(Minghui.org) A 72-year-old Jinan City, Shandong Province resident developed a hernia after nearly six months of detention for his faith in Falun Gong. It’s reported that a surgery has been planned for Mr. Zhao Yuzhong, who is currently awaiting a verdict following a court hearing in late December 2023. 

Mr. Zhao was arrested on October 8, 2023 by officers from the Gaoer Police Station, after being reported for distributing Falun Gong informational materials at a community fair. The police raided his home and confiscated several copies of Falun Gong materials. He was taken to the Jinan City Detention Center that day and transferred to the Zhangqiu District Fourth Detention Center on November 22, 2023. 

The police submitted Mr. Zhao’s case to the Zhangqiu District Procuratorate, which indicted him and moved his case to the Zhangqiu District Court. He appeared in court on December 25, 2023. His family wasn’t informed of the hearing. Without legal representation, he remained silent during the hearing. 

Mr. Zhao came to know Falun Gong in early 1998, when a relative recommended it to his ailing wife, who struggled with severe diabetes and a heart condition. Despite having spent a fortune seeking treatment, her condition kept deteriorating. After listening to the Falun Gong lectures, she miraculously recovered and also changed from a hot-tempered person to someone who was kind and considerate. Mr. Zhao was overjoyed and supported his wife in continuing the practice, even after the Chinese communist regime ordered the persecution a year later. 

Mr. Zhao’s wife was arrested several times for her belief. She was forced to work without pay in custody and watch defamatory videos about Falun Gong. Mr. Zhao was devastated when she was persecuted and worried about her all the time.

Mr. Zhao developed pain all over his body in 2012 and was unable to walk. Eating and drinking also became very difficult for him, due to severe pain and congestion in his esophagus. Bedridden and dying, he remembered how his wife regained her health from practicing Falun Gong. He decided to give it a try and was delighted to be back on his feet soon after. 

Due to the pressure of the persecution, Mr. Zhao’s wife stopped practicing Falun Gong and later passed away. Mr. Zhao persisted in the practice and now faces a prison sentence for his faith.