Classification: Falun Gong practitioner in Zhaodong, Heilongjiang; sentenced to four years in prison in November 2023; reported in custody as of August 2026.
The 2023 mass arrest
Yuan Airong (袁爱荣), a woman from Zhaodong City, Heilongjiang Province, was reported to have been sentenced to four years in prison on November 28, 2023, for practicing Falun Gong. She was tried alongside her husband, Zhan Xiangjun, after a mass arrest in Zhaodong.
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. Yuan, 50 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
Yuan, her husband Zhan Xiangjun, 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. Yuan received 4 years in prison and a 10,000-yuan fine. Her husband received the heaviest sentence of the group — 8 years and 6 months, plus a 20,000-yuan fine — and was appealing at the time of the January 2024 report. A November 2024 follow-up confirmed the five sentences; it was unclear where the five sentenced practitioners were being held.
Case summary
- Name: Yuan Airong (袁爱荣)
- Residence: Zhaodong City, Heilongjiang Province
- Age: 50 (per the January 2024 report)
- Arrest: September 4, 2023, Zhaodong mass arrest (more than 50 arrested)
- Trial: November 20, 2023, Anda City Court
- Sentence: 4 years + 10,000-yuan fine, November 28, 2023
- Current location: not publicly documented after trial
- Family: husband Zhan Xiangjun (sentenced to 8 years 6 months in the same case)
Current status
The Rights Defense Network’s monthly in-custody report for August 2026 lists Yuan Airong in its four-year group among people reported as in custody. Post-trial detention location is not publicly documented.
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 are reported by Minghui.org and are attributed accordingly. Minghui.org, “Zhaodong City, Heilongjiang Province: Six Sentenced to Up to 8.5 Years for Practicing Falun Gong” (Jan 30, 2024) and “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); Chinese Human Rights Defenders, Prisoners of Conscience database record 袁爱荣 / “Yuan Airong”; Rights Defense Network (维权网), Issue 131 monthly in-custody report, August 31, 2026. No PRC court judgment or official document on Yuan’s case has been publicly located.
Media profile & archive: Media archive for Yuan Airong (袁爱荣)