(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Tong Mingyu is in critical condition after being on a hunger strike for two years. He is currently serving a 3.5-year term at Fengtun Prison in Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province for not renouncing his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Mr. Tong's family has repeatedly requested medical parole for him, but they have been rejected each time. In April 2019, his family was denied visitation rights and informed that any prison guard who allowed the visitation would be held responsible by the provincial-level authorities.
Mr. Tong's loved ones suspect that his condition must have been worsening and that the prison is trying to prevent them from finding out his current situation.
Mr. Tong, 38, a native of Harbin, Heilongjiang Province who worked in Beijing, was arrested in Beijing on June 25, 2017 for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. He went on a hunger strike at the Changping Detention Center to protest the arbitrary detention.
On February 2, 2018, Mr. Tong was sentenced to 3.5 years and transferred to Taihe Prison in Beijing, where he was held for a month before being sent to Tailai Prison in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province on April 25, 2018. He was transferred again to Fengtun Prison in August 2018.
Mr. Tong's parents received a call from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Qiqihar Medical College on August 23, 2018 and were asked to buy milk powder and protein powder for him.
The parents took a train and arrived at the hospital on August 27 but were told that Mr. Tong was no longer there. They finally saw their son at the prison after asking around. They noted that his face and hands were very pale and that he had to be assisted by two people. He was suffering from serious anemia and there was a tube inserted into his nose for forced-feeding.
The guards stopped the meeting after a few minutes and refused the parents' request to release him on medical parole on the grounds that Mr. Tong was still on a hunger strike.
Mr. Tong's parents were able to visit him again on September 17, and noticed that he remained very weak.
However, his parents were denied visitation on October 15, and were allowed to see him again only on December 18, 2018. They noticed that his face was still pale but his lips were red. They suspect that the guards had put lipsticks on him to try to cover up his symptoms. His eyes were tightly shut and he was unresponsive.
When they requested that their son be released for medical treatment, they were again told that medical parole for Mr. Tong would not be allowed.
Li Ming, deputy chief of Qiqihar prison: +86-138-46284466, +86-138-2918598 (home)
Wang Li (wife of Li Ming), prison guard at Qiqihar prison: +86-130-09737748
(More contacts available in the original Chinese article.)
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