Ms. Wang Youmei, the mother of a Maryland accountant, was placed under criminal detention in Wuhan, Hubei Province for her Falun Gong advocacy. We call for her release.
(Pictured: Alisa Zhou and her mother, Ms. Wang.)
Case Summary
Wang Youmei / 王友梅 – Gender: Female, Birthyear: 1965
Current Status: Placed Under Criminal Detention on April 30, 2026.
Reason:Official Reason Not Revealed to Family Members.
Past Detentions: 2000 (three times); 2004
Reports of Torture: Yes.
Current location: Wuhan No. 1 Detention Center, Hubei Province.
Family Residence: USA.
Family Background
Wang Youmei: Born in 1965, from Wuhan, Hubei Province. She began practicing Falun Gong in 1999, which significantly improved her physical health. In 2007, She was forced to leave her job at the Xinzhou Yangluo Grain Grading Company due to the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong. She has been actively involved in activism such as distributing Falun Gong-related materials since the persecution began.
Daughter – Alisa: Born in Hubei Province; currently working as an accountant in Maryland, USA. She completed her education in China before coming to the United States to pursue higher education. Alisa is actively advocating for the immediate release of her mother.
Timeline
April 30, 2026: Transferred to Criminal Detention Upon completion of their 15-day administrative detention, Ms. Wang, along with two other practitioners, was placed under criminal detention, extending her unlawful imprisonment.
April 15, 2026: Arrested and Detained On April 15, 2026, the Wuhan Yangtze River New District Public Security Bureau dispatched a large number of officers and arrested approximately 17 Falun Gong practitioners from Yangluo Subdistrict and surrounding areas. Ms. Wang was among those taken following months of covert police surveillance of two Falun Gong study groups. She was sentenced to 15 days of administrative detention at Wuhan No. 1 Detention Center, from April 16 to May 1, 2026. Authorities also ransacked her home and confiscated three laptops, Falun Gong books, and related materials.
2007: Forced Out of Job The 610 Office at Xinzhou Subdistrict, Wuhan City pressured Ms. Wang’s workplace to dismiss her, resulting in her forced removal from her job.
March 2004: Unlawful Detention at Brainwashing Center On March 10, 2004, local police took Ms. Wang from her workplace and held her unlawfully at a brainwashing center, where she was subjected to physical and mental abuse, including sleep deprivation, prolonged forced standing or kneeling, handcuffing, and solitary confinement.
March 2003: Attempted Abduction Failed Eight officers from the local police station and public security bureau broke into Ms. Wang’s home in an attempt to take her away without due legal process. The attempt was unsuccessful, driven back by pressure from neighboring residents.
October 2000: One Year in Forced Labor Camp Local police sent Ms. Wang to one year of re-education through labor at a Labor Camp in Wuhan, Hubei Province.
May 2000: Held Over 3 Months Ms. Wang was held for more than 60 days at Liuji Brainwashing center in Wuhan, where she was subjected to coercive propaganda. After refusing to renounce her belief, she was further detained for 30 additional days at a Wuhan detention center before being released.
January, 2000: First Detention Local police detained Mr. Wang for 15 days at a Wuhan detention center after taking her off street. She subsequently lost her position as deputy manager of the Xinzhou Yangluo Grain Trading Company.
News & Action
Alisa Zhou spoke outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C. calling for release of her mother and other Falun Gong practitioners illegally detained in Wuhan.
May 30, 2026: Alisa spoke outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C. In her speech, Alisa called for release of her mother and other Falun Gong practitioners illegally detained around April 15 in Wuhan. Alisa’s employer, Gary, also made a call to the office of Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and asked him to pay attention to China’s persecution of innocent people and the CCP’s state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting. Her interview can be watched here.
May 12, 2026: Alisa met with a staff member from Senator Van Hollen’s office in Washington D.C. Alisa spoke about her mother’s detention and requested assistance drafting a letter addressed to Xi Jinping, the Chinese ambassador, the Governor of Hubei Province, or the Mayor of Wuhan, calling for her mother’s release.
May 9, 2026: Alisa was interviewed by the Epoch Times In the interview, Alisa recalled witnessing her family being torn apart multiple times by the CCP for practicing Falun Gong from an early age. She calls for Americans to help free her mother and two other Falun Gong practitioners detained in China.
May 1, 2026: Alisa sent letters to Maryland Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, and Representative Jamie Raskin Alisa recalled how her family began practicing Falun Gong when she was six years old, and how the practice transformed their health for the better. But the joy turned into fear in 1999. “I am very worried about their safety because I know Falun Gong practitioners were persecuted to death for their belief in China,” Alisa wrote in the letter. “My father and brother are also worried about the direction this is taking.” Alisa expressed gratitude for calling Maryland home, and urged her representatives to pass the Falun Gong and Victims of Forced Organ Harvesting Protection Act (S.4009) in Congress.
Take Action
Send an encouraging letter directly to Alisa’s Mother
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. Wang Youmei 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. Wang Youmei.
