Elderly Falun Gong Practitioner Dies in Jail for Lack of Proper Medical Care

Sentenced to four years, Wang Yan was taken to Liaoning Women’s Prison, where her breast cancer was not properly treated.

By Ding Bohai

June 3, 2025

The entrance to Liaoning Women’s Prison, where Wang Yan died. From Weibo.

In a further blow to religious freedom, Wang Yan, a committed Falun Gong practitioner from Shenyang City in Liaoning Province, died due to insufficient medical care while incarcerated. At 71 years old, she was sentenced to four years in prison in 2022 for her advocacy of Falun Gong. Sadly, she died in Liaoning Women’s Prison on May 9, 2025.

On March 5, 2022, Wang Yan, an elderly woman living by herself, was arrested by officers from the Dongta Police Station in Shenyang City’s Dadong District. The police detained her after witnessing her distribute Falun Gong materials in a residential area. After three days in custody, they levied a fine of 5,000 yuan before releasing her shortly thereafter.

Dongta Police Station in Dadong District, Shenyang City, was responsible for Wang Yan’s arrest. From Weibo.

Wang Yan continued to face difficulties. On July 20, 2022, she was re-arrested by the police and sent to a detention center. Subsequently, a local court imposed a four-year prison sentence on her, transferring her to Liaoning Women’s Prison.

Wang Yan’s health deteriorated rapidly during her incarceration. She had untreated breast cancer, which led to her death on May 9, 2025. The denial of medical care to prisoners amounts to a death sentence, and Wang Yan’s tragic fate underscores the serious consequences of this neglect. This was another case of persecution to death of a Falun Gong practitioner.

Source: bitterwinter.org