Zhang Shufen (张淑芬) is a Falun Gong practitioner from Liaoyuan City in Jilin Province who was sentenced to three years in prison in April 2024 for her faith. She was 62 years old at the time of her sentencing.
Ms. Zhang began practicing Falun Gong in October 1999. According to a detailed case report, she soon recovered from a severe heart problem. Over the following 25 years she was repeatedly targeted by police for her faith: she was arrested multiple times, had her home ransacked, and had her salary suspended.
On June 5, 2019, she was arrested for talking to people about Falun Gong. On October 17, 2019, the Longshan District Court sentenced her to 18 months in prison. She was taken to the Jilin Province Women’s Prison on November 5, 2019, and released in April 2021.
On October 17, 2023, officers of the Taian Police Station arrested Ms. Zhang again, seizing her at her rental home in Dongfeng County — one month after she had moved there to avoid ongoing police monitoring. The arrest left her bedridden husband in a dire situation. She was tried together with two fellow practitioners, Gu Jiumei (53) and Liang Guijuan (47), by the Longshan District Court, which held a joint hearing on March 26, 2024 and convicted all three on April 16. Ms. Gu and Ms. Liang were each sentenced to seven years; Ms. Zhang was sentenced to three years.
A monthly monitoring report dated August 31, 2026 lists Zhang Shufen among political prisoners reported to be in custody with a three-year sentence, consistent with the April 2024 conviction.
Media profile & archive: Zhang Shufen (张淑芬) — Media Profile & Archive
Sources: Minghui.org, April 26, 2024; Rights Defense Network / 维权网, Issue 131 monthly report, August 31, 2026 (Chinese and English editions). Allegations of mistreatment in custody are attributed to the reporting organizations cited in the archive and have not been independently verified by a court or other official body.