35 Deaths and 162 Sentencing Cases of Falun Gong Practitioners Reported in Third Quarter of 2026
(Minghui.org) Minghui.org confirmed between July and September 2026 that 35 Falun Gong practitioners passed away as a result of the persecution, and another 162 were sentenced to prison.
Due to strict censorship in China, information collection and reporting is often delayed. Not all of the newly reported cases took place in the third quarter of 2026, as some occurred in earlier months or years.
Below are some case highlights.
Death Cases
Ms. Yang Jinhui’s family was notified on May 3, 2026, that the Gejiu City, Yunnan Province, resident had died at Honghe Prefecture Detention Center, only 23 days after she was arrested on a train heading home from a family vacation. The detention center claimed the 65-year-old woman “had a heart attack, and the resuscitation was unsuccessful.” The family requested an autopsy, but it is unclear whether the detention center agreed to it.
Ms. Pu Baoyu, 65, from Kunming City, Yunnan Province, died suddenly on September 9, 2025, two days before the end of her six-year-four-month prison term for practicing Falun Gong. The Yunnan Province Second Women’s Prison refused to provide any details regarding Ms. Pu’s death. It’s also unclear whether the prison returned Ms. Pu’s body to her family. According to an insider, Ms. Pu was injected with toxic drugs in the prison, a common practice imposed on Falun Gong practitioners who refuse to renounce their faith.
Despite her poor health, the authorities took Ms. Liu Huiju, of Shuangyashan City, Heilongjiang Province, into custody in July 2025 to serve a 1.5-year prison term that she was given in late 2021 for practicing Falun Gong. She was resuscitated four times over the next nine months. When her family visited her, she no longer recognized them. She died in prison on May 7, 2026, just weeks after her 84th birthday.
Ms. Sun Shuhua of Tianjin struggled with poor health after serving time in a forced labor camp and a prison term for her faith in Falun Gong. She died of a stroke on July 6, 2026, only six months after her prison release. She was 59.
Mr. Gao Yumin, a former police officer of Fuxin City, Liaoning Province, was injected with a large dose of Barbital (a central nervous system depressant) in June 2017, two months before he finished serving a 3.5-year term for practicing Falun Gong. The injection caused him to have a blank look in his eyes and a stiff body. He couldn’t straighten his limbs, and blood oozed out of multiple veins. He was unable to eat; he was confused, and his stools were dark. He continued to suffer after being released and needed care around the clock. He died on July 19, 2026, at the age of 59.
Mr. Yao Xingqi, of Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province, went to the police station on May 11, 2026, to seek the return of the Falun Gong books confiscated from him during an earlier arrest. Instead of returning the books, the police arrested him at home the next day and took him to the Qiqihar City First Detention Center. He fell into a coma on May 21 due to torture, and was taken to the hospital. He remained very weak afterward. The police sent him home on May 29, and he passed away on June 24. He was 79.
Sentencing Cases
Four Falun Gong practitioners in Tianshui City, Gansu Province, and one of their family members were sentenced to prison in July 2026. Ms. Liu Qiye was given three years and two months. Her husband, who does not practice Falun Gong, was given one and a half years. Mr. Wang Shilie and Mr. Yang Tanguo were each sentenced to two years. Ms. Ma Xiaojuan received one year and eight months. All five were also issued unknown amounts of court fines. The local procuratorate had twice returned the case, but the police fabricated additional evidence to get them indicted. Their families were not notified of their trial.
Ms. Yu Chunxiang, a 65-year-old resident in Dalian City, Liaoning Province, was arrested on March 4, 2026, after the police suspected her of submitting an article to Minghui.org exposing her earlier persecution. She was detained despite her high blood pressure. Her lawyer wasn’t allowed to review her case file or visit her. She was tried on June 10 and sentenced to a four-year prison term on July 23.
Mr. Xiao Yujun and his wife, Ms. Zhang Aimei, of Linyi City, Shandong Province, were arrested at home on July 22, 2025. The couple appeared in the Yinan County Court on January 13 and May 13, 2026. Their two lawyers pointed out that their clients have the constitutional right to practice their faith, and that they didn’t break the law by doing so. The prosecutor claimed that the couple “committed serious crimes,” but provided no supporting evidence. No witnesses appeared in court for cross-examination. The couple was convicted on June 22, 2026, with Mr. Xiao receiving 5.5 years and his wife 4.5 years.
Ms. Zhu Yugui, an 88-year-old Chongqing resident, was arrested in March 2023 because the police suspected her of using paper currency with Falun Gong information printed on the bills. While she was soon released, she struggled with failing health due to the mental distress. The authorities secretly sentenced Ms. Zhu to prison between March and June 2026. She is now serving time in the Zouma Women’s Prison.
Ms. Yan Hong, a 63-year-old barber shop owner in Changsha County, Hunan Province, was sentenced to three years and two months by the Liuyang City Court after a hearing on June 5, 2026. The prosecutor accused her of promoting Falun Gong at a certain location at a particular time, even though she provided evidence to show that she was riding a train during that time. She is now experiencing high blood sugar and high blood pressure due to abuse in detention. She previously served two prison terms totaling 9.5 years for practicing Falun Gong.
Related Reports:
Summary Report: Persecution of Falun Gong in China in September 2026
Summary Report: The Persecution of Falun Gong in China in August 2026
Summary Report: Persecution of Falun Gong in China in July 2026
Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners Aged 60 and Above in the First Half of 2026