(Minghui.org)
Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Zheng Xiangxing suffered a head injury as a result of torture in Baoding Prison. He had surgery, but he was not expected to survive it. When he began to recover, officials asked the doctor whether he had followed their orders, and how Mr. Zheng could possibly be recovering. The doctor said that he had followed the orders, and it was simply a miracle that could not be explained.
Still, Mr. Zheng is unable to take care of himself. He badly needs treatment at a more advanced hospital. Mr. Zheng's wife, Sun Suyun, and his son have been staying near the prison in Baoding City for nearly 7 months. All their reasonable requests, including asking to bail him out for medical reasons, have been turned down. Both the person in charge of the prison, Wang Jianli, and the deputy, Fan Jianli, who is responsible for Mr. Zheng's case, have insisted on the prison taking charge of a second surgery for Mr. Zheng before considering bailing him out for medical reasons.
This makes no sense to his family, since they would bail him out to have him treated, which is what the prison claims to want. It seems more like they are trying to hinder his recovery. Mr. Zheng's wife is sick with worry, and her heart disease that had been gone for 10 years has recurred. His son can only afford one meal a day. The two just wait outside the prison, agonizing over Mr. Zheng's situation.
On May 7, 2013, Mr. Zheng's wife Sun Suyun shouting in front of Baoding Prison
Mr. Zheng's wife wants to know: “Why does Baoding Prison have to oversee the second operation in their designated hospital? On March 6, when we submitted the application to bail him out for medical reasons, they disregarded it. So why do they have to do a second operation? Baoding Prison is already suspected of torturing Mr. Zheng and causing his current condition. Before they are cleared of criminal charges, how can they take charge of a life threatening surgery?” On May 8, in order to prevent Baoding Prison from carrying out the second surgery, she printed her message on her clothing and walked the streets to let passersby know how they were wronged. People were very upset to hear it, and some were moved to tears.
On May 8, 2013, Ms. Sun Suyun protesting the way Baoding Prison had harmed her husband
Three to four people at a time take turns watching Mr. Zheng. Given that he can't take care of himself, he is fully qualified to be bailed out. According to the "Medical Reasons Allowable for Being Bailed Out," Mr. Zheng certainly qualifies:
1. Serious illness, possible death in a short period of time. 2. Handicapped, has trouble taking care of oneself 3. Elderly, not in a position to be harmful to society.
The hospital has given notice that he is in critical condition. Mr. Zheng meets all three conditions. Why does Baoding Prison still refuse to bail him out?
Background
Mr. Zheng's family owned an electronics shop in Tanghai County, Tangshan City. Before Mr. Zhang was arrested for practicing Falun Gong, they had a very happy family. The couple handled their business with honesty, and others thought highly of them. When their son first graduated, he got a very good job in the local area.
Mr. Zhang arrested and sentenced
When the Tanghai local police bureau arrested Mr. Zheng on February 25, 2012, he had to close his business. His wife and son have been trying everything to rescue him. Under the direction of the Tangshan City 610 Office, Tangshan County court illegally sentenced Mr. Zheng to ten years in prison. On August 8, 2012, he was taken to Baoding Prison and pressured to "transform." In September, when his family members went to Baoding Prison to visit him, they were turned away and told: “During the three months where Mr. Zheng is under strict observation, his family is not allowed to see him."
Serious injury and surgery
On the morning of October 28, two Baoding Prison officials went to Mr. Zheng's home, saying that Mr. Zheng had fallen down and cracked his skull. They took him for surgery, and his condition was critical. That afternoon his family went to Baoding City No.1 Central Hospital. They saw Mr. Zheng, his head wrapped in bandages and two tubes coming out of him. His right eye was bruised, his left eye was closed, his mouth was wide open, his tongue was curled inward, and there was blood in his nose and ears. He was emaciated, but his four arms and legs were tied to the bed, and he was unconscious. His wife collapsed and had to lean against the bed when she saw him.
Doctor's observations
Without notifying his family, Baoding Prison had Mr. Zheng operated on. The doctor said that when Mr. Zheng arrived at the hospital, he was already in a coma, his pupils were dilated, and he was incontinent, so they followed emergency procedures. A CT scan showed that his left temporal bone was fractured, his semi-temporal epidural had hematoma, his temporal occipital subdural had hematoma, his right temporal lobe and left temporal lobe had contusion, he had intraventricular and subarachnoid hemorrhage, and his brain was seriously injured. They operated right away, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Family complains and seeks explanation
Although he was in such critical condition, he was put in a regular ward and didn't even have a ventilator. When his family was checking his medications, they realized that he was only getting antibiotics. They were very upset and started shouting, "The medication I give my pigs at home is much better than what you're using on him!" Only after that did the hospital agree to transfer Mr. Zheng to the ICU.
His family began to interrogate the prison officials about how Mr. Zheng was injured: "He fell down on the afternoon of the 26th in the washroom." They provided a video-recording, which showed Mr. Zheng coming to the washroom and then squatting by the booth to vomit. He was getting up to urinate when he leaned over against the wall. He fell on his bottom, then hit the back of his head. He was lying on the floor face up until an inmate found him and called other inmates over to help carry Mr. Zheng out of the washroom. They put him in a nearby cell, where Mr. Zheng vomited three more times. During this time, no staff members showed up, and only inmates helped him clean up the floor. After almost an hour, three inmates carried him out of the cell. That was the end of the video-recording. The prison stated that Mr. Zheng was taken to the hospital. When his family asked to see the video-recording from the hospital, they were told it was not available.
Doctor uninformed
His family members met with the doctor in charge of Mr. Zheng's case and asked him how he went about the treatment. He replied, "When Mr. Zheng came in, I saw blood at the corner of his mouth, so I treated him for gastrorrhagia. I infused him with medication to help stop the bleeding." His family asked, "Did you know that Mr. Zheng was brought here after he fell and lost consciousness?" He said, "No." When his family asked if he had checked his head, he replied that he did so by hand. His family were very surprised. If Mr. Zheng really had a fractured skull, wouldn't the doctor have felt it? They asked how Mr. Zheng was treated and what medication he was given, but the hospital would not reveal any further information. They said that they could only tell someone from the prison and that the family would have to check with that someone.
Family monitored
The hospital not only refused to update his family on how Mr. Zheng was treated, but also arranged for police officers to monitor them every day when they visited him. They checked the video-recordings from the hotel where they were staying to monitor their activities at the hotel. Meanwhile, people from No.10 Farm in Tanghai County in their local government also dispatched two staff members to closely monitor them.
Back to prison
Miraculously, after a month, Mr. Zheng began to recover. Although he still couldn't see, he could open his eyes, move all four limbs, and talk, but not very coherently. He could also eat but was incontinent. The hospital staff was very surprised. They all thought that Mr. Zheng would die, and even said something to the effect that if he died, then it'd be easier to for them to handle. Mr. Zheng is gaining consciousness day by day, which has shocked Baoding Prison officials. Even though he is getting better, his life is still at risk. Then, on February 21, 2013, he was taken out of ICU and sent back to prison.
Ten days later, the prison refused to let Mr. Zheng's family visit him. In order to save Mr. Zheng, on March 12, his wife protested by writing about his plight on her clothes to show that he was wronged and yelling on the street until they let her see him.
At 3 p.m. on March 19, Mr. Zheng's wife and son finally saw Mr. Zheng. Two inmates watched as Mr. Zheng held a rail and stood. He was sweating and shaking all over. His son quickly walked over and carried him to a chair. His hands, feet, and legs were dark purple, his calves were very stiff, his feet were swollen. He kept saying that he ached, so his wife and son massaged him. His knees were crooked and couldn't be straightened. His muscles had atrophied. His face looked shrunken. He had lost most of his vision. He couldn't take care of himself.
In mid-April, when they went to visit him again, he was very weak. He had lost the strength to speak, but his mouth kept opening and closing. When his family changed his diaper, they saw he had purple dots on his back side, in addition to the red spots on his chest.
Related articles:
Mr. Zheng Xiangxing's Life in Danger; His Wife Appeals for Justice Outside Prison (Photos)
After Witnessing Zheng Xiangxing's State of Health in Prison, His Family Calls for Help
