Zhan Xiangjun (占祥军), a man from Zhaodong City, Heilongjiang Province, was reported to have been sentenced to eight and a half years in prison on November 28, 2023 for practicing Falun Gong. He was tried at the Anda City Court alongside his wife, Yuan Airong, and three other local practitioners after a mass arrest in Zhaodong.
The 2023 mass arrest
On September 4, 2023, more than 50 residents of Zhaodong City were arrested in a single-day sweep for their shared faith in Falun Gong. Zhan, 52 at the time of reporting, was among them. According to insiders cited in the reporting, the Heilongjiang Provincial Public Security Bureau was involved in issuing the arrest order, and police had followed and monitored some of the practitioners for two or three months before the arrests.
Trial and sentencing
Zhan, his wife Yuan Airong (50), Yang Shujun, Sun Qin, and Xiong Qiliang were tried together at the Anda City Court on November 20, 2023. Their lawyers entered not-guilty pleas and they testified in their own defense. The judge convicted all five eight days later. Zhan received the heaviest sentence of the group — 8 years and 6 months, plus a 20,000-yuan fine. His wife received 4 years and a 10,000-yuan fine. Zhan was appealing his verdict at the time of the January 2024 report.
Case summary
- Name: Zhan Xiangjun (占祥军)
- Residence: Zhaodong City, Heilongjiang Province
- Age: 52 (per the January 2024 report)
- Arrest: September 4, 2023, Zhaodong mass arrest (>50 arrested)
- Trial: November 20, 2023, Anda City Court
- Sentence: 8 years 6 months + 20,000-yuan fine, November 28, 2023
- Appeal: filed (per January 2024 report); outcome unknown
- Current location: not publicly documented after trial
Sources
Cases of alleged persecution of Falun Gong practitioners are documented primarily by Falun Gong-affiliated outlets; independent verification by international news organizations has not been found for this case. The arrest, trial, and sentencing details below are reported by Minghui.org and are attributed accordingly. No PRC court judgment or official document on Zhan’s case has been publicly located.
- Minghui.org — “Zhaodong City, Heilongjiang Province: Six Sentenced to Up to 8.5 Years for Practicing Falun Gong” (Jan 30, 2024): https://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2024/1/30/214510.html
- Minghui.org — “Zhaodong City, Heilongjiang Province: Two Deceased, Five Sentenced, Another Two Faced Re-arrest or Harassment Since Their Same-Day Arrests One Year Ago” (Nov 11, 2024): http://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2024/11/11/221603.html
- 维权网 / Chinese-language monthly political-prisoner report, Issue 131 (2026-08-31) — lists 占祥军 in the 8-years-6-months sentence group and among in-custody prisoners.
A full chronology of reporting on this case is preserved in the Media Archive.