Sichuan Woman in a Coma for Three Months and Counting After Suspicious Fall in Prison

(Minghui.org) Ms. Liao Guanghui is still in a coma, three months after she allegedly “fell and hit her head while using the restroom” while serving time for her faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Liao, a Mianyang City, Sichuan Province resident, was arrested on July 20, 2019 and sentenced to three years with a 3,000-yuan fine by the Fucheng District Court on September 25, 2020. The prosecution evidence used to charge her were DVDs she distributed about how a woman in Hebei Province named Xie Xiufen who was paralyzed for 16 years stood up again after practicing Falun Gong.

When Ms. Liao was taken to the Longquanyi Women’s Prison (also known as Chengdu Women’s Prison) on January 20, 2021, she underwent a physical examination and was found to be in very good health.

At around 5 a.m. on March 10, Ms. Liao’s family received a call from a prison guard, asking them to come to Huaxi Hospital to sign a consent form for a brain operation.

The guard claimed that Ms. Liao fell and hit her head while using the restroom the night before. But the Huaxi Hospital doctor revealed that she had injuries to her trachea and one of her lungs, leading her family to suspect that Ms. Liao incurred the injuries from being tortured for not renouncing Falun Gong. The doctor also said the surgery would cost over 100,000 yuan and the prison demanded that the family pay for it.

Ms. Liao’s son deposited all of his savings of 5,850-yuan for her medical expenses. The prison also demanded access to the 4,000 yuan in her commissary account to pay for her medical expenses.

When Ms. Liao’s husband, Mr. Li Shuangquan, and son visited her in the hospital on March 14, her head was wrapped with gauze and she was on oxygen. Devastated to see her in a coma, her son called her, “Mom, mom!” But Ms. Liao didn’t have any response, and she didn't even move her eyes.

Despite the family’s request, the prison refused to release Ms. Liao on medical parole. Instead, they deceived her family into signing the consent form for transferring her back to the prison hospital on March 30, promising that it would be easier for them to visit her there.

For over one month after that, Ms. Liao’s family wasn’t allowed to visit her. On May 7, a prison guard surnamed Wu suddenly called them and asked them to come to the prison. When Ms. Liao’s husband and son went there on May 10, however, the prison doctor only allowed them to see Ms. Liao through video conference and it only showed her head, without showing her entire body.

The prison demanded again that her son pay for her medical expenses. He refused to do so, as he didn’t have any savings, with two children to raise by himself. In the end, a prison guard took 20 yuan from him, leaving only enough travel expenses for him and his father to get back home.

Related reports:Falling into a Coma 40 Days After Imprisonment, Sichuan Woman Still Unconscious One Month after Brain Surgery

Woman in Her 60s Suffers Brain Injury Two Months After Being Imprisoned, Remains in a Coma

Four Mianyang City, Sichuan Province Residents Recently Sentenced for Their Faith

Perpetrators’ contact information:
Wu (吴), prison guard: [phone]Wang Yaheng (王雅恒), secretary of Chaoyang residential committee: [phone]Chen Hui (陈辉), head of Fucheng District Domestic Security Office: [phone]Zhao Yijiang (赵一江), police officer: [phone]Mianyang City Police Department: [phone]Fucheng Distric Police Department: [phone]Huayuan Police Station: [phone]