Five Falun Gong Adherents Sentenced in Jilin, Their Families Also Harmed

In early 2025, reports from Weiquanwang revealed the secret sentencing of five veteran Falun Gong practitioners in Tonghua City, Jilin Province. The individuals—Xu Deming, Sun Jinna, Qu Xiaofei, Luo Xizhen, and Liu Xiaoyan—were arrested in March 2024 during a coordinated operation targeting Falun Gong adherents in the area.

Without notifying their families, Liuhe County Court conducted secret trials, and issued prison sentences ranging from two to five years. By December 2024, all five had been transferred to various prisons, reflecting the intensifying crackdown on Falun Gong practitioners in the region.

Mass arrest in Jilin

In March 2024, authorities in Tonghua City orchestrated a large-scale operation against Falun Gong practitioners. At least ten individuals were arrested in a series of raids led by the Dongchang District Public Security Bureau and local police stations. Among those detained were the five practitioners mentioned above, all longtime practitioners. The detainees were sent to the Tonghua City Detention Center, where they were held without legal representation or contact with their families.

According to Minghui, before this arrest, both Mr. Qu Xiaofei and Ms. Luo Xizhen had endured imprisonment for their beliefs. In 2004, Mr. Qu was sentenced to three years. Ms. Luo was arrested and sentenced to three years by the Ji’an City Court in September 2007. Following another arrest on June 26, 2014, for distributing Falun Gong materials, she received a second sentence of three years and three months, which she served in Jilin Province Women’s Prison.

This mass arrest underscores the escalating persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in Jilin Province and reflects systematic efforts to suppress the spiritual practice.

The human cost

The sentencing of the five practitioners has caused profound suffering on both the victims and their families. Xu Deming and Sun Jinna, husband and wife who each received five-year sentences, left their daughter—a university student in Beijing—without any parental support.

Mr. Qu Xiaofei, 60 years old, was sentenced to three years, and faced an especially harrowing ordeal. His 82-year-old mother sought justice for her son, demanding that he be returned home, but her advocacy ended in tragedy. Intercepted by the police and forcibly taken into a police car, she suffered severe injuries when the police car overturned on the way. The incident left her with a fractured chest, bruising, and swelling on her head. She fell into a coma and was taken to Changchun Hospital for surgery. Now unable to care for herself, she requires constant family assistance.

Ms. Luo Xizhen, 58 years old, was given a three-year prison term. She was transferred to Jilin Province Women’s Prison in poor health, reportedly unable to walk. Liu Xiaoyan, a widow sentenced to two years, has left her daughter in financial hardship, struggling to continue her education.

The lack of transparency, due process, and basic human rights highlight the harsh realities of the broader persecution against Falun Gong in China. The secret trials and severe prison terms emphasize the urgent need for further accountability. These sentences serve as a stark reminder of the human cost of the persecution, affecting not only the practitioners but also the lives of those who depend on them.