The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has persecuted Falun Gong practitioners since launching its nationwide campaign against the spiritual group in July 1999. In addition to imprisonment and other forms of physical and legal persecution, authorities have also imposed financial penalties, including dismissals from employment and suspension of pensions. Although China’s laws protect citizens’ pension rights, Minghui.org has documented numerous cases in which Falun Gong practitioners have had their pensions suspended or been ordered to repay previously received benefits after serving prison sentences.
However, two recent court rulings have challenged this CCP’s longstanding practice.
One case involved Jia Fengxian, a 62-year-old retired government employee in Zhuozhou, Hebei Province. She was sentenced to seven months in prison in 2019 for distributing information about Falun Gong. In February 2026, the Zhuozhou Social Insurance Service Center suspended her pension and demanded repayment of approximately RMB 480,000 (US$71,000) in pension benefits, citing an internal government document. The agency also filed a civil lawsuit against her. On June 25, the court dismissed the case, ruling that the Zhuozhou Social Insurance Service Center and Jia Fengxian were not equal civil parties, making the agency’s civil lawsuit legally improper.
A second case involved Cui Zhongxin, 89, and his wife Qi Guoxin, 84, both retired employees of the Liaohe Oilfield system in Liaoning Province. After serving prison sentences related to their Falun Gong practice, the couple’s pensions were suspended in 2020. After years of unsuccessful petitions and legal challenges, the Liaoning Provincial High Court ruled on March 2 that the pension suspension was unlawful, ordered the authorities to restore the couple’s pension benefits and repay the withheld funds, and overturned the earlier lower-court rulings.
Source: Epoch Times, July 15, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/7/14/n14809468.htm