Sichuan Man Sentenced to 3.5 Years, Dies a Decade Later at 87

(Minghui.org)

Name: Zheng ShiyiChinese Name: 郑世义Gender: MaleAge: 87City: SuiningProvince: SichuanOccupation: N/ADate of Death: February 22, 2025Date of Most Recent Arrest: February 3, 2015Most Recent Place of Detention: Jiazhou Prison

An 87-year-old resident of Suining City, Sichuan Province, died on February 22, 2025, a decade after he was sentenced to three years in prison for practicing Falun Gong.

Mr. Zheng Shiyi took up Falun Gong in 1997 and soon recovered from his various diseases. After the Chinese Communist Party launched a nationwide campaign against the practice in July 1999, he refused to renounce Falun Gong and was arrested three times.

Mr. Zheng’s last arrest took place on February 3, 2015, after he was reported for putting up self-adhesive stickers bearing Falun Gong information. More than ten officers, led by village official Zheng Shijin, broke into his home at noon that day and seized him. His son, Mr. Zheng Deliang, rushed back home and was arrested as well.

The father and son were taken to the Hedongxin District Police Department for interrogation. Mr. Zheng Shiyi refused to reveal where he got the stickers. He and his son were then admitted to the Yongxing Detention Center. Both were issued formal arrest warrants on March 11, 2015, and had their case subsequently submitted to the Chuanshan District Procuratorate.

The Chuanshan District Court ruled on November 20, 2015, to sentence Mr. Zheng Shiyi, then 77, to three and a half years, and his son was sentenced to three years. Another local practitioner, Mr. Huang Yichao, who put up the stickers together with Mr. Zheng, was also arrested and sentenced at the same time. Mr. Huang, then 73, was allowed to serve his three-year term outside of prison, and he later died as a result of the long-term persecution.

Mr. Zheng and his son were both admitted to the Jiazhou Prison. He was brutally tortured and forced to take medications to treat “his high blood pressure,” even though he did not have hypertension symptoms. By the time he was released in March 2018, his health had been severely damaged. He couldn’t straighten his back or lift his head. He also suffered severe memory loss, likely due to the medications. His conditions kept worsening in his final years. His intelligence was later reduced to be lower than that of a toddler. He eventually became completely incapacitated.

Despite his condition, the local police still harassed him at home numerous times. They forcibly drew his blood and photographed him. He died on February 22, 2025.

Related Report:

Falun Gong Practitioners Tortured in Jiazhou Prison in Sichuan Province, Two Die