Valentine’s Day Separations, Argentina Assault, International Religious Freedom Summit

Dear Reader,

While hundreds of millions prepare to celebrate Valentine’s Day this week, many couples face forced separation due to their practice of Falun Gong—a conviction that has made them targets of persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Among these is Sunny Wang and her husband, Ren Haifei. A resident of Dalian in Liaoning Province,  Mr. Ren was first imprisoned in 2001 for creating informational materials about Falun Gong, enduring brutal torture and solitary confinement. Although he was released in 2008, his freedom was short-lived. In June 2020, Ren was rearrested for possessing Falun Gong materials and later sentenced to 10 years, with his health deteriorating after severe beatings. Now residing in the United States, Ms. Wang has spent years fighting for her husband’s release—appealing to international bodies, human rights advocates, and U.S. lawmakers. Facing their fifth Valentine’s Day apart, their story is a powerful testament to unwavering love, steadfast faith, and an enduring struggle for justice amid CCP repression.

Also in this issue:

• Ex-train inspector in Hunan faces fourth sentence for his faith.

• Falun Gong advocates speak at the 2025 International Religious Freedom (IRF) summit.

• A coordinated assault targets peaceful Falun Dafa practitioners in Argentina.

• An American sister and brother work to rescue their mother, Ms. Aihua Liu, who is held in a Chinese prison for her faith in Falun Gong.

Finally, we are sharing a video from my recent speech at the IRF Summit. I am honored to have had the opportunity at that forum to address the new developments in the CCP’s escalating persecution against the Falun Gong community—both in China and through its transnational repression abroad.

FEATURE STORY

Sunny Wang and Ren Haifei

What’s new?

In a recent interview with the Falun Dafa Information Center, Sunny Wang, a former Chinese nurse now residing in New York, shared a painful milestone—this Valentine’s Day marks the fifth year she has spent without her beloved husband. The couple started practicing Falun Gong in the 1990s in China and, like millions of other practitioners, has endured over 25 years of brutal persecution by the CCP.

Her husband, Ren Haifei, is currently imprisoned in Jinzhou Prison, Liaoning Province, following an arbitrary arrest and unjust sentencing to 10 years in prison  by the Chinese regime. This is not the first time he has suffered persecution. Before this imprisonment, he endured seven and a half years of severe mistreatment—including solitary confinement, a prolonged hunger strike, and torture—while detained in prisons in Liaoyang and Dalian. Following his latest arrest, Mr. Ren also suffered abuse in police custody and has already been hospitalized once since 2020 as a result.

 
“I worry constantly about his physical and mental well-being, yet I fear any news that might confirm my worst anxieties,” says Ms. Wang. “The years of brutal persecution have cast long, dark shadows over his life, and those haunting images are hard to dispel.” 

Why does it matter?

Ren and Wang’s heartbreaking story is not an isolated case. Untold numbers of married couples have been forcibly separated because of the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. This has been due to unjust imprisonment, deaths in custody, or as in this couple’s case, one spouse fleeing into exile to avoid further repression. Among the Falun Dafa Information Center’s family rescue cases, at least two others involve a wife now overseas advocating for her husband’s release from Chinese detention simply due to his faith in Falun Gong.  

What else do you need to know?

While Ms. Wang fights tirelessly for her husband’s release, her story also serves as a poignant reminder that love and conviction can endure even in the darkest of times. This Valentine’s Day brings Ms. Wang comforting memories of Mr. Ren. “I often think back to his voice and smile, to the good times we shared, and to his inherent kindness and simplicity. These precious memories are forever etched in my heart,” she confessed. 

PERSECUTION IN CHINA

Mr. Liao Zhijun, a former train inspector from Chenzhou City, Hunan Province, was sentenced to five years in prison and fined 10,000 yuan on January 13, 2025 for his unwavering faith in Falun Gong. This marks his fourth prison sentence since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched its systematic persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, bringing his total time behind bars to 18.5 years. Prior to this sentence, Mr. Liao was jailed for two years in Xinkaipu Labor Camp, three and a half years in Jinshi Prison, and eight years in Wangling Prison, enduring severe physical abuse, psychological torment, and inhuman confinement.

The CCP’s relentless campaign against Falun Gong has exacted a devastating toll on Mr. Liao’s family. His father, Mr. Liao Songlin, died in 2021 at the age of 81 after enduring multiple terms behind bars for practicing Falun Gong. Liao Zhijun’s mother and wife, Meng Qinglian and Zhang Yan respectively, were also reportedly detained and tortured . 

EVENTS

From February 5-7, 2025, the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit convened thousands of advocates, policymakers, and faith leaders from over 30 religious traditions on Capitol Hill and at the Washington Hilton. Supported by more than 90 organizations, the event aimed to advance global religious freedom and address pressing crimes against humanity.

Falun Gong speakers were featured each day at the IRF Summit, addressing various aspects of the CCP’s ongoing persecution in 2024 and 2025. From transnational repression to the latest developments inside China to recommendations for government action, each speaker provided critical insights into the regime’s escalating campaign against Falun Gong practitioners.  

TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION

On January 26, 2025, during Chinese New Year celebrations at Plaza Parque Nacionales Argentinos in Buenos Aires, approximately 40 individuals, allegedly linked to the Chinese Embassy, assaulted peaceful Falun Dafa practitioners. The practitioners were meditating and displaying banners promoting their beliefs.

Eyewitnesses reported that local authorities from the Buenos Aires City Government (CABA) instructed police not to intervene, leaving the demonstrators vulnerable. Some practitioners, including women and children, suffered physical injuries and had personal belongings seized. One aggressor, briefly detained, was released after confidential calls to monitoring officers and departed in a luxury car. In contrast, injured demonstrators were detained and later faced charges of “resistance, aggression, and assault.” This incident highlights concerns about foreign influence and local complicity in the transnational repression of Falun Dafa practitioners.

Steven and Lydia Wang, the youngest children of Ms. Aihua Liu, are working diligently to rescue their mother who is a Falun Gong practitioner that has faced continuous persecution and repeated imprisonment in China. Ms. Liu, born on November 12, 1954, is a former middle and high school teacher who has suffered over ten detentions spanning more than a decade. In July 2022, Ms. Liu was arrested again for possessing Falun Gong materials and distributing pamphlets about the persecution. On March 10, 2023, after a secret trial, she was sentenced to four years in prison without due process or family visitation rights. She is currently being held in Hunan Women’s Prison.

At the 2025 IRF summit, Lydia gave a speech calling for her mother’s release.

On February 4, 2025, Executive Director Levi Browde joined experts at the annual IRF Summit in Washington D.C. discussing transnational repression. At the summit, Mr. Browde shared the latest developments in the CCP’s evolving tactics against the Falun Gong community, including how the regime is weaponizing local institutions, social media influencers, and legal systems to undermine Shen Yun Performing Arts, an American classical Chinese dance company founded by Falun Gong practitioners.