The persecution of Falun Gong targeted 100 million people in China, and decimated countless families and communities across China. Below, we offer a glimpse into the human cost of this persecution with up-close and personal stories of those who were killed, those who survived, and those struggling to the freedom of others. These are their stories…
The persecution of Falun Gong targeted 100 million people in China, and decimated countless families and communities across China. These are their stories…
A 52-year-old woman, Ms. Zhang Fengxia (張鳳霞) from Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, died on Aug. 17, just seven days after being arrested for her faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual practice based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since 1999.
A 70-year-old woman in Baiyin City, Gansu Province, died on Sept. 12, while serving a three-year-nine-month prison term for her faith in Falun Gong.
Ms. Wang Shuzhi was a 59-year-old resident of Jixi City, Heilongjiang Province. She died at the Jixi City Detention Center on July 19, 2025, less than two months after she was arrested for practicing Falun Gong.
Mr. Zhao Jiyuan, 71, a resident of Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, passed away in Jinzhou City Prison on July 4, 2025 while serving a seven-and-a-half-year term for his faith in Falun Gong.
Mr. He Jingru, a 68-year-old resident of Huizhou City, Guangdong Province, died on May 20, 2025, while being held in a psychiatric hospital, according to Minghui.org. In 2024, officers from the State Security Brigade of the Huidong County Public Security Bureau abducted him for practicing Falun Gong and sent him to a psychiatric hospital in Huizhou.
Mr. Yi Xiangyang (also known as Yin Xiangyang), a 76-year-old farmer from Liujia Village in Longkou City, Shandong Province, was admitted to Shandong Province Men’s Prison on June 11, 2025, according to Minghui.org and Weiquanwang.
In a disturbing recurrence of religious persecution, mass arrests in Hunan Province— separated by fifteen years—targeted the same group of Falun Gong practitioners. These included Ms. Li Qun’e and Ms. Cao Shuiju, who have endured prolonged detention, violence, extortion, and unjust sentencing for their peaceful spiritual practice.
On May 9, Wang Yan, a 71-year-old Falun Gong practitioner from Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, died while imprisoned at Liaoning Women’s Prison (formerly known as Shenyang Dabei Women’s Prison). Her death brings the number of confirmed Falun Gong deaths due to persecution by the Chinese Communist Party to over 5,205, according to Minghui.org.
Wang Ligong, a 76-year-old former researcher from Changchun City, Jilin Province, died in November 2024 while serving a prison term for practicing Falun Gong—a spiritual discipline persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since 1999. His death resulted from a series of violations against legal procedure and medical advice, including ignoring medical assessments deeming him unfit for detention.
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