(Minghui.org) A total of 937 incidents of Falun Gong practitioners being arrested or harassed for their faith were reported in July and August 2025.
The 937 cases included 468 arrests and 469 harassment cases. Among them, 319 practitioners had their homes ransacked and 12 were held in brainwashing centers. Some of the persecution took place in earlier years. The delay in reporting was due to the information censorship in China under the communist regime, which made it difficult for Minghui correspondents to collect, verify, and report the data in a timely manner.
At least 159 practitioners were 60 or older at the time of their arrests or harassment, including 43 in their 60s, 61 in their 70s, 53 in their 80s and two in their 90s. The oldest was a 92-year-old man in Jixi City, Heilongjiang Province, who was harassed along with his 86-year-old wife.
The 937 practitioners hailed from 27 provinces, autonomous regions or centrally-controlled municipalities. Hebei reported the most combined cases of 170, followed by 139 in Heilongjiang and 120 in Shandong. Fifteen regions had double-digit cases between 10 and 75. The remaining nine places had registers single-digit cases between 1 and 7.
Arrests and Harassment Before the CCP’s Military Parade
Ahead of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) massive military parade on September 3, 2025, Falun Gong practitioners across China faced intensified arrests and harassment. The CCP regularly targets Falun Gong practitioners ahead of 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.
In Beijing, Ms. Deng (first name unknown), 85, found herself being followed by two security officers whenever she went out in late August 2025. She said to them, “The communist regime has guns, cannon, and an army. Why are you afraid of an 85-year-old woman like me?” The officers remained silent.
Other practitioners in Beijing also reported being harassed at home and videotaped by the police. Some residential committee staff warned the practitioners not read uncensored news online.
Starting on August 26, 2025, the police and/or residential staffers in Shanghai began to monitor certain practitioners around the clock. They said the surveillance would last nine days until the military parade concluded on September 3. The police even became very nervous when these practitioners’ family members went out.
In Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province, Ms. Li Huihui and her grandmother, Ms. Qiu Zhiyun, 82, were arrested on August 6, 2026. The police searched their shared residence and confiscated a number of personal belongings. Ms. Li said to the police that she wasn’t their enemies. The police responded, “You are the enemy.”
In addition, nine practitioners in Bin County, Heilongjiang Province, were detained, arrested, or harassed on August 18, 2025. And between 30 and 40 practitioners in Dehui City, Jilin Province, were arrested or harassed on August 28, 2025.
Police Violence During Arrests
Hebei Man Beaten to Unconsciousness Twice by Police
Mr. Ma Yongxiao, a 42-year-old resident in Handan City, Hebei Province, felt a bit under the weather on February 19, 2025 and went to bed early. He was sound asleep at 11 p.m. when he felt someone yanking his arms really hard. Still recovering from a left arm injury, he screamed in pain. It turned out that more than 20 officers had just broke in. They pushed him to the ground, handcuffed him, and peppered him with punches and kicks until he went limp and no longer moved.
The police beat Mr. Ma again after ransacking his home and tossing him into a cruiser. He had already lost consciousness at that point. When he came to, he found himself in an elevator with his face covered. The police beat him again.
One of them then said, “Let’s stop. We’ve beaten him too hard.”
Another replied, “Well, the higher-ups instructed us to do so!”
The elevator then stopped. The police kept beating Mr. Ma and dragged him outside. He again passed out.
After he came to, he found himself in a torture chamber with his hands cuffed and feet shackled. It was cold, but he was still in his thin pajamas with no shoes. He was confused and lost coordination of his limbs. He began to talk nonsense and exhibited symptoms of a seizure.
He heard an officer comment, “Maybe we arrested the wrong person.” Another replied, “We can’t release him even if it’s the wrong person.”
When the police took Mr. Ma to the police hospital, the doctor said he was lucky to be still alive after such savage beatings.
Without allowing him to receive further treatment, the police took Mr. Ma to the detention center. The guards handcuffed so tight that the cuffs cut into his flesh. The wounds festered and oozed blood and pus. He was released on bail around May 2, 2025.
Mother of Three Young Children Given Violent Physical Examination
Ms. Jin Yu, of Cang County, Hebei Province, was arrested on May 13, 2025, for mailing a complaint letter against the police for persecuting her in the past for her faith in Falun Gong. The police grabbed her hair and dragged her into their cruiser.
At 8 a.m. on May 14, 2025, Ms. Jin’s mother-in-law took her three children to the Cang County Domestic Security Division to seek her release. Captain Zhao Junfeng kept the older woman in custody for about four hours before releasing her.
Meanwhile, Ms. Jin was taken for a physical examination. Seven police officers held her down to do an electrocardiogram, a chest X-ray, and a blood draw. The detention center guards declined to admit Ms. Jin upon seeing her results. Captain Zhao, who punched Ms. Jin on the head and back during the checkup, said that he had permission from the local Political and Legal Affairs Committee and the detention center director, Ma, to detain her.
While Ms. Jin remained in custody, her three young children cried for her every day.
Hebei Man Beaten After Arrest and Teeth Became Loose
Mr. Xi Zhaojun, a middle school teacher in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, was arrested on July 8, 2025, while on the way to Shangdu County, Inner Mongolia. He was first held at a lockup in Shanghdu and then transferred to a detention center in Ulanqab City on July 24.
On the way there, three officers kept slapping Mr. Xi in the face. His face became swollen and bled. They also inserted the buckle of the safety belt into his mouth to pry his teeth. When he tried to dodge, they stabbed his eyes with the buckle and threatened to put him in a psychiatric hospital.
When Mr. Xi’s lawyer visited him eight days later, his face was still swollen and his mouth continued bleeding. Several of his teeth became loose and he also had mouth ulcer.
Detained Despite Medical Conditions
Late Stage Lung Cancer Gone in Eight Days of Practicing Falun Gong, Retired Police Officer Detained for 15 Days for His Faith
Mr. Li Zhongxiao, a 74-year-old retired police officer in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, recovered from late stage lung cancer eight days after he began to practice Falun Gong in 2006, but he was detained for 15 days in August 2025 for upholding his faith.
Mr. Li Zhongxiao
Seven plainclothes officers broke into Mr. Li’s home in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province on August 14, 2025. They interrogated him throughout the day without giving him any food.
Around 4 p.m., five officers returned to Mr. Li’s home for a raid, when no one was in. They confiscated his desktop computer, printer, Falun Gong books, informational materials, cell phone, keys, 2,500 yuan cash and some other personal items. No list of confiscated items was provided.
Mr. Li was taken to the Weikang Hospital around 1:50 a.m. on August 15 for a physical exam. Only then did the police give him a bread. The exam report indicated that he had abnormal electrocardiogram results and dangerously high blood pressure (systolic pressure reading 160 mmHg, when the normal level is 120 mmHg or lower).
Given Mr. Li’s medical conditions, the police didn’t take him to the detention center immediately, but drove him to the Central Hospital affiliated with Shenyang Medical College in the afternoon for another exam. It’s not clear what was the result, but Mr. Li was admitted to the Tiexi District Detention Center and held there until August 30.
Following Mr. Li’s arrest, his family frequented the Gongren Village Police Station to demand the police to provide proper legal documents regarding his arrest and detention. The police didn’t allow the family to ask any questions and refused to issue any notices. When the family returned to the police station for further inquires, the officers were either “out of town” or “on vacation.”
Mr. Li was confirmed to have late stage lung cancer in April 2006 and the doctor said he had at most two or three months left. Knowing how a family member recovered from decades-long diseases after practicing Falun Gong, he also began to learn the exercises. He felt better by the day and he completely recovered in just eight days.
Police and Doctors Fabricated Woman’ Physical Exam Report in Order to Detain Her
Ms. Zhang Shuying, 67 and also of Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, was followed by a man on a bike when she went out on the morning of April 25, 2025. When she questioned the man as to why he was following her, he admitted that he was a police officer and arrested her.
After interrogating Ms. Zhang in the afternoon, the police took her to the hospital for a physical exam in the early evening. She was found to have high blood pressure (systolic pressure reading at 179 mmHg; the normal level is 120 mmHg or lower) and abnormal electrocardiogram results.
After guards of the Shenyang City First Detention Center declined to detain Ms. Zhang, the police took her to another hospital, where her systolic pressure even rose to 200 mmHg. The police repeated the measurement moments later and it was 197 mmHg. In order to detain her, the police asked a doctor to write 179 mmHg on the record and the doctor did.
The police then took Ms. Zhang back to the detention center and they talked to the in-house doctor in private. When the doctor came in to the room, she said to Ms. Zhang, “Don’t worry. I’ve told you, you will be released in a few days.”
Another officer echoed, “That’s right! You will be released in five days. I will pick you up on the 30th.”
The doctor then measured Ms. Zhang’s blood pressure again and she “congratulated” her on having a lower reading of 140 mmHg. Ms. Zhang was thus admitted.
The police took Ms. Zhang to the hospital on April 28 for another physical. This time, her systolic pressure was 170 mmHg. The doctor who performed the electrocardiogram didn’t seem to be satisfied with the first two images he took. He asked Ms. Zhang to hold her breath and then took a third image, which he deemed a pass and handed to the police. Ms. Zhang was detained for two more days and released on April 30.
Close Surveillance
Shanghai Resident Closely Followed for Three Days
After Ms. Li Hong, a Shanghai resident, was released on September 8, 2023 after serving a one-year term for her faith in Falun Gong, she was under close surveillance by the local police.
Between July 20 and 22, 2025, two people monitored her and followed her everywhere when she went out. They took photos of her and reported her activities to someone. She tried to persuade them not to participate in the persecution. They told her that they were earning 300 yuan a day for doing the job.
Liaoning Couple’s Driving Recorder Tracked by the Police
A married couple in Qingyuan County, Liaoning Province, were arrested at home around 10 p.m. on July 21, 2025. The police raided their place and took Mr. Chen Guicun to the Dashagou Detention Center and his wife Ms. Chen Ji’e to the Nangou Detention Center.
When the police was ransacking their place, they knew their home’s layout clearly and went straight to the attic on a ladder to get their Falun Gong books. The couple’s driving recorder was also tracked by the police. The couple suspected that the police had been monitoring their phone calls and recording them with surveillance cameras.
Arbitrary Arrests
Liaoning Police Cover Car License Plates with Facial Masks
The police in Panjin City, Liaoning Province, arrested several local Falun Gong practitioners on June 3, 2025. To cover up their identities, they even covered the license plates of the cruisers with facial masks.
When the police went to Mr. Wang Jianquan’s home to arrest him, he wasn’t in. They searched his place and confiscated his Falun Gong books and informational materials. They tracked his location through his cell phone and arrested him at his workplace. He was detained for five days.
Woman Hit by a Car; the Police Detains Her Instead of the Driver
Ms. Yuan Chunni, of Macheng City, Hubei Province, was hit by a car in mid-July 2025. The young driver, a food delivery worker, begged her not to report the accident. She comforted him and told him that she practices Falun Gong and wouldn’t seek compensation from him. Yet their conversation and her giving the young man a Falun Gong flyer was recorded by the surveillance camera. Instead of investigating the accident, the police arrested Ms. Yuan and detained her for a week.
89-Year-Old Woman Arrested While Buying Grocery
Ms. Wang Suqing, an 89-year-old Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, resident, was arrested on July 31, 2025 while she was buying groceries at a farmers’ market. The officer first took her to the police station and then took her home and raided her place. Her over 50 Falun Gong books, computer, 3 DVD burners, 6 printers, and 10,000 yuan in cash were confiscated. She was released shortly after.
Two Chongqing Residents Arrested While Visiting a Patient
Two Chongqing residents, Mr. Yang Dingchan, in his 60s, and Mr. Li Chunyuan, 77, went together to the Changshou District Chinese Medicine Hospital on July 21, 2025 to visit a neighbor, Ms. Chen Xiaoli, in her 60s, who suffered a stroke not long ago. Shortly after they arrived at the hospital, the police showed up and arrested them.
Ms. Chen’s husband demanded the police to release the two man. Yet the police attempted to force Ms. Chen’s son to rat out information against them.
The police raided Mr. Yang and Mr. Li’s homes in the evening and took them to a local detention center.
Hebei Woman Arrested After 13 Years of Displacement
Ms. Wang Zhixin, 43, of Tangshan City, Hebei Province, was arrested on July 16, 2025, after spending 13 years on the run to hide from the police. She is now held in the Tangshan City First Detention Center and her arrest was approved on August 1.
Ms. Wang’s ordeal began on May 12, 2010, when the police suspected her of posting online the communist regime’s internal guideline on the persecution. She was detained for eight months and released on January 27, 2011. The police later submitted her case to the procuratorate. To avoid being sentenced to prison, she lived away from home and was put on the wanted list.
Unable to find her, the police frequently harassed her family and friends. They also posted her wanted list in the village and broadcast the reward for reporting her whereabouts through the village speaker.
Family Impacted
Sole Caregiver of Disabled Husband and Daughter Detained
After Ms. Zhao Caixia was arrested on April 25, 2025, her husband and daughter, both of whom are disabled and relied on her for care, struggled to fend for themselves.
Ms. Zhao, 73, of Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, was approached by the police and had her luggage searched while she and her sister, Ms. Zhao Caihong were waiting to board a train at the Harbin City Training Station on April 25. Upon discovering paper currency with information about Falun Gong printed on it, the police arrested the sisters and took them to a police station. The police also raided both sisters’ homes and seized their Falun Gong books, informational materials, and portraits of Falun Gong’s founder.
Ms. Zhao Caihong was released after 15 days. Ms. Zhao Caixia was held at a local detention center; she is now facing indictment after the police submitted her case to the Harbin Railway Transportation Procuratorate on July 28.
Ms. Zhao’s husband has a lumbar disc herniation, gout, and a brain parasitic infection; he is bedridden most of the time and unable to take care of himself. Their daughter has a mental illness and needs supervision all the time. With Ms. Zhao’s detention, they are now in a very difficult situation.
Mother and Daughter Arrested While on Vacation
In the past 26 years, Ms. Lin Jinli, 48, of Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, has been repeatedly targeted for her faith in Falun Gong. She was arrested in 2019 while taking her 15-year-old daughter to school and sentenced to four years. During her detention, her husband struggled with doing his full time job and caring for their daughter. The girl often cried missing her mother.
Ms. Lin took her daughter to Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, for a vacation in August 2025. Because she brought a cell phone that she used to send text messages about Falun Gong, the Yangzhou police tracked her down and arrested her in Yangzhou on August 10. They also went to Harbin to search her home. Her daughter was released after four days. She remained detained in Yangzhou and was subjected to brainwashing.
Repeated Persecution
Tortured to Blindness During 4.5-Year Prison Term, Hubei Man Detained in Senior Center After Release
After Mr. Shan Furong finished serving a 4.5-year wrongful prison term on July 5, 2025, the local authorities took him straight to a senior center and didn’t allow him to go home, even after he had become completely blind due to torture in custody.
Mr. Shan, around 60 and of Laohekou City, Hubei Province, was arrested on January 5, 2021, while distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. His family was kept in the dark of his case status. They didn’t learn of his secret prison sentence until July 2023. They were also devastated to know that he had become blind in both eyes after being tortured in the prison.
On July 5, 2025, Mr. Shan’s scheduled release day, the local Political and Legal Affairs Committee, an extralegal agency tasked with persecuting Falun Gong, took him to the Sujiahe Senior Center. They restricted his freedom and didn’t allow him to go home. His family has repeatedly demanded to be allowed to take him home, but to no avail.
79-Year-Old Woman Faces Prosecution After 11th Arrest for Practicing Falun Gong
Ms. Guo Danxia, a 79-year-old retired accountant for the Yueyang City Petroleum Company in Hunan Province, was arrested on May 15, 2025, by more than ten officers. This was her 11th arrest for practicing Falun Gong.
The police raided Ms. Guo’s home without a search warrant and took away her Falun Gong books and the MP3 player she used for playing the Falun Gong exercises music. They claimed that a surveillance camera recorded her distributing Falun Gong informational materials in nearby Linxiang City the day before.
Due to Ms. Guo’s high blood pressure, she was not admitted when the police took her to the detention center in the afternoon. She was held at the police department overnight and taken to a hospital the next day, where she has been held since.
A prosecutor from the Linxiang City Procuratorate deposed Ms. Guo at the hospital on June 10. She refused to answer any questions. The prosecutor approved her arrest soon after and accused her of distributing more than ten different Falun Gong booklets, although the police couldn’t provide the footage of her distributing such materials.
Ms. Guo’s latest arrest was preceded by a prison term of three years and two months between March 18, 2020 and May 17, 2023. Before her prison sentence, she was sent to a psychiatric hospital in June 2020 and forced to take psychiatric drugs even though she was not mentally ill. She experienced shortness of breath and insomnia, and was often in a delirious state as a result of the drugs.
Gansu Woman Faces Repeated Harassment After Serving 21 Years for Speaking Up for Her Faith
After serving 21 years in prison for raising awareness about the persecution of her faith in Falun Gong, Ms. Zhang Rongjuan, a resident of Zhenyuan County, Gansu Province, faced non-stop harassment, even after she moved to Beijing.
Ms. Zhang was released on August 24, 2022, after her initial 20-year prison term was extended by one year. She found a job at a restaurant, yet the police often harassed her and ordered her to sign statements to renounce Falun Gong.
After the 2023 Chinese New Year, Ms. Zhang went to Beijing to look for jobs. But the police followed her there and continued to harass her.
During the annual plenary sessions of the National People’s Congress and of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference held in Beijing in March 2025, the Zhenyuan police came to Beijing and demanded to meet with Ms. Zhang. When she refused to comply, they worked with the Beijing police to harass her.
In May 2025, officers from the Beijie Police Station in Dongcheng District, Beijing, went to Ms. Zhang’s employer’s home, where she worked as a domestic worker, and ordered her to quit the job right away. They also warned Ms. Zhang’s daughter and son-in-law to stop sharing their residence with her. If not, the officers would ransack the home of Ms. Zhang’s employer, a 90-year-old, and have his pension suspended.
Ms. Zhang lost her job and didn’t have a place to live.
Related Reports:
Reported in March and April 2025: 772 Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested or Harassed for Their Faith
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