(Minghui.org)

Chinese Name: 李振东Gender: MaleAge: 68City: ShenyangProvince: LiaoningOccupation: N/ADate of Death: November 13, 2021Date of Most Recent Arrest: July 10, 2019Most Recent Place of Detention: Dongling Prison

Less than one month after Mr. Li Zhendong was admitted to prison to serve time for practicing Falun Gong, the Shenyang City, Liaoning Province resident developed severe ascites and was unable to eat.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Mr. Li’s family was contacted by the Dongling Prison in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province to pay for his medical expenses in early October 2021. Only then did they learn that he had been sentenced to 3.5 years.

When his family visited him at the hospital, Mr. Li was emaciated, yet his belly was severely swollen and he had to undergo a daily procedure to remove the excess fluid. The doctor said that he was experiencing life-threatening liver failure. Despite his condition, the prison guards still handcuffed him to the hospital bed and watched him around the clock. 

Mr. Li’s family applied for medical parole, but was turned down. The prison also demanded they cover all of his medical fees. 

Mr. Li was transferred to the intensive care unit and put on a ventilator in a different hospital on November 1, 2021. He fell into a deep coma on November 9 and had a persistent high fever of 105.8 °F. 

The guards monitoring Mr. Li reported his condition on the morning of November 12. Two officers from the Shenyang City Prison Administration Bureau came to the hospital to check on him. After the doctor confirmed that Mr. Li might not survive that evening, the prison administration produced a medical parole approval notice and told the four guards who had been monitoring Mr. Li to leave the hospital. 

Mr. Li’s wife, daughter, son-in-law, brother and sister went to the hospital and stayed with him. He passed away at 5 a.m. the next day. He was 68.

Mr. Li was arrested on July 10, 2019 while studying Falun Gong teachings with other local practitioners. The police ransacked his home and confiscated his Falun Gong books. He appeared in the Heping District Court on December 4, 2020, and was later sentenced to 3.5 years.

Related report:

Man Imprisoned for His Faith Suffers Severe Ascites