Falun Gong Turned His Life Around, But He Was Twice Jailed for His Faith and Died at 51 After Repeated Harassment
(Minghui.org)
Name: Tian JinxinChinese Name: 田金鑫Gender: MaleAge: 51City: HarbinProvince: HeilongjiangOccupation: small business ownerDate of Death: late August 2026Date of Most Recent Arrest: April 19, 2021Most Recent Place of Detention: an unknown facility
A 51-year-old man in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, died in late August 2026, after enduring years of persecution for upholding his faith in Falun Gong.
Mr. Tian Jinxin
Once a troubled young man known for smoking, drinking, gambling, and gang fights, Mr. Tian Jinxin became a totally different person after he took up Falun Gong in 1995. Filled with gratitude, his mother told him, “I failed to raise you well, but Falun Gong has totally changed you. Your Master is magnificent.”
Mr. Tian held firm to his faith when the Chinese Communist Party launched a nationwide campaign against Falun Gong in July 1999. Over the next two plus decades, he was repeatedly arrested and served two prison terms (August 2000 – August 2004 & May 2014 – May 2018). See the related reports for details of his past persecution.
The rest of this article presents additional details about Mr. Tian’s second prison sentence and harassment in recent years.
After his arrest on May 17, 2014, Mr. Tian stood trial at the Shenhe District Court on April 16, 2015. He testified against the police for extracting “confessions” from him using torture. Prosecutor Liu Zheng dismissed his testimony and said, “It’s been almost a year since your arrest. Do you have any visible injuries to show us?”
Mr. Tian’s lawyer said the police-supplied evidence should not be admissible in the trial and demanded his acquittal. But the judge still sentenced him to four years in July 2015.
Mr. Tian’s family filed an appeal with the Shenyang City Intermediate Court on his behalf. Judge Cao Shijun barred his appeals lawyer from reviewing his case file and ruled around November 3, 2015, to uphold the original verdict without notifying the lawyer.
Mr. Tian was admitted to the Pingluo Prison on March 23, 2016. His family didn’t learn about his prison transfer until they visited the Shenyang City Detention Center on April 6, 2016, and was told that he was no longer there. They rushed to the prison and learned that he was held in the team for newly admitted inmates. But they were denied visits with him because he was “under strict management.”
After he was released in May 2018, Mr. Tian faced constant harassment from the police. Agents from the Harbin City Railway Police Department raided his home on April 19, 2021, and confiscated his computer and cell phone. They held him at an unknown facility for 15 days before releasing him.
Officers from the Tongtian Street Police Station harassed Mr. Tian on the phone numerous times in the second half of 2024. The police said it was their job to check in on him to see if he was still practicing Falun Gong. The relentless persecution eventually claimed Mr. Tian’s life in late August 2026.
Mr. Tian is survived by his wife and son. His son was born on the Chinese New Year’s Day in 2000 (February 5). Mr. Tian was still detained for his faith at the time and didn’t get to meet his newborn baby until six weeks later, when his family was forced to pay 17,500 yuan in exchange for his release.
Related Reports:
A Troubled Young Man Finds Hope in Falun Gong, Communist Regime Tortures Him for His Belief
Shenyang Police Arrest Three Harbin Practitioners, Lawyers and Families Repeatedly Denied Visitation