79-Year-Old Woman Dies Amid Ongoing Police Harassment

Ms. Chen Zhilian, a 79-year-old resident of Leshan City, Sichuan Province, died on March 2, 2025, after surviving many years of imprisonment, torture, and persistent police harassment due to her practice of Falun Gong—a spiritual discipline rooted in the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.

Ms. Chen began practicing Falun Gong in 1998, experiencing significant improvements in her health, according to Minghui.org. However, following the Chinese Communist Party’s nationwide ban on Falun Gong in 1999, she was targeted for persecution. She was subjected to numerous detentions for participating in group exercises at the Changjiang Market and for traveling twice to Beijing to appeal for the practice.

In 2001, authorities from Pingxing Township abducted Ms. Chen, subjecting her to a makeshift tribunal where she endured beatings, public humiliation, and other forms of mistreatment. During this ordeal, officials also confiscated 7,800 yuan in cash and savings from her.

Again in March 2003, she was arrested for discussing Falun Gong and detained at the Renshou Detention Center. There, she suffered torture, including being strapped to a torture device known as the ”tiger bench.” Subsequently, the Renshou Court sentenced her to six years in prison, and she was incarcerated at Chengdu Women’s Prison.

While imprisoned, Ms. Chen faced severe abuse. For refusing to wear a prison uniform, she was stripped down to her underwear, denied basic hygiene necessities, and prohibited from purchasing daily essentials. These inhumane conditions severely impacted her health and well-being.

On June 8, 2018, while attending a market in Jiuli Town, Emeishan City, Sichuan Province, Ms. Chen Zhilian was arrested by local police for carrying two information pamphlets about Falun Gong. She was detained and later tried by the Emeishan City Court on January 22, 2019. On September 25, 2019, she was sentenced to three and a half years in prison and fined 10,000 yuan. Early in 2020, she was transferred to Chengdu Women’s Prison to serve her sentence.​

In December 2020, while incarcerated at Chengdu Women’s Prison, Ms. Chen suffered severe physical abuse, resulting in a fractured skull and multiple head injuries, leading to significant intracranial hemorrhaging. Her condition was critical, but she was denied family visits during this time.

After her release in late 2021, Ms. Chen experienced persistent health issues, including mobility difficulties and cognitive impairment. Her family suspected that she had been subjected to poisoning while in prison.

In the months leading up to her death, officers from the Linjiang Police Station frequently visited Ms. Chen’s home, repeatedly questioning the bedridden elderly woman about her continued practice of Falun Gong. This relentless harassment, coupled with her declining health, contributed to her passing on March 2, 2025.

Ms. Chen’s case is one among numerous recent deaths of elderly Falun Gong practitioners under  prolonged persecution. According to Minghui.org reports in March, thirteen practitioners died after enduring decades of harassment, imprisonment, and torture for their faith.

Among the thirteen Falun Gong practitioners, 77% (ten individuals) were over the age of 70. Notably, an 85-year-old woman passed away just hours after being harassed by police, while a 92-year-old woman and an 84-year-old man died shortly after serving unjust prison terms.

These cases underscore a troubling pattern of elderly practitioners succumbing to the cumulative effects of brutal persecution.