Grandmother Sentenced to Prison Again in Shandong for Practicing Falun Gong

Ms. Wang Guirong, a 72-year-old Falun Gong practitioner from Shouguang, Shandong Province, has been sentenced to two years in prison for her faith. On Feb. 5, 2026, she was transferred to Shandong Province Women’s Prison to serve what authorities characterized as a criminal sentence. Her family was reportedly afforded no meaningful legal recourse.

According to information published by Minghui.org and Weiquanwang, a website aggregating grassroots accounts of human rights abuses in China, Ms. Wang was arrested on Sept. 18, 2025, by officers from the Shouguang City Domestic Security Division. Local police, procuratorate, and court officials subsequently coordinated to prosecute her. Prior to this latest detention, she had been compelled to live away from home for extended periods to avoid ongoing harassment. She did not dare return even for significant family occasions, including her son’s wedding and the birth of her grandchild.

Repeated targeting since 2019

Ms. Wang has faced sustained persecution in recent years. On July 22, 2019, officers from the Shouguang City Public Security Bureau broke into her home, confiscated Falun Gong books and personal belongings, and took her and her husband into custody. She was interrogated, photographed, and fingerprinted. Although a detention center initially refused to admit her after she failed a physical examination, police later coerced her son—who does not practice Falun Gong—into signing documents related to her “bail pending trial” by threatening to target other family members.

On Feb. 28, 2023, police again raided her home and detained her for questioning. In 2024, authorities attempted to convene court hearings against Ms. Wang and another elderly practitioner in her 80s. When they were unable to locate Ms. Wang, they intensified pressure and harassment against her relatives.

Ms. Wang previously suffered a three-year prison term from 2003 to 2006 for her faith. On Sept. 16, 2003, she was arrested and subjected to prolonged electric baton shocks and other forms of torture during interrogation. She was later sentenced by a local court and incarcerated. During her imprisonment, she endured beatings and forced labor of up to 16 hours per day.

Long history of torture and abuse

Ms. Wang began practicing Falun Gong in 1995 and, according to her family, experienced significant health improvements. After the Chinese Communist Party launched a nationwide campaign against the practice in July 1999, her life changed dramatically.

In late July 1999, under official pressure, her relatives forcibly committed her to a psychiatric hospital, where she was injected with unknown drugs and forced to ingest medication despite having no diagnosed mental illness. In 2000, after traveling to Beijing to appeal on behalf of Falun Gong, she was beaten by security personnel and later detained locally. Her family was extorted for her release.

In June 2001, she was among 13 practitioners arrested during a private gathering. While detained, they were handcuffed, beaten, shocked with electric batons, and doused with cold water. One practitioner, Wang Lanxiang, died following the abuse. Ms. Wang reportedly lost consciousness multiple times and sustained severe injuries.

In 2008, authorities detained her again and held her for 49 days in a local brainwashing facility under the pretext of maintaining security for the Beijing Olympics.

Over more than two decades, Ms. Wang Guirong has been subjected to psychiatric abuse, torture, forced labor, extortion, and repeated imprisonment solely for her spiritual belief. Her latest sentence, imposed at age 72, underscores the continuing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.