(Minghui.org) A 64-year-old resident of Jinan City, Shandong Province, has been on a hunger strike since he was admitted to prison on December 20, 2023, to serve a four-year term for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Mr. Qi Yingjun’s sentence stemmed from his arrest on June 19, 2023. He developed severe illness symptoms and was soon released on bail. He was tried on August 14 and sentenced to four years and fined 10,000 yuan on September 25. After his appeal was denied on November 9, he was taken back into custody on December 18, 2023, and admitted to the Shandong Province Prison two days later.
Mr. Qi went on a hunger strike as soon as he was admitted. His family went to the Laiwu District Judicial Bureau in Jinan City in mid-April 2024, requesting the agency to help get him released on medical parole. The Bureau contacted the prison, which agreed to allow Mr. Qi talk to his family on the phone.
His loved ones noted that his voice sounded very weak and they were extremely worried about his well-being. The status of their parole application is unclear.
Prior to his latest arrest and incarceration, Mr. Qi and his wife were repeatedly targeted for upholding their faith over the past 24 years. Mr. Qi was given three years of forced labor in 2000 and brutally tortured. His daughter, Ms. Qi Xin, was given three years of forced labor in 2005 after being interviewed by human rights lawyer Mr. Gao Zhisheng. She was only 19 at the time. Her mother Ms. Chen Lianmei was sentenced to two and a half years in prison following her arrest in 2019.
For details of Mr. Qi’s latest arrest and sentencing, as well as his family’s past persecution, see the following related reports.
63-Year-Old Shandong Man Sentenced to Four Years for Practicing Falun Gong Loses Appeal
Mr. Qi Yingjun Barred From Testifying in His Own Defense During Court HearingFour Shandong Residents Sentenced for Their Faith
Jinan City, Shandong Province: Eight Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested, Three Remain in Custody