(Minghui.org) A Beijing man serving his third prison term for practicing Falun Gong has been held at Beijing Police Hospital for one year and counting due to his declining health.
Mr. Pang You, a former city planning office director and real estate company manager, was arrested on May 2, 2022 and released on bail the next day. He was taken back into custody on July 28, 2022 and hospitalized two months later. He attended a virtual hearing in his hospital room on July 3, 2023 and was sentenced to one year and three months shortly afterwards.
It was recently learned that Mr. Pang, in his 60s, has remained at Beijing Police Hospital since September 2022. Currently he has heart and kidney failure, as well as serious edema below the hip bones. At one point his entire body was swollen below the chest. He’s also suffering from diabetic complications, with two holes on his feet oozing pus nonstop. He has trouble standing on his own.
At his insistence, the police allowed Mr. Pang to do Falun Gong meditation as a way to improve his health. Despite his worrisome condition, he talked to everyone he met in the hospital about the goodness of Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Mr. Pang’s latest sentencing was preceded by two prior prison terms for upholding his faith. He was sentenced to eight years following his arrest on September 27, 2000. Less than one year after he was released in 2008, he was arrested again on August 3 of that year and later sentenced to four years.
For more details of his past persecution, please refer to the related reports listed at the end of this report.
Latest Arrest
Mr. Pang was arrested on May 2, 2022, after being reported for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong two days prior, on April 30. His Falun Gong books, cell phones and media player were confiscated. As he failed the physical examination required for detention, he was released on bail on May 3.
Mr. Pang was arrested again at home on July 28, 2022 and taken to the Changping District Detention Center. His family received a call from the detention center in early September informing them that Mr. Pang had been taken to Beijing Police Hospital after his feet became swollen and suppurated due to diabetes.
Mr. Pang’s lawyer was informed on November 7, 2022 that the police had submitted his case to the Changping District Procuratorate. He was indicted in early January 2023. The judge of Changping District Court made him attend a virtual hearing on July 3 from his hospital room. His lawyer joined the session remotely from the courthouse. The lawyer told his family that during the attorney-client meeting days before the hearing, Mr. Pang was wheeled into the meeting room, as he could no longer walk by himself.
It was learned in late July 2023 that Mr. Pang had been sentenced to one year and three months.
Related Reports:
Twice Jailed for a Total of 12 Years, Beijing Man Gets Third Prison Term (15 Months) for His Faith
Falsified Evidence Used in an Attempt to Sentence Mr. Pang You
Beijing Citizens Call for the Release of Falun Gong Practitioner
Beijing Man Arrested in Shaanxi Province for Talking About Falun Gong
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