(Minghui.org) Two women in Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province have been detained since their arrests in September 2024, and are now facing prison sentences for their shared faith in Falun Gong.
Ms. An Caifeng, 77, and Ms. Ma Lingling, 65, were arrested by officers from the Fengdong Boulevard Police Station on September 4, 2024, and their homes were ransacked. Ms. An developed high blood pressure and had a stroke while being held at the Sanyaocun Detention Center. She was transferred to the Ankang Hospital, a police-affiliated hospital, and has been held there since.
The Weicheng District Court held two hearings of the women’s joint case on April 8 and May 13, 2025. During the first hearing, prosecutor Liu Hongwei of the Weicheng District Procuratorate recommended sentencing Ms. Ma to 15-18 months, and Ms. An to 10-12 months, because both had Falun Gong materials confiscated from their homes.
The practitioners’ lawyers entered not guilty pleas for them. One of the lawyers pointed out that the police failed to produce their IDs or search warrants during the home raids, and also didn’t provide any documentation after confiscating over 200,000 yuan in cash and bank deposit documents. They added that none of the prosecution evidence had undergone the legally required validation process. Instead of addressing the lawyers’ questions, the presiding judge Liu Yan adjourned the hearing.
At the second hearing on May 13, prosecutor Liu maintained his recommended prison sentences of both women. Ms. An’s lawyer noted that she was experiencing severe medical conditions in the hospital, including rapid heartbeat and trembling hands. She also had difficulty eating and was unable to shower independently. The doctor recommended taking her to an outside hospital for better treatment. Yet the judge still denied Ms. An’s lawyer’s application to release her on bail.
Ms. An’s lawyer visited her at the Ankang Hospital on January 28, 2026, and noticed that one of her hands was constantly shaking. She said that due to her unstable condition, she had been taken to an outside hospital five times.
After the visit, Ms. An’s lawyer and family members went to the Weicheng District Procuratorate to file a complaint about her arbitrary detention, however the receptionist refused to accept the complaint.
Ms. An, a retired employee of the Xianyang City Clothing Factory, was diagnosed with breast cancer and hyperplasia in both elbow joints in the early 1990s. She received chemotherapy and still became incapacitated. Impressed by the health benefits of Falun Gong, she took up the practice on April 1, 1996, and was back on her feet within a month.
After the Chinese Communist Party ordered the persecution in 1999, Ms. An has been repeatedly targeted for upholding her faith. She was arrested at home on November 8, 2000, by Xinxing Road Police Station officers. Her home was ransacked. The police held her at a local hotel for three days and ordered her to write statements renouncing Falun Gong.
Ms. An was transferred to the Weicheng District Drug Rehabiliation Center on November 11, 2000. Forty days later, she was taken to the Shaanxi Province Women’s Prison to serve an unknown term. Due to a severe medical condition she developed while in custody, she was released days later.
Ms. An was arrested again on March 26, 2021, by officers from the Caihong Police Station. She was released on bail after being denied admission by the Qindu District Detention Center for her poor health. Yet the police still submitted her case to the Qindu District Procuratorate. She was sentenced to six months in prison with a 2,000-yuan fine by the Qindu District Court in November 2021.
Ms. Ma, a retiree from the 795 Factory, a company specialized in electronic device manufacturing, has also been arrested numerous times for practicing Falun Gong.
She was arrested on March 11, 2010, by Dongfeng Road Police Station officers. Her next arrest was on June 23, 2013, for talking to people about Falun Gong. She was arrested again in September 2019, by Huagong District Police Station officers, and sentenced to six months and fined 2,000 yuan, following an arrest in February 2023.