(Minghui.org) A woman detained for her faith has been suffering from high blood pressure since her arrest several months ago, but she was denied medical parole and ordered to stand trial on April 16, 2018.
Ms. Chen Haixia, a resident of Zhanjiang City, was first arrested in November 2017 after being reported for distributing materials exposing the Chinese communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The police confiscated 6,000 yuan from her home.
She was released a few days later, only to be taken back into custody not long after. She was sent to Leizhou City Drug Rehabilitation Center, where she remains today.
The Chikan District Procuratorate initially returned her case, citing insufficient evidence, but it later filed an indictment against her after police resubmitted her case.
Ms. Chen's two lawyers visited her and learned that she had passed out on several occasions due to high blood pressure. More than once, she had to be resuscitated. Her lawyers filed a request for medical parole but to no avail.
The Chikan District Courthouse was heavily patrolled on the day of Ms. Chen's trial.
Her husband's ID had been confiscated when police searched their home following her arrest. He wasn't allowed to attend her trial because he didn't have an ID.
Only Ms. Chen's father and two other family members were allowed inside the courthouse, with the rest of the seats occupied by more than 30 strangers.
Ms. Chen's father visited judge Huang Qin days after the hearing. He petitioned for his daughter's medical parole, and Huang said she'd look into it.
