(Minghui.org) A 48-year-old Falun Gong practitioner of Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province was arrested for his faith and is currently hospitalized due to his declining health.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since July 1999.
Mr. Zhao Changfu, from Linggang East District, and his wife, Ms. Sun Guangli, were preparing to take their son back to school on August 22, 2018, when they were arrested by the police. They were among a mass arrest of Falun Gong practitioners at Liaoning Province that happened between August 22 and 23, 2018.
Ms. Sun was later released home while Mr. Zhao continued to be held at Lingyuan City Detention Center. Mr. Zhao's arrest has since been approved by Lingyuan City Procuratorate.
Mr. Zhao is suffering from poor health, after being in detention for over 10 months. His feet started festering and discharging pus, and he recently developed high blood pressure of 220mmHg. He was sent to Chaoyang City Hospital where he remains at the time of this writing.
When Mr. Zhao's relatives visited him, he was too weak and had to be carried out by four people. His relatives later went to Lingyuan City Political and Legal Affairs Committee to request his release but were told that the committee could not make the decision.
Previous Arrests and Detentions
This is not the first time that Mr. Zhao has been persecuted for refusing to renounce his faith in Falun Gong.
On October 11, 2000, he was arrested for traveling to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong and was subsequently given two years of forced labor.
In December 2009, Mr. Zhao visited Beijing for personal matters and was arrested when checking into a hotel, as the hotel staff noticed that his information was in the police's database of Falun Gong practitioners and reported him to the police. He was once again sent to a labor camp for two and a half years.
Related reports:
Couple Arrested for Their Faith Before Taking Son Back to SchoolFalun Gong Practitioner Mr. Zhao Changfu of Lingyuan City Tortured
