(Minghui.org) A 62-year-old barbershop owner in Yiyang City, Hunan Province, was sent to prison on August 5, 2026, to serve a three-year term because he practices Falun Gong.
Mr. Liang Jianguo was arrested on the evening of November 6, 2025, for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. He was held in the Datonghu District Detention Center and eventually sentenced to three years. It’s also unclear which prison he was sent to. When his 84-year-old mother learned he'd been sentenced, she was devastated.
Past Persecution
Since the Chinese Communist Party ordered the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, Mr. Liang has been repeatedly targeted for upholding his faith. Prior to his latest persecution, he previously served two and a half years in a labor camp, and two prior prison terms totaling eight and a half years.
Mr. Liang went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong in 2000. He was arrested three times, and detained for 12 days, 15 days, and 15 days, respectively.
Mr. Liang was arrested again on December 19, 2000, by officers from the Shijiazhuang City Railroad Police Department in Hebei Province, while en-route to Beijing. He was taken back to Yiyang by Datonghu District 610 Office staff and held at the Nan County Detention Center. One month later, he was transferred to the Xinkaipu Forced Labor Camp to serve a two-year term, which was later extended by six months.
In September 2003, only a few months after Mr. Liang was released, he was arrested again and taken to the police station. They hung him up by his wrists and didn’t allow him to sleep for one week. Li Changsheng, the secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, threatened to beat him to death and claim he committed suicide.
After Mr. Liang was released, he was forced to live away from home for years to avoid further persecution.
Mr. Liang was arrested again in Changsha City, the capital of Hunan, on August 2, 2008. He was sentenced to four years at the Wangling Prison. The police continued to harass him after he was released. He was forced to live away from home again.
Mr. Liang’s next arrest was on June 20, 2017, in Yiyang City. While held at the Nan County Detention Center, he started a hunger strike in protest. After he fell into critical condition, the guards took him to the Datonghu People’s Hospital. Nine people took turns watching him, while he was shackled to the hospital bed.
Mr. Liang was later transferred to the Yiyang City Second Detention Center. He was sentenced to five years by the Datonghu District Court on July 28, 2017. He appealed with the Yiyang City Intermediate Court, which reduced his term to four and a half years after a hearing in late November 2017. He was transferred to Wangling Prison in mid-March 2018.
Related Reports:
Hunan Man to Face Indictment for His Faith
Mr. Liang Jianguo and His Wife Ms. Shen Luoling Sentenced to Forced Labor
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