed for their organs. In recent years, the bloody live organ harvesting further expanded to the general public in China, with many young people disappearing without a trace.
During the congressional hearing “China’s War on Religion: The Threat to Religious Freedom and Why It Matters to the United States” on November 20, 2025, former Ambassador Sam Brownback said, “China is at war with faith. It is a battle for control of their people. The CCP annually spends billions of dollars in their own country to suppress, contain, control, deceive or eliminate all religious entities that do not have the CCP as their leader. Religious freedom is seen as an existential threat to the communist leadership. ... We should strongly back these oppressed people of faith.”
On December 10, 2025, International Human Rights Day, it’s imperative for the world’s people to become aware of the ongoing atrocity and demand that the CCP immediately stop the religious persecution and killing of innocent people.
Below are selected, recent persecution cases that provide a glimpse into the abuses faced by practitioners in China every day.
Death Cases
71-Year-Old Liaoning Woman Dies in Prison While Serving 4 Years for Her Faith in Falun Gong
Ms. Wang Yan, 71, of Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, died on May 9, 2025, while serving a four-year term in the Liaoning Province Women’s Prison.
Ms. Wang was arrested at home on March 5, 2022, after being reported for distributing Falun Gong informational materials in a residential area. She was released on bail three days later after having 5,000 yuan extorted from her. The police took her back into custody on July 20, 2022.
The Dadong District Court later sentenced her to a four-year prison term. She was admitted to the Liaoning Province Second Women’s Prison on February 15, 2023, and died there on May 9, 2025.
Ms. Wang was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was still in the detention center. According to prison rules, those with severe illnesses shouldn’t be admitted, and if she had applied for medical parole, she should have been allowed to serve time at home. Despite her condition, the prison not only admitted her, but also forced her to write statements and record videos renouncing Falun Gong against her will, and subjected her to other forms of abuse.
The prison rules also state that inmates 65 or older who have severe illnesses should be assigned to the elderly and infirm division and exempted from doing forced labor. But Falun Gong practitioners jailed at the prison are never assigned to the elderly and infirm division, regardless of their ages or physical conditions.
71-Year-Old Man Tortured to Critical Condition While Jailed for His Faith, Dies in Hospital
Mr. Tang Fenghua, 71, of Chongqing, was tortured to critical condition in Yongchuan Prison, for his faith in Falun Gong. He was taken to the Chongqing Second Hospital and died there on April 17, 2025.
Due to strict information censorship and the cover-up of the persecution, it’s not clear when Mr. Tang was arrested (likely late 2021 or early 2022) or sentenced. It was reported that he was serving a prison term of either 4 or 4.5 years and was expected to finish serving his term sometime in 2025.
Mr. Tang, the owner of a furniture store, had been repeatedly targeted since the onset of the persecution in 1999. He had previously served two prison terms for a total of five years.
A 45-year-old woman in Benxi City, Liaoning Province, died on November 8, 2025, three days after being admitted to the Liaoning Province Women’s Prison to serve a five-year term for her faith in Falun Gong. Black viscous fluid flowed out of her mouth when the coroner turned her over.
Ms. Chen Yan’s parents noted that her eyes were open, her was mouth agape, and her hair was matted. They were not given the autopsy report, and refused to sign a consent to have her body cremated. Several prison guards insisted that the elderly couple send in an “appreciation flag” to “thank” the prison for taking their daughter to the hospital to have her treated for “heart failure,” but a hospital doctor revealed that she showed no signs of life when she was brought in.
Ms. Chen was arrested on July 14, 2024, and sentenced to five years with a 5,000-yuan fine on June 26, 2025. She was admitted to the Liaoning Province Women’s Prison on November 5, after her appeal was denied by the Benxi City Intermediate Court.
Prison Torture
Ms. Wang Wei, a 68-year-old resident in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, was sent to the Liaoning Province Women’s Prison on September 16, 2025 to serve a four-year term.
Her family was not allowed to visit her until October 10. They were shocked to see she was reduced to just skin and bones after just one month in prison; her hair had turned gray, wrinkles covered her face, and she could hardly recognize her daughter.
With fear in her eyes, Ms. Wang told her daughter not to seek justice for her again. Her daughter’s heart ached, and she was sure her mother must have been threatened to say certain things during the visit, which was ended by the team lead after about 20 minutes.
According to insiders, Division 12 officials designed a comprehensive transformation plan in February 2025, aimed to force Ms. Wang to renounce her faith in Falun Gong, while she was still waiting for the result of her appeals. They trained the inmates assigned to monitor her how to implement the plan.
Ms. Wang was arrested on July 12, 2024, and was sentenced to four years and fined 2,000 yuan on December 26, 2024. Her appeal was rejected on April 15, 2025.
While serving a five-year term for her faith in Falun Gong, Ms. Fan Wenfang wasn’t only tortured to the point of being unable to walk, but was also injected with unknown drugs, resulting in her becoming confused, dazed, and unable to recognize people.
Ms. Fan, in her 70s and a former obstetrician in Fuyang City, Anhui Province, was arrested in July 2022 and sentenced to five years at an unknown date. After she was admitted to the Anhui Province Women’s Prison, she was brutally tortured for refusing to admit she was “guilty” for practicing Falun Gong, and refusing to recite the prison rules, or sing pro-CCP songs.
A group of inmates knocked her down one day and punched and kicked her. They also knelt on her, slapping her in the face and yanking her hair. When she screamed in pain, they stuffed her mouth with a dirty rag so forcefully that the corners of her mouth were torn and bleeding. They later grabbed her arms and dragged her around on the ground, breaking the skin on her buttocks and heels. Other newly admitted inmates were horrified to see the brutality taking place before their eyes.
The perpetrators left after beating Ms. Fan wore them out. She managed to pull herself up, and reported the beatings to the guard on duty. The guard asked, “Who beat you? Who witnessed the beatings?”
Two Jiangxi Women Tortured in Prison While Incarcerated for Practicing Falun Gong
Two women were subjected to brutal torture while serving time in Jiangxi Province Women’s Prison. Ms. Cheng Laihua, in her 60s, was arrested on July 8, 2023, and is serving a four-year term. Ms. Zhu Lanhui, 53, was arrested on July 13, 2023, and is serving a 3.5-year term.
According to an insider, Ms. Cheng was held at the prison hospital at one point. She recounted her suffering, “The guards beat me and didn’t allow me to sleep. I felt drowsy all day and they ordered me to renounce my faith.”
Ms. Zhu held firm to her faith, and the guards instructed inmate Luo Huilan to monitor her. Luo only gave her one basin of water every day to brush her teeth, clean herself, and do laundry. She was also subjected to marathon brainwashing aimed at forcing her to renounce her faith.
Luo beat Ms. Zhu in late March 2025 for “non-compliance.” Instead of disciplining Luo, the guards handcuffed Ms. Zhu and hung her up by the cuffs to a window frame with her feet off the ground for more than ten days.
Ms. Zhu went on a hunger strike in protest. Upon learning of her abuse, Ms. Cheng also went on a hunger strike to show her support. Guard Dai Wenjing subjected Ms. Cheng to the same hanging torture Ms. Zhu suffered and did not allow her to use the restroom. Ms. Cheng had to relieve herself in her pants.
Sentencing Cases
Changde, Hunan Province: 10 Sentenced for Their Faith, One Previously Incarcerated for 24 Years
Ten Falun Gong practitioners in Changde City, Hunan Province, were sentenced to up to five years in prison for their faith on November 12, 2025. Their appeals are pending.
The ten practitioners were among the over 30 locals arrested during a police sweep between 5 and 7 a.m. on November 30, 2023. Their homes were also ransacked. They appeared in the Taoyuan County Court on November 12, 2025, and were convicted at the end of the trial.
Prior to their latest sentencing, some of the practitioners have been repeatedly targeted for their faith in the past 26 years, spending decades behind bars.
Ms. Wang Xiaoqun, 76, a retired employee of the Changde City Bureau of Commerce, previously served two labor camp terms totaling four years. She was also sentenced to 7.5 years on May 18, 2006, four years on July 21, 2016, and 3.5 years on July 28, 2020, all by the Wuling District Court. She was released on March 23, 2023, only to be arrested eight months later and sentenced to another five years. Her total labor camp terms and prison sentences add up to 24 years.
Ms. Liu Xianju, 64, was arrested during a police sweep on December 16, 2009. She was later sentenced to ten years by the Changde City Court on November 4, 2010. She was sentenced to 3.5 years and fined 5,000 yuan this time.
Ms. Yin Hong, 54, used to work in a bank, but was later fired for upholding her faith. She was sentenced to eight years on May 18, 2006 and four years on July 21, 2016. Her latest prison sentence was 3 years and 9 months.
Six Hebei Residents Sentenced in Shandong Province
Six Dongguang County, Hebei Province residents were recently sentenced in Shandong Province, because they practice Falun Gong.
Ms. Li Zhenying was sentenced to four years. Ms. Cheng Guijun and Mr. Yu Yongli both received three years. Ms. Zhang Wenping was sentenced to two years. Mr. Men Bingcheng was given one and a half years. Ms. Song Guifen was sentenced to one year. They were also fined between 3,000 and 10,000 yuan. Five of them (names unknown) have appealed the verdicts.
The six practitioners were arrested on June 19, 2024, after police in neighboring Ningjin County, Shandong Province discovered that they went to the local community fair in their jurisdiction, to talk to people about Falun Gong. The police monitored them for six months before arresting them.
The practitioners were held at the Dezhou City Detention Center in Shandong Province. Dezhou oversees Ningjin.
The Ningjin County Court held three hearings, on April 18, August 12, and August 13, 2025. During the first hearing, all five family defenders were blocked from entering by the bailiffs. The lawyer representing Ms. Zhang was also stopped at the gate, as he was waiting for one of the family members.
With no other way to stop the hearing, the practitioners’ families decided to dismiss the lawyers (except for the lawyer who represented Ms. Zhang, as he wasn’t allowed to enter the courtroom).
During the second and third hearings in August, five of the practitioners testified in their own defense and five of their lawyers also entered not guilty pleas for them.
Minghui.org learned about the practitioners’ verdicts on November 14, 2025.
61-Year-Old Retired Teacher Sentenced to Seven Years
Ms. Duan Xiaorong, a 61-year-old retired teacher in Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, took her 86-year-old mother, Ms. Ding Cuiying, out for a walk in the courtyard of the apartment complex on June 24, 2025. While her mother stayed in the courtyard to enjoy the sun, Ms. Duan left briefly to do some grocery shopping, only to be arrested by police. They ignored her plea that she needed to go back and take her mother home. She had to call her daughter to help pick up her mother. Ms. Ding was so devastated by Ms. Duan’s arrest that she fell ill and passed away in late September.
Ms. Duan was later indicted by the Ranghulu District Procuratorate. She was originally scheduled to attend an in-person hearing at the Ranghulu District Court on October 15, 2025, but the judge changed it to a virtual session that morning without prior notice. She was sentenced to seven years with a 60,000-yuan fine on November 19.
Arrest and Harassment Cases
At least 43 Falun Gong practitioners in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province were arrested around the time of the CCP’s military parade that took place in Beijing on September 3, 2025.
The CCP regularly targets Falun Gong practitioners around major events or anniversaries in order to prevent them from taking those opportunities to raise awareness about the persecution that has been going on for the past 26 years.
According to insiders, the Liaoning Province Public Security Bureau directed the operation, with various police departments and police stations participating. The police wore civilian clothes during the arrests, and raided the practitioners’ homes without search warrants.
Jinan City, Shandong Province: Nearly 40 Local Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in One Day
Nearly 40 Falun Gong practitioners in Jinan City, Shandong Province were arrested on September 29, 2025. Ordered by a special task force under the Jinan City Political and Legal Affairs Committee and 610 Office, the local police stations arrested the practitioners, including three married couples, according to a name list. The authorities had monitored the practitioners’ daily routines for months before the arrests.
The arrests started early in the morning, and the practitioners were taken to the case processing centers in various districts for interrogation, before being sent to various detention centers. Some were interrogated again while held at the detention centers.
Mr. Fang Yusheng, a 60-year-old retiree from the Shandong Province Family Planning Commission, was arrested after 7 a.m. by officers from the Changqing District Police Department and Shunyu Road Police Station, after they deceived him into opening the door. The police spent three hours ransacking his home. His wife, also a Falun Gong practitioner, was arrested as well. Mr. Fang was admitted to the Jinan City Third Detention Center and his wife was taken to the Jinan City Detention Center at around 1 a.m.
Police Officer Grabs Hand of Man in Vegetative State to Fingerprint Statements Renouncing His Faith
After continued police harassment for his faith in Falun Gong, a man in his sixties suffered a brain hemorrhage in May 2024 and fell into a vegetative state. Despite his condition, the police continued to harass him and attempted to get his signature on their prepared statements renouncing Falun Gong.
Mr. Zhao Changyou, of Anyang City, Henan Province, was arrested in August 2023, and his home was ransacked. He was held at the Anyang City Detention Center for ten days. After he was released, the police continued to harass him. In May 2024, he had a brain hemorrhage at work.
The police and township government officials didn’t stop harassing Mr. Zhao after he fell into a vegetative state, and they demanded that his family sign the renunciation statements on his behalf.
On the afternoon of December 2, 2025, police officer Wang Zhijun and village secretary Li Chunping broke into Mr. Zhao’s home, and again ordered his wife to sign the statements. As she still refused to comply, Li signed Mr. Zhao’s name on the statements and Wang grabbed Mr. Zhao’s hand to fingerprint the documents.
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