Ailing 76-year-old Man Imprisoned for His Faith

(Minghui.org) A 76-year-old man with serious medical conditions has been imprisoned to serve a two-year term for not giving up his faith in Falun Gong.

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

Mr. Liu Shuhe, a resident of Yantai City, Shandong Province, was at home on the morning of November 3, 2017, when the authorities broke in. They refused to show their IDs and proceeded to search his home. They confiscated his Falun Gong books before taking Mr. Liu to the local police station for interrogation.

Mr. Liu was released at around 5:00 that evening. He thought the incident was over, only to be summoned by Zhang Meng, a prosecutor from the Muping District Procuratorate, one year later, on November 28, 2018. 

Zhang asked about Mr. Liu's practice of Falun Gong and said she would indict him soon.

Traumatized by the threat of jail time, Mr. Liu fell ill. His legs became severely swollen. He also had difficulty passing urine and had to use a catheter. 

Mr. Liu moved to his older daughter's home in late 2018 so that she could take care of him.

On September 20, 2019, the police went to his daughter's home and arrested Mr. Liu. They took him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with high blood pressure, heart palpitations, gallstones, and urine buildup in his kidneys. Despite his condition, the police kept him at the Muping Detention Center that evening.

Mr. Liu was taken to the Muping Court and tried the next day. The judge sentenced him to two years in prison with a 10,000-yuan fine. He was allowed to go home after the trial.

The police arrested Mr. Liu again on November 19, 2019. They took him to the hospital for another physical. Despite his poor health, the judge ordered the police to take him to Shandong Men's Prison two days later, on November 21.

Mr. Liu used to suffer from high blood pressure, heart problems, and other ailments before he took up Falun Gong. He credits the practice for curing his illnesses and changing his bad temper. He could carry objects weighing 90 lbs up to his third-floor apartment without feeling tired. He also quit drinking and became more considerate of others. 

However, the repeated arrests over the course of the 20-year persecution have taken a toll on Mr. Liu's health. His family was recently notified by the prison to send diapers for him. They are very worried about him, not knowing whether he's receiving any medical attention.