(Minghui.org) In March 2026, Minghui.org learned of 43 cases of Falun Gong practitioners sentenced to prison for their faith.
The sentenced Falun Gong practitioners are from 14 provinces or centrally-controlled municipalities. Shandong reported the most cases (14), followed by Liaoning (eight), Heilongjiang (five), and Jilin (four). Hebei and Henan each had two cases. The remaining eight regions—Sichuan, Tianjin, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hubei, Gansu, Fujian, and Shanxi—each reported one case.
Thirty-five of the practitioners were sentenced to up to five years, and four received 6-10 years. The prison terms of two practitioners were unclear.
Information about the ages at the time of sentencing is available for 30 practitioners, including a 21-year-old man, a woman in her 40s, seven in their 50s, eight in their 60s, 11 in their 70s, and two practitioners aged 85 and 90, respectively.
Selected cases are presented below.
90-Year-Old Man Sentenced to Two Years for Practicing Falun Gong
Mr. Wang Chuanwen, a 90-year-old man in Jinan City, Shandong Province, was recently sentenced to two years with a 3,000-yuan fine. Due to his high blood pressure, he was denied prison admission and subsequently released.
Mr. Wang was arrested on August 20, 2025, after the police received a tip that he had talked to people about Falun Gong on a bus days prior. They showed him the surveillance video from the bus while interrogating him at the police station. He acknowledged that he was the man in the video, but refused to answer their questions.
Mr. Wang was next taken to the hospital for a physical exam. He was found to have a systolic blood pressure of 230 mmHg (normal range is 120 mmHg or lower). The police released him on bail after the local detention center declined to admit him.
Two staffers from the Licheng District Procuratorate went to Mr. Wang’s home on September 17, 2025, and said they received the case against him from the police. They asked him to sign some paperwork, but he refused. He instead wrote on the document, “I am innocent! Falun Dafa is practiced in over 100 countries and regions. It is the police that broke the law.”
The prosecutor forwarded Mr. Wang’s case to the Zhangqiu District Procuratorate. The latter indicted him at an unknown time.
Mr. Wang stood trial at the Zhangqiu District Court on December 22, 2025. He received the verdict on March 3, 2026. Due to his high blood pressure, he was denied admission to prison.
Ms. Liu Fanqin, 75, was admitted to the Chongqing Women’s Prison on March 5, 2026, one day after she lost an appeal of a 2.5-year term for practicing Falun Gong.
Ms. Liu, a former manager at the Beibei District Optical Instrument Factory, took up Falun Gong in 1994 and soon recovered from many ailments. After the persecution started, she held firm to her faith and was repeatedly targeted, including an arrest on June 21, 2003, that resulted in her arms becoming disabled after the police tortured her by hanging her up. She was sentenced to nine years but was released ahead of time on December 20, 2011.
When a new deputy chief was appointed to her local Chaoyang Police Station in early 2025, Ms. Liu delivered some Falun Gong informational materials to him and urged him not to participate in the persecution. He seemed receptive and asked for more materials. She visited him again on April 27, 2025, only to be arrested on the spot. He led his subordinates to raid her home and confiscated her cell phone, laptop, and Falun Gong books.
Ms. Liu was put in the Beibei District Detention Center. On June 22, 2025, the Beibei District Procuratorate transferred the case to the Jiangbei District Procuratorate, which has been designated to handle Falun Gong cases in Chongqing since 2010.
The Jiangbei District Procuratorate indicted Ms. Liu on September 11, 2025. The Chongqing Political and Legal Affairs Committee and Justice Bureau threatened her lawyer with license revocation if he dared to enter a not guilty plea for her.
Ms. Liu was tried by the Jiangbei District Court on November 12, 2025. She testified in her own defense. She argued that no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong and that she should not be prosecuted for exercising her constitutional right to freedom of belief.
The court sentenced Ms. Liu to two and a half years on November 29, 2025. She filed an appeal, which was rejected on March 4, 2026. She was admitted to prison the next day, even though she was unfit for imprisonment, given her arm disability and inability to take care of herself.
21-Year-Old College Student Sentenced to Four Years
A 21-year-old college student from Suining City, Sichuan Province, is serving a four-year term at the Jiazhou Prison, Minghui.org learned in March 2026.
It is unclear when Mr. Gong Yongcheng was arrested, indicted, or sentenced. He was sent to prison in February 2024 and assigned to the new inmates’ team in the fourth division.
The prison guards, head inmate Li Shikuan, and others ordered Mr. Gong to write various statements to renounce Falun Gong. He replied “No” each time as no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong. He also refused to recite the prison rules.
The guards later moved Mr. Gong to the strict management team where he was forced to stand for long hours every day. He was given only half the amount of food the inmates received. Mr. Gong was already thin, and he soon became emaciated.
About four months later Mr. Gong was transferred back to the fourth division and placed in a team for the infirm and the elderly. As no other Falun Gong practitioners were held in that team, the guards felt “safe” that his steadfast faith in Falun Gong would not influence other jailed practitioners.
Mr. Gong’s term is expected to end in 2027.
46-Year-Old Jiangxi Woman Sentenced to Four Years for Distributing Falun Gong Materials
Ms. Jiang Lianhua, 46 and of Nanchang County, Jiangxi Province, was arrested ahead of the Chinese Communist Party’s military parade on September 3, 2025, after she was reported for distributing informational materials to raise awareness of the persecution of Falun Gong.
The police ordered Ms. Jiang to admit “her guilt,” and threatened to sentence her to prison if she didn’t comply. She insisted that she did nothing wrong by exercising her constitutional right to freedom of belief.
Ms. Jiang’s family confirmed in March 2026 that she had been sentenced to four years, but details about her indictment, trial, or sentencing aren’t available. They aren’t allowed to visit her.
78-Year-Old Liaoning Woman Sentenced to One Year, One Week After Latest Arrest
Ms. Wang Jinfeng, 78, who lives in Dalian City, Liaoning Province, did not return home after four police officers took her for a physical exam during the week of March 23, 2026. The exact date is not known. Her family was later told that she was sent to the Dalian City Detention Center and sentenced to one year in prison.
Ms. Wang’s quick sentencing in one week of her latest arrest, however, was unusual even by the communist regime’s standard of rushing the prosecution of practitioners even though in China, it’s not illegal to practice Falun Gong.
Ms. Wang’s family suspects the latest sentencing might have been related to a prior jail term. She was previously sentenced to two years on March 17, 2022, following an earlier arrest in 2020, also for practicing Falun Gong. Due to health reasons, she was allowed to serve time outside of prison. Before her 2022 sentencing, the police took her for physical exams four times and made her pay 4,000 yuan in exam fees. She was deemed unfit for detention and sent home each time.
Because the authorities have kept Ms. Wang’s family in the dark about her latest prosecution details, they do not know how her one-year sentence was handed down.
Three Shandong Women Sentenced to Prison, Denied Due Process
Three residents of Longkou City, Shandong Province, were sentenced to prison on March 13, 2026. Ms. Cui Xiuju, around 70, and Ms. Luan Yanping, in her 50s, were both given three years and nine months, with a 20,000-yuan fine. Ms. Li Yufang, around 70, was sentenced to two and a half years and fined 10,000 yuan. All three have appealed the verdicts.
The three practitioners were arrested on July 17, 2025, while talking to people about Falun Gong at a community fair. None of the arresting officers were in uniform. They handcuffed the practitioners and pushed them into their cruiser.
The police snatched the practitioners’ keys and searched their homes. They confiscated Falun Gong books and informational materials and later used these items as prosecution evidence against the practitioners. The women were taken to the Yantai City Detention Center at 11 o’clock that night. (Yantai City oversees Longkou City.)
The Longkou City Police Department submitted their cases to the Longkou City Procuratorate on August 18. Prosecutor Lyu Shasha indicted all three four days later. When the practitioners’ family defenders asked Lyu as to why she acted so fast on the cases, even before they had submitted their paperwork and legal opinions, she responded, “What’s wrong with processing the cases quickly? We finish working on some cases in just one or two days.”
By law, the procuratorate has one month to investigate a case and make a fully informed decision as to whether to indict a suspect. Prosecutor Lyu indicted the practitioners in just four days without reviewing the family defenders’ defense statements.
On September 30, 2025, Ms. Luan’s family submitted an application to the Shandong Provincial Public Security Bureau, demanding to know the legal basis for the prosecution. The Longkou City Police Department responded on October 31, 2025, saying that such information was “confidential” and they “aren’t authorized” to provide it as open information.
The practitioners appeared at the Longkou City Court on January 23, 2026. Only two family members of each practitioner were allowed to attend the session. When the practitioners’ family defenders requested that the practitioners’ handcuffs be removed, the presiding judge, Zhao Yu, refused the request, claiming that the detention center guards had put the handcuffs on and that the court didn’t have the keys.
The family defenders demanded that prosecutor Lyu and judge Zhao be recused from the case, because the defendants had previously filed complaints against them, creating a conflict of interest. Judge Zhao denied the request, with the argument that it “does not fall under the circumstances stipulated by law.” When the family defenders asked how this could be so, Zhao refused to answer and only asked if they had heard her clearly.
Judge Zhao repeatedly interrupted the family defenders when they were presenting their defense statements. She later even prevented them from asking the defendants any questions. When the family defenders asked the court clerk to make a correction to the court proceedings, the clerk responded, “You should just mind your own business and not interfere with others. Other people’s work has nothing to do with you.”
During the cross-examination stage, prosecutor Lyu didn’t present any actual items in court or call any of the five prosecution witnesses to the stand.
The judge convicted all three practitioners on March 13, 2026.
77-Year-Old Woman’s Microphone Turned Off During Court Hearing, Sentenced to Over Three Years
Ms. Cheng Yurong, 77, of Dalian City, Liaoning Province, was arrested on September 2, 2025, after a man reported her for putting Falun Gong informational materials on his car.
After Ms. Cheng’s case was docketed at the Ganjingzi District Court on January 4, 2026, judge Li Su appointed a lawyer for Ms. Cheng, even though she had her own lawyer.
The court-appointed lawyer visited Ms. Cheng at the detention center on January 30, 2026, and notified her that she was scheduled to stand trial virtually at the detention center on February 4.
Ms. Cheng’s own lawyer went to the detention center on the morning of February 4, but no trial was being held. He called the court and was told that the case was “being processed.”
At 1 p.m. that afternoon, judge Li held a virtual hearing of Ms. Cheng’s case. It is unclear whether her own lawyer had already left the detention center by then and missed the trial.
Ms. Cheng testified in her own defense and recounted how Falun Gong helped her recover from two surgeries and various other diseases. She emphasized that no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong and that her placing Falun Gong materials on that car did not harm the car or its owner.
Judge Li ordered the detention center to turn off Ms. Cheng’s microphone to stop her from talking about Falun Gong.
The court-appointed lawyer did not defend Ms. Cheng. He simply asked for a lighter sentence given her advanced age. The virtual hearing ended in one hour.
On March 31, 2026, Ms. Cheng’s family received a copy of her verdict, which stated that she was sentenced to three years and two months, and fined 20,000 yuan.
Ms. Song Ruixiang, a 74-year-old resident of Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, was arrested at a farmers’ market in Zhaoyuan County on September 8, 2025, after she was reported for talking to shoppers about the persecution of Falun Gong.
When Ms. Song’s lawyer visited her on October 14, 2025, she was in very low spirits. Her systolic blood pressure was over 200 mmHg. She also struggled with emphysema (damaged lung air sacs) and had difficulty breathing and walking. Despite her condition, the Ranghulu District Procuratorate still approved her arrest.
During the first hearing by the Ranghulu District Court on December 10, 2025, Ms. Song’s lawyer and family defender pointed out that prosecutor Feng Guang failed to thoroughly investigate the case before indicting their client. Feng still recommended a 4.5-year prison sentence.
The second hearing was held on March 11, 2026. Feng adjusted his prison sentence recommendation to two and a half years.
Ms. Song’s lawyer testified against the police. The case file did not include the IDs of the arresting officers as required by law. The file also did not include the interrogators’ signatures, the signatures of the people who took the notes, or Ms. Song’s signature on the police interrogation records.
The lawyer reiterated that prosecutor Feng ignored the police officers’ violations of legal procedures and concluded that the police-supplied evidence was inadmissible in the trial.
The family defender argued that no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong and that the “authentication” of the prosecution evidence did not meet the legal requirements.
Despite the lack of legal basis and concrete evidence, judge Zhang Xinle still sentenced Ms. Song to two and a half years with a 16,000-yuan fine shortly after the second hearing.
Police Praised for “Doing a Great Job” in Arresting Woman That Led to Her Prison Sentence
Ms. Yu Yingjie, of Changchun City, Jilin Province, was tending to her bedridden mother at around 6 p.m. on September 15, 2025, when three officers arrived with a summons and a search warrant. They ordered her to call her younger brother to come immediately and take her place in caring for their ill mother.
After Ms. Yu’s brother and husband arrived, the police escorted her out. They also confiscated her cell phone, iPad, and Falun Gong books.
Ms. Yu was targeted because she was followed and video-recorded by police while putting up Falun Gong posters.
Ms. Yu’s husband hired a lawyer to represent her. The lawyer contacted the Jilin Province Public Security Bureau, which directed him to talk to the Changchun City Police Department. He was eventually told that this was a special case directly handled by the police department and that he was barred from representing Ms. Yu. The three arresting officers from the Chongqing Road Police Station were even commended for “doing a great job.”
The Chaoyang District Court sentenced Ms. Yu to two and a half years on March 16, 2026.
Ms. Xia Yilin, a 73-year-old woman in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, was given a fourth prison term because she practices Falun Gong, Minghui.org learned in March 2026.
Ms. Xia was arrested on March 19, 2025, for publicly nullifying the statements she was forced to make while she was previously detained to renounce Falun Gong. Her case was submitted to the Yingze District Procuratorate in June that year. Her family later confirmed that the Yingze District Court sentenced her to three and a half years at an unknown time. She is now serving time at the Shanxi Province Women’s Prison.
Ms. Xia previously served three prison terms totaling 11.5 years (October 2000 – October 2003; September 2015 – September 2019; and June 2020 – December 2024). Her latest arrest came merely months after she completed her third prison term on December 22, 2024.
65-Year-Old Woman Sentenced Five Times to a Total of Nearly 21 Years Since 2000
Ms. Zuo Xiuyun, a 65-year-old woman in Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, was arrested on May 21, 2024. She was sentenced to three years and five months around October 2025. She filed an appeal with the Fuzhou City Intermediate Court, which ruled against her in late December 2025. She was admitted to the Fujian Province Women’s Prison before the Chinese New Year (February 17, 2026), to serve a fifth term.
This is the fifth time that Ms. Zuo, a former kindergarten teacher, has been sentenced for practicing Falun Gong. She previously served four prison terms—a total of 17.5 years (October 2000 – October 2003; June 2004 – June 2010; December 2011 – June 2015; and December 2015 – December 2020). Her husband divorced her while she was serving her first prison sentence. Her brother, a veteran, was also jailed and tortured for practicing Falun Gong.
Reported in February 2026: 31 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced for Their Faith
Reported in January 2026: 41 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced for Their Faith