Reported in February 2026: 31 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced for Their Faith
(Minghui.org) A total of 31 cases of Falun Gong practitioners sentenced to prison for their faith were reported in February 2026.
Six of the reported cases took place in 2025, 21 happened in January and February 2026, and another four cases had unknown years. Due to the Chinese Communist Party’s strict information censorship, news about the persecution isn’t always readily available, which causes delays in reporting.
The sentenced Falun Gong practitioners are from 12 provinces or centrally-controlled municipalities. Shandong reported the most cases (nine), followed by Heilongjiang (six) and Hebei (four). Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, and Sichuan each had two cases. The remaining six regions—Beijing, Shanghai, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, and Jilin—each had one case.
The practitioners' prison terms ranged from four months to nine years. Among the 24 practitioners whose ages at the time of sentencing were known, their ages ranged from 48 to 86, including one in her 40s, six in their 50s, nine in their 60s, four in their 70s, and four in their 80s.
Selected cases are presented below.
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Dongning City, Heilongjiang Province: Four Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced to 4.5 to 9 Years
Four Falun Gong practitioners in Dongning City, Heilongjiang Province, were sentenced to prison on February 4, 2026.
Ms. Su Hong was sentenced to nine years and fined 5,000 yuan. Mr. Shen Jinxiang, 65, and Ms. Jia Yanfeng each received five years and a 2,000-yuan fine. Mr. Yang Kui was given four and a half years with a 2,000 yuan fine. All four of them have filed appeals.
The practitioners were arrested during a police sweep on July 18, 2025. The police submitted their joint case to the Hailin City Procuratorate on August 19, 2025. The Hailin City Procuratorate is designated to handle all Falun Gong cases in the nearby regions, including Dongning City, Hailin City, Ningan City, Muling City, Suifenhe City, and Linkou County.
Mr. Yang’s daughter, Ms. Yang Jing, and Ms. Jia’s daughter, Ms. Yang Nanxi, went to the procuratorate on September 23, 2025, to inquire about the status of their parents’ case. They also prepared a letter for prosecutor Fan Jiayao, urging her not to participate in the persecution. Fan refused to take it. They then gave the letter to Duan Tao, an officer of the case management center, and asked Duan to pass it on to prosecutor Fan. Duan initially refused but later took it.
Ms. Yang Jing and Ms. Yang Nanxi next went to the complaints department at the procuratorate, only to be arrested after Duan called in six police officers. Both women were released later that day.
During the hearing for the four practitioners by the Hailin City Court on December 24, 2025, Ms. Yang Jing, Ms. Yang Nanxi, and Ms. Shen Lin, the daughter of Mr. Shen, represented their parents as non-lawyer family defenders. The practitioners’ lawyers also defended their innocence. The presiding judge, Yan Junlong, repeatedly interrupted their defense and then adjourned the session.
At the second hearing on December 30, Mr. Yang’s son was removed from the court gallery because he objected to the court’s violation of legal procedures (details unknown). Judge Yan continued to interrupt the lawyers and family defenders while they were presenting their defense statements.
Unable to proceed, Ms. Yang Jing and Ms. Yang Nanxi decided to quit representing their parents and dismiss the lawyers. They told judge Yan that they would hire new lawyers for their parents. It’s not clear whether a third hearing took place before the practitioners were convicted.
The police arrested Ms. Yang Jing on January 14, 2026, and detained her for 15 days, in an attempt to stop her from seeking justice for her father.
After 8.5 Years of Incarceration, 58-Year-Old Liaoning Woman Sentenced to Another 3.5 Years
Ms. Fang Caixia received a verdict on February 12, 2026, stating that she had been sentenced to three and a half years with a 20,000-yuan fine for practicing Falun Gong.
Ms. Fang, 58, and of Dalian City, Liaoning Province, was arrested on June 23, 2025, while working at her employer’s home as a domestic aide. The police targeted her after a surveillance camera recorded her putting up Falun Gong posters.
Ms. Fang’s son, Mr. Wu Qi, went to the police station on July 16, 2025, demanding a copy of his mother’s detention notice and list of items confiscated from her. The police arrested him and detained him for nearly two hours, accusing him of “colluding with overseas forces.” They intimidated him and searched his cellphone and a file folder he brought with him. They also threatened him, telling him not to report the incident to Minghui.org, or they would detain him for 15 days.
Mr. Wu and the lawyer he hired for his mother visited officer Cao, the deputy director of the Domestic Security Office, the next day. Cao threatened to arrest and detain the lawyer “just like Wang Quanzhang” (a human rights lawyer who was detained for an extended period of time for representing Falun Gong practitioners). Cao also jabbed Mr. Wu with his fingers and threatened to “straighten him out.”
During Ms. Fang’s hearing by the Ganjingzi District Court on January 8, 2026, Mr. Wu and the lawyer entered a not guilty plea for her. They pointed out that no law in China has ever criminalized Falun Gong nor labeled it a cult. Prosecutor Zhuang Ning and presiding judge Liu Lina constantly interrupted them.
After more than six months of detention, Ms. Fang was haggard and emaciated. She staggered when she walked. She maintained that she didn’t violate any law, and she refused to answer most of prosecutor Zhuang’s or judge Liu’s questions.
No prosecution witnesses appeared in court for cross-examination. The prosecutor only presented black-and-white photos of the Falun Gong informational materials confiscated from Ms. Fang, instead of showing the actual items.
Only two of Ms. Fang’s family members were allowed to attend the hearing as spectators. Several of the other attendees appeared to be acquaintances of prosecutor Zhuang.
The hearing ended around 4 p.m. As soon as Mr. Wu stepped out of the courthouse, he was arrested by Xinzhaizi Police Station officers for “promoting and spreading a cult.” Officer Pan Li interrogated him. He was released around 8 p.m.
Ms. Fang is preparing an appeal. Prior to her latest prison sentence, she had already served two forced labor terms totaling 4.5 years (January 2000 – January 2003, and April 2009 – July 2010), and a four-year prison sentence (June 2016 – June 2020), for upholding her faith.
Sentencing of Elderly Practitioners
85-Year-Old Woman Given Third Prison Term for Practicing Falun Gong
Ms. Tang Sulan, an 85-year-old resident in Linshui County, Sichuan Province, was arrested on September 11, 2025. She appeared in the Linshui County Court on November 13, 2025, and January 28, 2026, before being sentenced to three years.
This is the third time Ms. Tang has been sentenced for practicing Falun Gong. She was arrested in July 2000 for distributing Falun Gong flyers and was later sentenced to four years. While serving time at the Yangmahe Prison, she was subjected to physical and mental torture. After her sentence ended, the police held her at a brainwashing center for a month.
Ms. Tang was arrested again on July 25, 2014, while hosting a birthday party at her home. She was sentenced to two and a half years on October 27, 2016.
Ms. Tang’s family was also targeted for not renouncing Falun Gong. Her husband, son, and son-in-law died as a result of the persecution. Her grandson, who did not practice Falun Gong, grew up in fear, witnessing the repeated arrests, harassment, and detention of his parents and other family members. He was under severe mental distress and died when he was only 21.
Ms. Xia Yilin, 73, and of Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, was arrested on March 19, 2025, for publicly nullifying the statements she was forced to make to renounce Falun Gong while she was previously detained. Her case was submitted to the Yingze District Procuratorate in June that year. Her family confirmed in February 2026 that she was secretly sentenced to three and a half years at an unknown time by the Yingze District Court. She is now serving time at the Shanxi Province Women’s Prison. Details about her trial and sentencing aren’t clear.
This is not the first time that Ms. Xia has been targeted for her faith, which she credits for helping her to recover from stomach cancer and giving her life back. She 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.
72-Year-Old Woman Arrested After Two Years on the Run, Secretly Sentenced to Two Years
Ms. Wang Guirong, 72, and of Shouguang City, Shandong Province, was admitted to the Shandong Province Women’s Prison to serve a two-year term on February 5, 2026.
Her ordeal stemmed from her arrest on July 22, 2019. She and her husband were taken to the police station for interrogation. The police forcibly took photos of Ms. Wang and collected her fingerprints. Her husband was released soon after, while she was taken to the detention center. Due to her physical condition, she was denied admission and released around midnight.
A few days later, the police arrested Ms. Wang’s son, who didn’t practice Falun Gong. They ordered him to sign Ms. Wang’s bail release notice and the list of items confiscated from her. He refused to sign initially, but caved in after the police threatened to arrest his wife and son.
Several officers broke into Ms. Wang’s home on February 28, 2023. They searched her place and took her to the Domestic Security Office. She was released in the evening. To avoid further persecution, she was forced to live away from home.
The Shouguang City Court scheduled a hearing of Ms. Wang’s case for June 3, 2024. When the authorities couldn’t find her in May 2024, they harassed her family.
Ms. Wang was arrested on September 18, 2025, and secretly sentenced to prison. Her family only managed to confirm her prison admission, but they don’t know any details about her indictment, trial, or sentencing.
74-Year-Old Woman Given Fifth Prison Sentence for Her Faith
Minghui.org confirmed in January 2026 that Ms. Zhang Qiuju, a 74-year-old resident in Xinyang City, Henan Province, was sentenced to one and a half years by the Huangchuan County Court. She has appealed the verdict.
This is not the first time that Ms. Zhang has been targeted for upholding her faith in Falun Gong. She was previously sentenced four times.
First Prison Sentence (Term Unknown)
Ms. Zhang was arrested in 2000. The police took her to a remote area and punched her so hard that her face was badly bruised. They also yanked out some of her hair. In order to prevent others from hearing her screams, they covered the windows with comforters. Ms. Zhang was sentenced a few months later, though the exact prison term was unclear. When her family visited her, her face was still deformed and bruised.
Second Prison Sentence (Three Years)
Ms. Zhang’s next arrest was on June 10, 2009. She was later sentenced to three years in the Henan Province Women’s Prison in Xinxiang City.
Third Prison Sentence (Five and a Half Years)
Ms. Zhang distributed informational brochures about Falun Gong on February 17, 2015, and handed a copy to an undercover agent. He arrested her on the spot. She was sentenced to five and a half years in August 2015 and admitted to the Henan Province Women’s Prison in mid-November 2015. She was subjected to various forms of torture, including solitary confinement, sleep deprivation, and denied restroom use, for refusing to renounce her faith.
Fourth Prison Sentence (One Year)
Ms. Zhang was arrested again on May 16, 2023, while talking to people about the persecution of Falun Gong. The police accused her of being a fugitive. She was later sentenced to one year, and her appeal was denied.
Elderly Shandong Woman Sentenced to 3.5 Years
Ms. Ren Chunlian, in her 60s, is appealing a wrongful sentence of three and a half years, after she was convicted on February 2, 2026.
Ms. Ren, of Shouguang City, Shandong Province, was arrested on April 22, 2025. Although she failed the required physical exam several times, the police still managed to get her admitted to a local detention center. Her health declined during detention. She was taken to the hospital and examined every few days. She was found to have gallstones and a shadow on her lung. The guards forced her to take several kinds of medication, but refused to tell her what they were for. She fainted once and didn’t come to until hours later.
When Ms. Ren’s lawyer demanded in July 2025 that she be released on bail, the arresting officer, Dong, claimed that he handed over the case to his counterparts in the Shouguang City Domestic Security Office.
Ms. Ren’s daughter and lawyer went to the Shouguang City Domestic Security Office and were told that deputy director Zhang Linfeng was in charge of her case. The lawyer called Zhang and demanded Ms. Ren’s release on bail for medical treatment. Zhang asked for a written request and hung up.
Ms. Ren’s daughter and lawyer also went to the Shouguang City Procuratorate and informed the prosecutor in charge of the case, Sang Zijun, of Ms. Ren’s medical conditions. Sang said it was impossible for Ms. Ren to be released for medical care.
When Ms. Ren’s daughter did not hear from Zhang, she called him two days later. Zhang stopped her from talking and said that he was “handling the case according to the law” and that she “should not have any hope that her mother would be released on bail.” He hung up and wouldn’t answer when she called again.
Ms. Ren was still forced to take medications every day.
Prosecutor Sang indicted Ms. Ren at an unknown time. During her hearing at the Shouguang City Court on October 16, 2025, she felt extremely dizzy, and judge Chen Shengyun adjourned the session.
A second hearing was held on October 27, 2025. Ms. Ren’s three daughters were present. Her lawyer refuted the allegations against her and demanded her acquittal.
Prosecutor Sang recommended a prison sentence of 3.5 to 4 years. One of Ms. Ren’s daughters questioned what legal basis he had to sentence a law-abiding citizen like her mother, who just wanted to live by Falun Gong’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Sang did not respond.
During the sentencing hearing on February 2, 2026, judge Chen sentenced Ms. Ren to three and a half years with a 20,000-yuan fine. She said she planned to appeal.
Four Elderly Shandong Women Sentenced to Prison
Four women in Weifang City, Shandong Province, were sentenced on January 27, 2026. Ms. Wang Sumei, 69, a retired fertilizer factory worker, was given 18 months; Ms. Wu Aicong, 78, received 16 months; Ms. Yan Jianyun, 77, was sentenced to 14 months; and Ms. Wang Yufen, 80, received 10 months.
The four women were arrested days apart in 2025. Ms. Wu was seized on August 29, followed by Ms. Wang Yufen on August 30, Ms. Wang Sumei on September 1, and Ms. Yan on September 3.
Ms. Wang Sumei’s daughter, who was hospitalized after a gallbladder surgery when her mother was arrested, went to the Domestic Security Office with her father after she was discharged. The police promised to release her mother in three days. That did not happen. She contacted them again and was told that her mother would be released in one month, which also did not happen. When she talked to the police a third time, they deceived her father into signing a document with only a seal on it.
The police later submitted the case against the four women to the Fangzi District Procuratorate, which returned the case, citing insufficient evidence. The police fabricated additional evidence and eventually got the procuratorate to accept the case and indict the women.
The Fangzi District Court heard the case on January 27, 2026. The presiding judge repeatedly interrupted Ms. Wang Sumei and Ms. Wu when they were testifying in their own defense. He sentenced all four practitioners at the end of the hearing.
Financial Persecution and Family Impacted
Caregiver of Incapacitated Husband and Father Sentenced to 1.5 Years
Ms. Li Zhuqing, a 53-year-old woman in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, is appealing a 1.5-year prison term for practicing Falun Gong.
Ms. Li Zhuqing
Ms. Li was about to go grocery shopping on August 26, 2025, when a woman claiming to be from the property management office knocked on the door. Ms. Li opened the door, only to have more than ten plainclothes officers barge in. They called in more officers when they saw the sticker reading “The Chinese Communist Party is a cult” on her printer.
The police spent over two hours ransacking Ms. Li’s home, confiscating her Falun Gong books, informational materials, a photo of Falun Gong’s founder, a laptop, two printers, a cell phone, a paper cutter, and flash drives.
The police took Ms. Li to the police station for interrogation, claiming that she had been reported for putting up Falun Gong stickers. She refused to answer any questions and was transferred to the police case processing center. Officer Du Fei verbally abused her and covered her head with a black hood. She was restrained in a metal chair overnight and wasn’t allowed to sleep. The police also placed a photo of Falun Gong’s founder on the ground and ordered her to step on it. She refused.
The police forcibly collected blood and urine samples from Ms. Li. Although she was found to have a urinary tract infection, she was still admitted to the Shenyang City First Detention Center on August 27.
Both Ms. Li’s father, in his 90s, and her husband are incapacitated, and they rely on her for care. Her arrest and detention have left them in a dire situation.
The Xinmin City Court heard Ms. Li’s case on December 17, 2025. No witnesses appeared in court for cross- examination. The prosecutor, Chen Hongyan, didn’t exhibit any of the evidence or provide the legal basis to support his charge against Ms. Li.
Ms. Li testified in her own defense. She denied committing any crime and said that her spiritual belief was protected by the Constitution. Her family defender testified that Ms. Li became a much better person after taking up Falun Gong, and that her family witnessed the efforts she made to take care of her incapacitated father and husband long-term.
The judge sentenced Ms. Li to one year and six months with a 10,000-yuan fine. She has appealed to the Shenyang City Intermediate Court.
Ms. Li and her siblings, Mr. Li Yi and Ms. Li Yunqing, took up Falun Gong in the spring of 1998, after seeing how their mother, Ms. Liang Huifen, recovered from severe heart disease after practicing Falun Gong. After the persecution started in 1999, the family was repeatedly targeted.
Ms. Li Yunqing’s health quickly declined due to the tremendous mental distress she experienced. She died on September 9, 2006, at the age of 37. Mr. Li was brutally tortured and passed away on March 26, 2011. He was 42. Devastated by the death of two of her children, Ms. Liang became incapacitated.
Ms. Li Zhuqing’s husband had a stroke around 2015, and her father also became incapacitated around 2021. Despite the hardship, she took meticulous care of them and maintained a peaceful and optimistic mindset.
Sichuan Woman’s Pension Suspended Months After Prison Release
Just a few months after Ms. Li Xia completed a 1.5-year wrongful sentence for practicing Falun Gong, she was devastated to see her pension being suspended because her prison sentence “disqualified” her from receiving the benefits.
The ordeal of Ms. Li, of Dujiangyan City, Sichuan Province, stemmed from her arrest on July 25, 2023, for talking to a retired teacher about Falun Gong. At the police station, two officers threw her headfirst onto the floor. She was unable to utter a sound after the fall, yet the police accused her of pretending. They lifted her up and threw her to the floor again.
Ms. Li stood trial on August 20, 2024, and was sentenced to one and a half years. She was released on January 24, 2025. In June 2025, the Social Security Bureau stopped her pension payments. She went to the bureau to ask about the case, and was told that the decision had been made to claw back the retirement benefits she had received during her prison term. At the same time, the authorities denied her application to renew her low-income housing.
Ms. Li wrote to the Social Security Bureau on July 16, 2025, demanding to know the legal basis for suspending her pension, but she was stonewalled.
Targeted for Speaking Out
Hebei Man Sentenced to 4.5 Years in Inner Mongolia for Talking to People about Falun Gong
Mr. Xi Zhaojun, a middle school teacher in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, was arrested on July 8, 2025, for talking to people about the persecution of Falun Gong while he traveled to Shangdu County, Inner Mongolia.
The police in Shangdu worked with their counterparts in Zhangjiakou to ransack Mr. Xi’s and his mother’s homes on July 15. They confiscated their Falun Gong books, a portrait of the founder of Falun Gong, and his mother’s cell phone.
The Shangdu police didn’t release Mr. Xi on July 24 as promised, but transferred him to the Jining Detention Center in Ulanqab City, Inner Mongolia, that day. On the way there, three officers, surnamed Zhang, Tian, and Ma, 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 open. When he resisted, 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 was bleeding. Several of his teeth were loose, and he also had an ulcer in his mouth.
Mr. Xi appeared in the Shangdu County Court on December 15, 2025. He was sentenced to four and a half years in early February 2026.
This is the second time that Mr. Xi has been sentenced for practicing Falun Gong. Following an arrest on February 24, 2007, the police tied him up and beat him. The police chief Hao Yanfei shouted, “The police station is the place to beat people!” Mr. Xi was later sentenced to four years. He was held in solitary confinement for seven months while serving time at the Jidong Prison.
53-Year-Old Inner Mongolia Woman Gets Nearly Two Years for “Having Overseas Connections”
Ms. Cui Yili, an employee of the Baiyinhua Railway Company in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, was arrested at work on May 21, 2025. When her lawyer visited her at the Songshan District Detention Center, he learned that the police arrested her per an order from higher-ups because she “had overseas connections.” One piece of “evidence” was that she used anti-firewall software to visit Minghui.org and printed Falun Gong informational materials downloaded from the site. Another piece of “evidence” was the phone calls that her younger brother, who lives outside of China, made to ask about her health.
Ms. Cui, 53, was admitted to the Inner Mongolia First Women’s Prison on December 25, 2025, to serve a one-year-and-eight-month term. It is unclear when she was indicted, tried, or sentenced.
Mr. Xiao Wenhua and his wife, Ms. Peng Hui from Tangshan City, Hebei Province, were each sentenced to seven years and fined 20,000 yuan in December 2025 in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The couple was arrested on November 21, 2023, in Nanning City, Guangxi. The police raided their rental property and accused them of projecting “sensitive information” onto a coffee house’s bulletin board using a cell phone Bluetooth on November 17.
The Jiangnan District Procuratorate indicted the couple in March 2025. They appeared in the Jiangnan District Court on June 11 and 12 before being convicted on December 16.
Related Report:
Reported in January 2026: 41 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced for Their Faith