(Minghui.org)
Name: Yang XianfengChinese Name: 杨险峰Gender: FemaleAge: 63City: MachengProvince: HubeiOccupation: process quality engineerDate of Death: May 3, 2026Date of Most Recent Arrest: November 2, 2016Most Recent Place of Detention: Zhejiang Province Women’s Prison
A woman in Macheng City, Hubei Province, passed away on May 3, 2026, six years after serving a three-year-and-nine-month sentence for her faith in Falun Gong. She was 63.
Ms. Yang Xianfeng struggled with health issues, including a mental disorder, uterine fibroids, post-stroke hemiplegia, and breast tumors, after she was released from prison on August 31, 2020.
In 2021, the authorities suspended Ms. Yang’s monthly pension of 2,200 yuan. Although it was reinstated after she filed multiple complaints, she only received 1,100 yuan per month thereafter.
On April 29, 2026, Ms. Yang began experiencing frequent cramping. Although the cramps stopped two days later, she died three days after that, on May 3.
Ms. Yang’s family applied for survivor benefits, but the authorities withheld 20,000 yuan from the normal amounts, claiming they needed to recoup the pension payments she had received during her prison term.
Ms. Yang has not been the only person in her family to be targeted for practicing Falun Gong. Her husband, Mr. Zhou Dunwang, a senior engineer with the Macheng City Water Conservancy Bureau, and her son, Mr. Zhou Liang, were both fired by their employers for their shared faith.
Two Brainwashing Center Detentions, Fired by Her Employer
Ms. Yang was arrested at home on the evening of February 20, 2000, and taken to a brainwashing session. Because she refused to renounce Falun Gong, she was hung up overnight by one wrist, with her feet barely touching the ground. She was detained for two months.
Ms. Yang was arrested again at a train station on September 25, 2000, and detained for over 40 days. Pressured by the authorities, her employer, the Macheng Cotton Textile Mill, fired her after eight internal meetings.
On March 26, 2008, Ms. Yang was seized at home, as the local authorities had been given a quota to arrest a certain number of Falun Gong practitioners prior to the Beijing Olympics. She was taken to the Hubei Province Legal Education Center (a brainwashing center) in the capital of Wuhan on March 28. The guards tried to force her to renounce Falun Gong, shocked her with electric batons, and beat her. She was detained for one month.
Family of Three Sentenced to Prison
Ms. Yang, her husband, and their son drove to Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, to visit a relative on November 2, 2016. They were arrested for sending text messages that exposed the persecution of Falun Gong.
The Wucheng District Court sentenced the family to prison on September 7, 2017. Ms. Yang was sentenced to three years and nine months, with a 20,000-yuan fine. Her husband, Mr. Zhou Dunwang, was given three years and six months, with a 15,000-yuan fine. Her son, Mr. Zhou Liang, received one year and nine months, with a 10,000-yuan fine. They appealed with the Jinhua City Intermediate Court, which ruled to uphold their original verdicts.
Ms. Yang was transferred to the Zhejiang Province Women’s Prison on December 26, 2017. She developed a mental condition due to the abuse suffered in custody. Her family filed several applications to have her released for medical treatment, but were denied each time.
Ms. Yang was later found to have several abnormal growths in her uterus. She was forced to undergo surgery at the prison hospital. Even when she was in critical condition after the surgery, the authorities still denied her family’s request for early release.
She served the full term and was released on August 31, 2020.
Related Reports:
Hubei Family Put on Trial for Sending Falun Gong-Related Text Messages
Friends and Family Petition for the Release of Family of Three
Despite Appeals Entire Family Sentenced to Prison for Their Beliefs
Parents and Son Imprisoned for Their Faith, Mother Denied Medical Parole Despite Her Poor Health
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