Ms. Tong shuying, the younger sister of a New York resident, is being held under criminal detention in Wuhan, Hubei Province, for practicing Falun Gong. We call for her immediate and unconditional release.
(Pictured: Tong Shuzhen holding a photograph of her younger sister, Tong Shuying)
Case Summary
Tong Shuying / 童淑英 – Female, Born in 1971
Current status: Case transferred to the Procuratorate on June 3, 2026
Current location: Wuhan No. 1 Detention Center, Hubei Province
Previous detentions: Multiple times since 1999
Reports of torture: Yes (during previous detentions)
Family abroad: United States
Family Background
Tong Shuying: Born in 1971 in Wuhan, Hubei Province. She began practicing Falun Gong in 1996. She ran a well-known high-end women’s clothing store in Wuhan and later founded a real estate brokerage company, supporting her family through her own work. She has distributed informational materials about the practice and the persecution since the persecution began. The April 15 arrest marked the fifth time she was arrested by the Chinese Communist Party for her faith.
Older Sister – Tong Shuzhen: Born in Hubei Province and moved to the United Statess in 2016. She began practicing Falun Gong in 1996, and saw her health improve significantly. She, too, was arrested multiple times for her faith after 1999.
Timeline
June 29, 2026: Daughter detained for sending petition letters After her mother’s arrest, Ms. Tong’s daughter wrote respectful letters to the local police and procuratorial authorities, explaining that her mother was a peaceful woman who had committed no crime, and asking that she be released. A few days later, on June 29, the daughter was herself arrested and held for 15 days, until July 13. The family was told the detention was punishment for having sent the letters.
June 3, 2026: Case transferred to the procuratorate Ms. Tong’s family received a formal arrest notice citing Article 300 of the PRC Criminal Law, and her case was transferred to the Xinzhou District Procuratorate of Wuhan, with Li Yi (黎毅) being the prosecutor.
April 30, 2026: Placed under criminal detention As her 15-day administrative detention ended, Ms. Tong was placed under criminal detention, prolonging her unlawful imprisonment.
April 15, 2026: Arrested and detained The Wuhan Yangtze River New District Public Security Bureau deployed a large number of officers and arrested approximately 17 Falun Gong practitioners in Yangluo Subdistrict and surrounding areas. Ms. Tong was among those taken, following months of covert police surveillance of two Falun Gong study groups. She was issued a 15-day administrative detention order and held at Wuhan No. 1 Detention Center. Authorities also ransacked her home and confiscated her laptop.
2000: One year in a forced labor camp
October 1999: Detention after appealing in Beijing Ms. Tong was held for approximately one month after traveling to Beijing to appeal.
July 1999: First detention Ms. Tong was detained after peacefully appealing at the Hubei provincial government offices, shortly after the persecution of Falun Gong began.
News & Action
Tong Shuzhen speaks outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., calling for the release of her sister, Tong Shuying, and other Falun Gong practitioners unlawfully detained in Wuhan. May 30, 2026.
May 30, 2026: Tong Shuzhen speaks outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C. Tong Shuzhen called for the release of her sister and of the other Falun Gong practitioners detained around April 15 in Wuhan. She recalled the torture her sister had endured in the past: “My sister was handcuffed and hung from windows for long periods at the labor camp. The handcuffs cut into her flesh.” Her interview can be watched here.
May 9, 2026: Tong Shuzhen interviewed by the Epoch Times Tong Shuzhen appealed for help from her congressional representatives, writing to Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). “My sister has not harmed anyone,” she wrote. “She is being targeted only because she peacefully practices Falun Gong and upholds her faith.”
Take Action
Send an encouraging letter directly to Tong Shuying
People who have survived Chinese prisons attest to the enormous difference it can make to hear from the outside world directly. It lifts the spirits of those wrongfully detained, and shocks local officials, making them wary of participating further in persecution.
You can send letters directly to Ms. Tong Shuying to this address: 武汉市第一拘留所 Wuhan No.1 Detention Center 湖北省武汉市东西湖区革新大道特1号，邮编：430040，联系电话：027-85395040 No. 1(Special), Gexin Avenue, Dongxihu District, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, 430040, China Phone number: +86 27 85395040
Alternatively, you can request your U.S. representative to write a letter to the Chinese Embassy, urging Chinese officials in Hubei Province to immediately and unconditionally release Ms. Tong Shuying.
