(Minghui.org) A seriously ill man in Changchun City, Jilin Province is facing trial for his faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Mr. Yu Chunbo, 48, and his wife, Ms. Li Fengxia, who doesn’t practice Falun Gong, were arrested at home and had their place ransacked on November 12, 2020. Mr. Yu had been running a breakfast stand to support the family. The couple’s arrests left their daughter, who is currently in high school, in tremendous mental and financial distress.
The police quickly submitted the couple’s case to the procuratorate. The prosecutor indicted them on December 30 and moved their case to the Chaoyang District Court.
A guard from the Changchun City No. 2 Detention Center called Mr. Yu’s family on January 13, 2021, and said that Mr. Yu had been hospitalized due to a medical condition, without providing further information.
His family learned on January 26 that the Chaoyang District Court originally scheduled his hearing for February 1, but later postponed it for a week due to his poor health. His family demanded that the authorities release him on medical parole, but was rejected. The authorities also barred his family from visiting him.
Ms. Li is currently held at the Changchun City No. 4 Detention Center. It’s not clear whether she will stand trial together with Mr. Yu.
Prior to Mr. Yu’s latest ordeal, he had been arrested several times in the past 21 years for practicing Falun Gong. Following an arrest in late 2000 for going to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong, he was given two years at the Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp. The guards shocked him with electric batons, beat him, kicked his legs, deprived him of sleep, and forced him to do intensive labor. His hands were covered with scabies and yet the guards still forced him to work in the brick factory or dig up dirt.
While Mr. Yu was serving time, his younger brother, Mr. Yu Chunhai, was also arrested for practicing Falun Gong and incarcerated at the same Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp. The torture and intensive labor took a toll on the younger Mr. Yu’s health. He struggled with poor health for three years after release and passed away on January 21, 2007, at the age of 32. He was survived by his wife and two children, then aged two and eight.
Mr. Yu Chunbo was arrested again on October 12, 2018, at his restaurant. His niece’s husband, Wang Min, who worked at the restaurant and doesn’t practice Falun Gong, was also taken away. When his daughter and son-in-law went to the police station to demand Mr. Yu’s release, the police also arrested his son-in-law. Mr. Yu was given ten days of detention and released on October 23.
Younger Brother Tortured to Death, Older Brother Detained and Tortured