(Minghui.org) The Zhenxing District Court in Dandong City, Liaoning Province is set to hear the case against the local social security bureau for stopping a Falun Gong practitioner’s pension.
Ms. Pan Jing, a 60-year-old local woman, retired in August 2016. The Dandong City Social Security Bureau stopped her pension after the Zhen’an District Court sentenced her to three years in October 2022 for practicing Falun Gong.
After completing her prison sentence on October 4, 2025, Ms. Pan visited the social security bureau numerous times, seeking pension reinstatement. They rejected her claim, citing Document (2001) 44 issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MHRSS). This document stated that retirees who are sentenced to prison are not entitled to pension benefits.
Ms. Pan argued that the MHRSS is not a law-making body and has no power to override the social insurance law, which stipulates that retirees’ pension should not be forfeited. The social security bureau is legally obligated to dispense retirement benefits, but has no power to stop anyone’s payments.
A director at the social bureau expressed sympathy to Ms. Pan, as he must follow higher-ups to stop her pension. He suggested that she sue them, and they’d reinstate her benefits if the court says so.
Ms. Pan thus filed a lawsuit against the social security bureau with the Zhenxing District Court. It is unclear when a hearing will be held.
Prior to her latest prison sentence and financial persecution, Ms. Pan was previously arrested seven times and served two labor camp terms totaling six years. See the related reports for details of her past persecution and prison sentence.
Liaoning Woman on Hunger Strike to Protest 3-Year Prison Term for Practicing Falun Gong
Liaoning Woman Given Three Years in Prison for Her Faith, 90-year-old Mother Dies in Distress
Ongoing Torture of Falun Gong Practitioners in Liaoning Province Women’s Prison
90-year-old Mother Dies in Distress, One Year After Daughter’s Arrest at Her 89th Birthday Party
“I Will Give You a Lighter Sentence If You Renounce Falun Gong”
Liaoning Woman Released on Bail After 15 Days of Detention
Liaoning Woman and Four Guests Arrested While Celebrating Her Mother’s 89-year Birthday
Ms. Pan Jing Has Been Cruelly and Repeatedly Persecuted by the Communist Regime