Xu Na is a 40 year old well-known and respected painter. She was sentenced to three years in prison on Nov. 25, 2008 for her belief in Falun Gong. Her husband Yu Zhou, a popular folk singer and also a Falun Gong practitioner, died as a result of torture inflicted in detention just before Chinese New Year.
Xu Na had previously been imprisoned for five years, having been found guilty of “using a heretical organization to undermine implementation of the law”- a law commonly used to convict Falun Gong practitioners.
Xu Na has received "Prisoner of Conscience" status by Amnesty International Canada, which believes her to be at risk of torture.
Read the Amnesty alert