Reported in March and April 2025: 772 Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested or Harassed for Their Faith

(Minghui.org) A total of 772 incidents of Falun Gong practitioners being arrested or harassed for their faith were reported in March and April 2025.

The 772 cases included 333 arrests (which broke down to 61 arrests that took place in 2024 and 272 in 2025) and 439 harassment cases (which comprised 123 incidents in 2024 and 422 in 2025). The delay in reporting is mostly due to the information censorship in China under the communist regime, which makes it difficult for Minghui correspondents to collect, verify, and send the data to the website. Practitioners who have been persecuted also face the danger of government retaliation when they report the persecution using their real names.

The 772 targeted practitioners are from 22 provinces and 4 centrally-controlled municipalities (Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, and Tianjin). Hebei reported the most combined arrest and harassment cases (156), followed by Shandong (112), Heilongjiang (68), Jilin (67), and Liaoning (63). Ten other regions also had double-digit cases, between 11 and 50. The remaining eleven regions had single-digit cases, from 2 to 7.

A group arrest of over ten practitioners, mostly in their 70s, took place in Huaihua City, Hunan Province, on April 14, 2025. An insider revealed that the arrests were ordered by the Huaihua City Political and Legal Affairs Committee and the Domestic Security Division.

At least 170 practitioners were 60 or older at the time of their arrests or harassment, including 36 in their 60s, 90 in their 70s, 43 in their 80s, and 1 in their 90s.

Violent Arrest and Force-feeding While in Custody

Ms. Jia Xiufang, around 70 and from Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province, was arrested at home in early February 2025, after the police suspected her of putting up Falun Gong flyers. The police broke into Ms. Jia’s home and confiscated her Falun Gong books. Before they left, they warned her not to go out to put up Falun Gong informational materials again or they’d break her legs and beat her to death.

When the police in Longkou City, Shandong Province, tried to break into 76-year-old Mr. Yi Xiangyang’s home on March 5, 2025, they had a locksmith remove the peephole from the door and then insert a long metal stick through the opening. Mr. Yi and his wife were terrified, thinking a group of robbers were invading their property. After a brief standoff, the police forcibly removed the lock and barged in. They searched every inch of the home, including inside the closet and drawers. Some of Mr. Yi’s Falun Gong informational materials and his three media players were confiscated.

Mr. Feng Guoqing, a Yichun City, Heilongjiang Province, resident around 59, held a hunger strike for over 40 days at the Yichun City Detention Center following his arrest on December 4, 2024. The police stripped him naked, restrained him on a bed in a spread eagle position, and then force-fed him. He also had to relieve himself on the bed. Both his kidneys failed.

Detained Despite Medical Condition

Numerous practitioners were detained despite their medical condition.

Mr. Dong Xunsheng, a 75-year-old Dalian City, Liaoning Province, resident, was arrested on March 19, 2025 after being reported for putting up Falun Gong posters. During the physical examination required for detention, he was found to have scabies and mitral stenosis (a heart condition). Even though he was unfit for detention, the doctor examining him agreed that he could be detained, saying that his life wouldn’t be in danger as long as he didn’t engage in vigorous exercise.

Mr. Dong Xunsheng

Another Dalian resident, Ms. Meng Xianfang, 63, was found to have kidney failure and a systolic blood pressure of 280 mmHg (the normal range is 120 mmHg or lower), after her arrest on March 2, 2025. The local detention center forced her to take hypertension medications and admitted her. Despite her health issues, the guards forced her to do chores every day. Her health deteriorated and she went into shock three times in just one month.

The police interrogated Ms. Meng twice at the detention center around mid-March 2025. The prosecutor also came to verify the police interrogation records. They ordered her to renounce Falun Gong and threatened to put her in jail. Her family was told that her prison sentence may be reduced by one year if they paid 100,000 yuan.

Harassment Cases

With the “Two sessions” (the annual plenary sessions of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference) taking place in Beijing on March 5-11, 2025, the harassment of Falun Gong practitioners intensified in late 2024 and continued until the conferences ended. In Shanghai and Beijing, in particular, the authorities arranged officers to stay outside some practitioners’ homes around the clock to monitor them.

On March 10, 2025, two officers knocked on Ms. Song Liying’s door in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province. The officers said they were just there to visit the family. Ms. Song’s family refused to open the door and the officers left shortly after.

Other than harassment prior to major political meetings, the police across the country have also targeted the practitioners on their blacklist on a regular basis.

In Chengmai County, Hainan Province, one plainclothes officer went to Ms. He Ping’s home on the evening of February 8, 2025. He first asked if Ms. He’s husband was home and then said they suspected Ms. He of distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. When he was pressured to provide evidence about the allegation, the person called for more officers to come. As Ms. He refused to let them in, they claimed they were just there to do a house survey. In the end, they changed the narrative to: Ms. He posted “inappropriate comments” online.

On March 7, one month after the incident, the police contacted Ms. He’s manager at work and said someone reported her for distributing Falun Gong materials and accused her of listening to radio programs from “foreign enemies.” Ms. He’s husband was also ordered to persuade her to renounce Falun Gong.

Around March 9, two poster boards with information that slandered Falun Gong appeared outside of Ms. He’s apartment. The poster boards were sponsored by the Chengmai County Political and Legal Affairs Committee and it posted rewards for the general public to report on Falun Gong practitioners. It stated that those who raise awareness about the persecution would be sentenced to prison. The police also threatened Ms. He, telling her not to try to remove the poster boards.

Elderly Practitioners Harassed

Over ten police officers broke into Ms. Zhu Weihua’s home on April 17, 2025 and began to search the place without producing their IDs or search warrant. Ms. Zhu’s Falun Gong books, lecture CDs, portrait of Falun Gong’s founder, computers, and other home decorations with information about Falun Gong, were confiscated. When Ms. Zhu’s home aide tried to prevent the police from taking her belongings, the police handcuffed the aide and took her to the police car, thinking she was Ms. Zhu.

Ms. Zhu, in her 70s and a retired teacher from Yanshan University in Qinhuangdao City, Shandong Province, stayed in her locked bedroom and the police left without breaking in. That afternoon, after they realized they arrested the wrong person, the police returned to Ms. Zhu’s home in the evening and ordered her daughter to open her bedroom door. The police briefly interrogated Ms. Zhu and then left. Her aide was released around 11 p.m.

Despite Ms. Liao An’an’s ongoing health struggles, the police have continued to harass the 89-year-old Baiyin City, Gansu Province resident, and attempted to take her into custody to serve a prison term of six years and nine months. During the latest harassment on March 6, 2025, when Ms. Liao tried to explain that she didn’t do anything wrong by practicing her faith, one officer said to her, “Don’t you know that you are a convicted criminal? How dare you still have such an attitude! I can put you in jail just because of that.” Ms. Liao is now under tremendous pressure and lives in fear.

Repeatedly Persecuted

Ms. Zhang Lifang, 65, from Guyuan City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, went to Yinchuan City, the capital of Ningxia, to visit her daughter in early 2025, only to be arrested on March 29, 2025 after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong. She has been held at the Yinchuan City Detention Center since then. This is the seventh time Ms. Zhang has been arrested since the onset of the persecution. She previously served three forced labor camp terms for a total of five years, and a three-year prison term. The communist regime’s slanderous propaganda, intimidation and threats also put Ms. Zhang’s husband and children under tremendous pressure.

In addition to Ms. Zhang’s ordeal, her three sisters and one niece were also targeted for practicing Falun Gong. Her oldest sister, Ms. Zhang Yufang, was tortured into disability in a labor camp and remains bedridden to this day. Ms. Zhang Yufang’s husband, Mr. Xu Yaozhen, died as a result of the persecution. Their daughter, Ms. Xu Yan, was sentenced to three years in prison. Ms. Zhang Lifang’s two other sisters, Ms. Zhang Shufang and Ms. Zhang Lanfang, also lost their lives to the persecution.

The arrest of the above-mentioned Mr. Yi Xiangyang on March 5, 2025 was the 19th time the Longkou City, Shandong Province resident was arrested since the persecution started in 1999. He served two five-year prison terms (October 2004 – October 2009 and August 2014 – August 2019) and was subjected to brutal torture while he was detained. He is currently on a hunger strike at the Longkou City Detention Center to protest the arbitrary arrest and detention.

Only three months after Ms. Xia Yilin finished serving a 4.5-year prison term on December 22, 2024, the 73-year-old Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province resident was arrested again on March 19, 2025, after the police saw the solemn declaration she published on Minghui.org to nullify the statement renouncing Falun Gong she made under pressure during her previous detentions. She was admitted to a detention center even though her blood pressure was elevated. Prior to this latest persecution episode, Ms. Xia served three prison terms totaling 11.5 years.

Family Ordeals

Mr. Wang Junheng, 76 and of Yantai City, Shandong Province, was arrested around April 7, 2025, after being reported for talking to people about the persecution of Falun Gong. His wife, who has been incapacitated for years and relies on him, is left to fend for herself.

Less than three years after the death of her husband, who died due to the persecution, Ms. Yan Qinghua, of Dalian City, Liaoning Province, was arrested on March 21, 2025. This latest round of persecution stemmed from her earlier arrest on July 11, 2019, along with her husband Mr. Ding Guochen. Mr. Ding later fell into a coma, but he was still sentenced to two years and Ms. Yan was sentenced to 3.5 years on February 23, 2021. After Mr. Ding passed away on April 30, 2022, the authorities didn’t immediately take Ms. Yan into custody to serve time, and allowed her to stay home to care for their daughter. After her daughter reached 18 (but is still in high school), the authorities arrested her and ordered her to serve the term from four years ago.

Following the arrests of Ms. Du Likun, her husband Mr. Ma Yongxiao, and her mother Ms. Yang Fenglian, at their shared residence in Handan City, Hebei Province, around 11 p.m. on February 19, 2025, Ms. Yang’s ex-husband, Mr. Du Jiaxiang (who doesn’t practice Falun Gong) hired a lawyer to represent them. While Ms. Yang and Mr. Ma were denied visits with the lawyer, the lawyer was allowed to see Ms. Du.

When Ms. Yang was released on March 29, 2025, the police arrested Mr. Du in retaliation for hiring a lawyer. After he was denied admission to the local detention center due to his physical condition, the police held him at the police hospital for 31 days and released him on April 30. Meanwhile, the police raided Ms. Yang’s other residence on April 1, 2025. They broke the lock on the front door and confiscated seven printers.

In another tragedy, Ms. Zhang Shuping, of Tangshan City, Hebei Province, was forcibly taken to a psychiatric hospital in mid-April 2025, by her son, daughter-in-law and local police, simply because she refused to renounce Falun Gong. [Editor’s note: As part of the persecution, many mentally healthy practitioners are taken to psychiatric hospitals and subjected to involuntary drug administration.]

Ms. Zhang’s son and daughter-in-law resented Falun Gong due to the communist regime’s propaganda. They blamed their mother for implicating the family, after the police told them that their children wouldn’t be allowed to go to college or find a good job if Ms. Zhang persisted in practicing Falun Gong.

Related Report:

Reported in January and February 2025: 518 Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested or Harassed for Their Faith (Graphic Photos)