(Minghui.org)
Name: Zhang RongxiuChinese Name: 张荣秀Gender: FemaleAge: in her 60sCity: TianjinProvince: N/AOccupation: N/ADate of Death: April 11, 2026Date of Most Recent Arrest: August 10, 2021Most Recent Place of Detention: Tianjin Women’s Prison
Ms. Zhang Rongxiu was diagnosed with late-stage uterine cancer while serving a five-year term for her faith in Falun Gong. The prison authorities, however, did not release her on parole until she was in critical condition. She died four days later, on April 11, 2026. The Tianjin resident was in her 60's.
Ms. Zhang took up Falun Gong in February 1999. After the communist regime launched a nationwide campaign against Falun Gong five months later, she held firm to her faith and was repeatedly targeted. Prior to her latest sentencing, she served three prison terms at the same Tianjin Women’s Prison for a total of nine and a half years, during which time she was subjected to torture, brainwashing and drug administration. Her daughter suspects that she likely suffered the same types of abuse during her fourth prison term. See the related reports for details of the abuse of Falun Gong practitioners jailed in the prison.
Ms. Zhang was arrested on February 12, 2020 for putting up information about Falun Gong. She was held in a metal cage at the local police station for a day. Her computer and several hundred yuan in paper bills printed with messages about Falun Gong (as a way to overcome the strict information censorship in China) were confiscated. The police extorted 10,000 yuan from her family before releasing her on bail.
The police summoned Ms. Zhang on September 22, 2020 and ordered her to report to the police station on September 30. As she didn’t show up, they repeatedly harassed her over the phone. Lan Enliang, the village director, harassed her in person and ordered her to renounce Falun Gong. She refused to comply.
Three officers harassed Ms. Zhang again in late December 2020 and ordered her to sign a statement to renounce Falun Gong. They threatened to ruin her children’s futures if she didn’t sign it.
As Ms. Zhang remained firm in her faith, the village officials came to her home again on January 6, 2021 and threatened to take away her government sponsored housing. When she still refused to comply, she was notified to move out in three days.
The police harassed Ms. Zhang a few more times in June 2021 and threatened to take her back into custody if she didn’t sign the required statement.
On the evening of August 10, 2021, seven officers broke into Ms. Zhang’s home and carried her into the police car. The police threatened to arrest her daughter Ms. Yu Lan, when she tried to stop them from taking Ms. Zhang away. Ms. Yu’s son and daughter, both around 4, were terrified by the police violence.
Ms. Zhang was made to appear at the Nankai District Court on December 9, 2021 and sentenced to five years. She was admitted to the Tianjin Women’s Prison on August 24, 2022. She was found to have uterine cancer around October 2024, but the prison authorities refused to release her. They said they’d give her treatments there. Her condition kept worsening, and she was eventually released on parole on April 7, 2026. She died four days later.
Tianjin Woman Sentenced to Five Years for Putting Up Information about Falun Gong
Ongoing Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners in Tianjin Women’s Prison
Tianjin Prisons’ Systematic Use of Drugs in Persecution of Falun Gong
Dangerous Drugs Forced on Practitioners in Tianjin Women's Prison
Tianjin Women's Prison: An Institution of Forced Labor and Brainwashing
Practitioners Tortured to the Point of Mental Collapse in Tianjin Women's Prison
Tianjin Women's Prison Uses Brutal Persecution Methods on Falun Gong Practitioners