(Minghui.org) Chinese New Year is a time for family reunions, honoring one’s ancestors, and wishing each other good fortune in the coming year. However, in China, thousands of Falun Gong practitioners continue to be brutally persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The regime’s egregious human rights violations have gone on for 26 years.

Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference in front of the Chinese Consulate in Toronto at 11 a.m. on February 12, 2006. To raise awareness about the brutal persecution, they spoke about the torture used on incarcerated practitioners. They also called on the CCP to end these atrocities and to unconditionally release all illegally detained practitioners.

Falun Gong practitioners in Toronto hold a press conference on February 12 in front of the Chinese Consulate to rescue their friends and family members.

Brother Kidnapped From Home

Mr. He spoke about the persecution of his younger brother, Mr. He Lizhong in Minqin County, Gansu Province. His brother was arrested from home in the summer of 2023, and is still held in the Lanzhou City Prison in Gansu.

Mr. He described the arrest: “The police broke into our home, and seized my brother in front of my elderly parents who were in their 80s. This happened because my brother had Falun Gong information downloaded in his cell phone. The police also robbed him of his savings by confiscating his bank book. He lost all the money he’s saved from years of hard work.”

His brother was given a seven-year-sentence by an extralegal institution established for persecuting Falun Gong. His family members repeatedly tried to visit him, but the visits were denied because his brother refuses to renounce his faith.

This was the second time his brother has been imprisoned for practicing Falun Gong. Mr. He said, “My brother talked to a person in his village about how his health improved since he took up the practice. As a result, he was given three years in prison. At Jiuquan Prison in Gansu Province, he was relentlessly tortured. He was once chained inside a metal cage made specifically for Falun Gong practitioners, for more than six months.

“The CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong is unlawful and a crime against humanity. I demand that the CCP immediately end the persecution and release Mr. He Lizhong and all [incarcerated] practitioners.”

Female Practitioner Followed and Seized

Ms. Zhang described how a friend, Ms. Chen Zhongli of Datong City, Shanxi Province, was followed and seized. “On her way home, two officers followed her and arrested her. After they interrogated her, they dragged her to her home and tried to force her to open the door. She refused to cooperate, and the two officers wrestled her for nearly an hour. They eventually called a locksmith and got into her home, ransacked the place, confiscated her Falun Gong books, pictures of Master Li Hongzhi, cash, and electronic devices, resulting in over ten thousand yuan in property losses.

“After she was sent to the detention center, a guard instigated the inmates to beat Ms. Chen, force her to watch videos slandering Falun Gong, deny her basic living supplies, and even forbade her family from giving her money. When her lawyer visited her, her face was bruised and wounded. Her arrest was later approved and she was indicted. The whole process had no legal basis.”

Ms. Chen began practicing Falun Gong in 1999, and she followed Falun Gong’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. She once suffered from congenital heart disease and coronary heart disease. The frequent flare-ups prevented her from working or taking care of her family. She always carried nitroglycerin tablets, and struggled to raise her young daughter. After she began practicing Falun Gong, Ms. Chen recovered from all her illnesses, and she hasn’t had a relapse for years. Her daughter often said, “Thank you, Falun Gong, for giving me a family and a healthy mother.”

Ms. Zhang called upon the public to pay attention to Ms. Chen’s case and the ongoing persecution in China. “Let us end this inhuman and immoral atrocity. Ms. Chen’s daughter is eagerly waiting for her mother to come home.”

A Friend’s Suffering Was Discovered in a Persecution Report

Ms. Zhang learned about her friend’s arrest by reading two articles on Minghui.org. This friend, Ms. Yao Jiaxiu, lived in Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province. Ms. Zhang said, “The officers broke into Ms. Yao’s rental place on September 20, 2024, and seized her. A judge at the Xichang City Court gave her five years of prison time and fined her 20,000 yuan on August 1, 2025.

“She was put in the Chengdu City Women’s Prison, and within two months, she'd lost her upper front teeth, and her kidneys, lungs, and liver were failing. The prison guards threatened her to keep silent about the abuse when her family visited.”

This wasn’t Ms. Yao’s only arrest. She’s been arrested and detained multiple times since 2001. When she was incarcerated and refused to renounce her faith, the guards often tortured her by having her stand under the scorching sun, hanging her up by her handcuffs, or forcing her to stay in unnatural positions for prolonged periods of time to cause her excruciating pain. They also deprived Ms. Yao of sleep and injected her with nerve-damaging drugs at a psychiatric hospital.

“At least 23 Falun Gong practitioners have died in Chengdu City Women’s Prison as a result of torture. We are very concerned about Ms. Yao’s current situation,” said Ms. Zhang. “We hope that staff in the Chinese Consulate can learn the facts of the persecution and see what has happened to practitioners in China. Once they see the true, evil nature of the CCP and can treat Falun Gong practitioners well, a bright future awaits them.”

Rescuing a Relative

Ms. Geng called on the public to help rescue her relative, Ms. Tong Jing. Ms. Tong, 60, was arrested and detained multiple times over the past three years. “Ms. Tong and her mother, who was in her 80s, went to the Fushun City Police Department on August 9, 2023, to apply for passports. The police arrested them and sent them to the Fushun City Detention Center where they were held for 15 days,” Ms. Geng said. “Officers from the Zhanqian Police Station arrested Ms. Tong again on March 7, 2025, when she was out paying her bills. Her hearing was held on June 24 at the Fushun Detention Center. She was later sentenced to 3.5 years.

“Ms. Tong is locked up inside the Liaoning Province Second Women’s Prison. We’ve learned that the prison authorities force the inmates to work more than ten hours a day, almost every day. To force Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their faith, the authorities deprive them of sleep, regularly deny them bathroom use and wash-up time, and they are not allowed to purchase daily necessities. The practitioners are not allowed to talk to each other. On some days, they have to stand still for more than ten hours a day. When they refuse to sign documents to renounce their faith, the authorities beat them and refuse to allow them to make calls.

“Ms. Tong’s 86-year-old mother yearns to see her daughter every day. She can’t sleep or eat well and has lost more than 20 pounds [10 kilograms] in a month. Minghui has reported that in 2025 alone, at least 48 practitioners in Fushun City suffered persecution.”

Ms. Geng asks those who have participated in the persecution to stop what they are doing and quickly quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. “We also ask the Canadian government to help end this inhumane persecution and call for the release of those incarcerated for their faith.”

Friend Sentenced to Nearly Four Years

Mr. Wang explained how his friend, Ms. Yu Chunyan from Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, was persecuted: “Officers from the Saertu Police Department in Daqing City broke into Ms. Yu’s home on April 9, 2025. They confiscated her computers, printers, and her personal belongings. She refused to sign statements to defame Falun Gong and renounce her faith. A judge at the Ranghulu District Court in Daqing City sentenced her to three years and ten months. She is now incarcerated in the Daqing Detention Center,” Mr. Wang said.

Ms. Yu was previously arrested on October 20, 2006, for practicing Falun Gong. Officers from the Longgang Police Department in Daqing City broke into her restaurant to arrest her. They ransacked her home and confiscated her Falun Gong books and flyers.

“Ms. Yu refused to say who gave her the Falun Gong flyers. Officers from the Longgang and Daqing Police Departments tortured her during the interrogation. One officer, Feng Haibo, force-fed her chili water, then sealed her mouth and nose with a piece of paper covered in phlegm, making it impossible for her to breathe. She was held in the Daqing Detention Center for five months, during which time she went on a hunger strike and was repeatedly force-fed. In the end she was sentenced to three years by the Ranghulu District Court.”

Mr. Wang called for the immediate release of Ms. Yu and all practitioners who are geing illegally detained: “We warn everyone who is involved in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners that everything you do today will become future evidence for your trials.”