Retired female teacher from Beijing’s Huairou District and Falun Gong practitioner Yu Zhanqin, sentenced to 1 year and 6 months, persecuted to death in prison
(Rights Defense Network Information Center report) On March 26, 2026, this website learned that Yu Zhanqin, a retired female teacher from Beijing’s Huairou District and Falun Gong practitioner who had been sentenced to 1 year and 6 months, was persecuted to death in prison.
Yu Zhanqin was a retired primary school teacher from Beijing’s Huairou District. On July 4, 2025, Yu Zhanqin was arrested by police from the Huairou District Public Security Bureau’s Domestic Security Division, the Public Order Brigade and Longshan Police Station, and detained in a detention center. In early February 2026, it was learned that she had been sentenced to 1 year and 6 months by the Beijing Huairou District Court. After falling ill in prison, she was subjected to delays and buck-passing and did not receive humane medical treatment. Yu Zhanqin was ultimately persecuted to death while in detention on March 17, 2026, at the age of 68.
Related Reporting
Aug 29, 2026
Li Qiaochu: Update on Xu Zhiyong’s Situation in Prison (August 29, 2026)
The writer received a letter from Xu Zhiyong dated August 21, 2026, saying his outdoor time had improved to 10 a.m. daily for 30 minutes. Correspondence had also become smoother than during the previous two months. The writer considers the matter closed for now but plans to continue asking about Xu’s basic living conditions. Xu reportedly liked hand-drawn pictures sent with a letter in late July.
Aug 29, 2026
Chow Hang-tung: Statement of Plea
The author rejects a 206-page judgment that, they argue, treats belief in ending one-party dictatorship as unconstitutional and criminal. They say law cannot control thoughts, condemn obedience to authoritarian power, and describe ending one-party dictatorship as a responsibility of Hong Kong and Chinese people. The author refuses to apologize for these beliefs, accepts possible imprisonment, and vows to continue pursuing democracy, accountability for the 1989 massacre and a democratic Hong Kong and China.
Aug 29, 2026
Kunming Shijixincheng Christian Church Case to Hold Pretrial Conference on September 2, 2026, Trial to Begin on September 16
The Kunming Shijixincheng Christian Church case will hold a pretrial conference on September 2, 2026, with trial scheduled to begin September 16. Authorities raided a church gathering on April 12, taking preacher Yu Shaolin, Li Qun and Luo Ping into custody. The three were formally arrested on May 20 on suspicion of “organizing an illegal gathering” and are held at Guandu District Detention Center.
Aug 28, 2026
Zion Church’s Open Prayer Letter Urging the Beihai Yinhai District Court to Immediately Release Wang Zhong and Wu Qiuyu
Zion Church said the Beihai Yinhai District Procuratorate indicted its “10·9” case on July 17, 2026, but a planned August pretrial conference and trial were postponed after lawyers protested. Eight pastors and co-workers remain detained on fraud and/or illegal business operations charges. The church said Wang Zhong’s bail requests were denied despite severe heart disease and his father’s death, while Wu Qiuyu remains separated from her two young children.