Cao Ailan (曹爱兰, 1953–2026) was a Falun Gong practitioner from Nanyang City, Henan Province, and a retired employee of the Nanyang Oilfield. According to Minghui reporting, she was sentenced three times over nearly three decades to a total of sixteen years’ imprisonment for practicing Falun Gong.
In 2025, while serving an eight-year sentence, Minghui reported that she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy in a prison hospital. She was released on medical parole in early 2026 because of declining health and died on May 20, 2026, at age 72.
Custody-status note
This is a post-release death, not a death in custody. The arrest, imprisonment, medical-treatment, parole, and death details above come primarily from Minghui reporting and have not been independently verified. Minghui is affiliated with the Falun Gong movement, and its reporting is identified here accordingly.
A Rights Defense Network roster dated August 31, 2026 continued to list Cao among reported current-custody cases; this memorial treats that entry as stale relative to the reported May 2026 death rather than as independent evidence of her status.
Related records
Person profile: Cao Ailan
Media Profile & Archive: Cao Ailan