(Minghui.org) When Mr. Wang Junheng was released on bail on May 20, 2024, after 37 days of detention, his family did not recognize him. He had been on a hunger strike to protest the wrongful arrest, only to be force-fed and beaten repeatedly. His family took him to a hospital and the doctors found that one of his ribs was broken. He’s still in a lot of pain weeks later.
Mr. Wang’s ordeal was triggered by his arrest on April 12, 2024 after he and a friend, Mr. Wang Huawei (no relation), accompanied two sisters to seek the release of their mother, Ms. Yin Minghua.
Ms. Yin had been arrested on January 21, 2024 for upholding her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999. Her older daughter, Ms. Qu Xuening, and the two Mr. Wangs also practice Falun Gong. Those three and Ms. Yin’s younger daughter were arrested when they went to the Haduihouhaian Police Station on April 12 to demand Ms. Yin be released. See the first related report at the end of this article for details of these arrests.
Mr. Wang Huawei and Ms. Yin’s younger daughter were both given 15 days of detention, but Mr. Wang Huawei was allowed go home hours after his arrest because of his poor health. The Ms. Yin’s younger daughter was released on April 27, 2024.
Mr. Wang Junheng and Ms. Qu were both given 37 days of detention, with the former sent to the Muping District Detention Center and the latter to Fushan Detention Center (where Ms. Yin remains). Both Mr. Wang and Ms. Qu were released on bail on May 20, 2024.
Mr. Wang Junheng suffered poor health for most of his life. He developed rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 14, but after trying many treatments, none offered any improvement. He also developed depression due to the suffering he endured from his physical condition. He sometimes passed out while driving. His health worsened over time and he was diagnosed with diabetes.
When he was his 60s, Mr. Wang was introduced to Falun Gong, and his health soon recovered. He was very grateful for the practice and seized every possible opportunity to share the information with others so that they may benefit from it as well. For this reason, he was repeatedly targeted due to the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong.
Prior to his latest persecution episode, Mr. Wang was harassed numerous times between August 2019 and 2020, with him given one year of “bail pending trial” on April 24, 2020. But there was no report of his subsequent prosecution. See the second related report below for details of the 2020 persecution episode.