(Minghui.org) A 60-year-old woman in Nanchong City, Sichuan Province, stood trial on May 12, 2026, because she practices Falun Gong. The presiding judge stopped her when she recounted how she recovered from colon cancer after taking up Falun Gong in 2007. She was not allowed to say anything else.
Ms. Zhang Xiuzhen was arrested on December 28, 2025, while distributing Falun Gong informational materials. She was issued a formal arrest warrant by the Jialing District Procuratorate, and her case was forwarded to the Jialing District Court on April 1, 2026.
Ms. Zhang’s court hearing ran from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on May 12, 2026. She was barred from testifying in her own defense after she talked about the benefits of Falun Gong. Her lawyer pointed out that the Jialing District Police Department, which was responsible for Ms. Zhang’s arrest, and its supervising agency, the Nanchong City Police Department, were not qualified to verify that the informational materials she distributed were cult promotion materials. By law, only an independent, third-party agency is authorized to examine and authenticate prosecution evidence.
The prosecutor cited as evidence against Ms. Zhang the over 200 copies of informational materials seized from her. Her lawyer refuted that the materials were her lawful possessions and did not cause harm to any individual or to society.
The prosecutor showed a police surveillance video, but the footage did not show Ms. Zhang doing anything illegal. Her lawyer thus demanded she be acquitted. The judge adjourned the session. Ms. Zhang asked her lawyer to pass her defense statement to the judge.
This is not the first time that Ms. Zhang has been targeted for her faith, which she credits for curing her colon cancer and giving her life back. She was previously arrested multiple times and served two prison terms totaling three and a half years. Her pension was also suspended in July 2018. Her husband was unable to cope and divorced her. See the first related report for details of her past persecution.
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Twice Jailed for Her Faith, 60-Year-Old Sichuan Woman Faces Trial Again