(Minghui.org)
Name: Cheng HuaChinese Name: 程华Gender: FemaleAge: 79City: AnshunProvince: GuizhouOccupation: veterinarianDate of Death: August 29, 2026Date of Most Recent Arrest: August 20, 2025Most Recent Place of Detention: Anshun City Second Detention Center
A 79-year-old woman in Anshun City, Guizhou Province, died on August 29, 2026, after suffering a brain hemorrhage. Ms. Cheng Hua’s passing came only four months after she was sentenced to two years with a three-year probation for her faith in Falun Gong.
Ms. Cheng, born in February 1947, used to suffer from severe rheumatoid arthritis, hyperthyroidism, high blood pressure, and varicose veins. She sought many treatments, but none had much effect on her. After she took up Falun Gong in May 1997, she soon regained her health and felt like she was reborn.
In July 1999, the Chinese Communist Party ordered a nationwide persecution campaign against Falun Gong. Ms. Cheng remained firm in her faith and was repeatedly arrested and detained. The former veterinarian had to collect garbage to make ends meet after her pension was suspended.
Pension Suspension and Three-Year Prison Sentence
Ms. Cheng was arrested on July 22, 2001, for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. A group of officers broke into her home and confiscated her Falun Gong books and a photo of the founder of Falun Gong. She was detained for over 110 days and extorted 3,000 yuan.
Deputy police director Li Lin smeared Falun Gong in front of Ms. Cheng’s daughter. Terrified, the young woman ran away from home and didn’t return for years.
Ms. Cheng was arrested again on February 8, 2002, and taken to a brainwashing center for over 40 days. Because she refused to renounce Falun Gong, the authorities suspended her pension for seven years and nine months.
A group of officers showed up at Ms. Cheng’s home on April 29, 2002, and questioned her as to whether she was still practicing Falun Gong. She said yes. They detained her for over two months and sentenced her to three years.
While she was serving time at the Yangai Prison, four inmates were assigned to monitor Ms. Cheng around the clock. She was forced to do free labor, mostly by harvesting tea leaves.
During her incarceration, her husband could not withstand the pressure of the persecution and divorced her. With no one taking care of her house, burglars came and took everything. Her mother, in her 80s, had no one to depend on and had to go around living off relatives and friends.
After Ms. Cheng was released in January 2005, she saw the door lock of her house had been smashed by burglars. There was a thick layer of dust inside, with nothing left. With no income, she made ends meet by collecting garbage.
More Arrests
Ms. Cheng was arrested one more time in 2008, by Zhao Canhui, the secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, and a few other officers. She was held at the Maomaodong Brainwashing Center for over two months.
Following another arrest in November 2014, she was held at the Lannigou Brainwashing Center for over 80 days and forced to write statements to renounce Falun Gong.
Ms. Cheng was arrested one more time in December 2015, after she was followed by the police while distributing Falun Gong materials. The police forcibly drew her blood, forced her to sit on a tiger bench, and slapped her in the face. The Falun Gong materials she had were confiscated. She was released five hours later.
Ms. Cheng was arrested again in June 2016 for distributing Falun Gong materials. She was detained for 15 days.
Local police harassed Ms. Cheng on February 21 and 24, 2021. When she refused to sign the statements to renounce Falun Gong, they harassed her again on March 15. As she still refused to comply, they harassed her daughter, threatening to get her fired if Ms. Cheng didn’t renounce Falun Gong.
The police harassed Ms. Cheng again on July 1, 2021, and stayed at her home for a few hours.
Latest Arrest, Prison Sentence, and Death
Ms. Cheng’s last arrest was on August 20, 2025, during a police sweep. She was first held at the Anshun City Second Detention Center, and later transferred to the rehabilitation hospital affiliated with the detention center.
She was indicted by prosecutor Song Zhihua of the Xixiu District Procuratorate at an unknown time, and tried by the Xixiu District Court on April 16, 2026. Judge Liu Bangyu and his assistant, Wang Xiangkai, sentenced her to two years with a three-year probation.
Ms. Cheng was released from the rehabilitation hospital on August 12, 2026. She stayed at her daughter’s place. She suffered a stroke on the evening of August 29 and died at the hospital.
Related Reports:
Seven Guizhou Residents Face Trial for Practicing Falun Gong, Two Previously Jailed
Three Elderly Women Arrested for Their Faith, Two Previously Jailed
Retiree Forced to Collect Garbage to Make Ends Meet After Her Pension was Suspended
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