(Minghui.org) Mr. Deng Daoheng, a 64-year-old resident of Kaijiang County, Sichuan Province, is serving eight years for practicing Falun Gong. When his health declined and his condition became critical his family was talked out of seeking medical parole for him. Mr. Deng remains in a police hospital.
Mr. Deng’s family was notified on April 12, 2024 that he was admitted to a hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) earlier that day. His daughter, who lives in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, caught a flight to Jiazhou Prison in Leshan City, Sichuan Province. Mr. Deng’s wife, her brother and sister-in-law, as well as Mr. Deng’s brother, who are all residents of Kaijiang County, Sichuan Province, took a taxi to the prison.
The five family members were told that Mr. Deng was at the Sichuan Province Police General Hospital but were not allowed to see him in person. The prison authorities only allowed his family to have a video meeting with him after 9 a.m. on April 13, 2024. His family noticed that he was just skin and bones and struggled to talk.
A prison guard ended the virtual meeting 20 minutes later and asked the family to wait to be updated on Mr. Deng’s medical condition. A female doctor came and said that Mr. Deng had tricuspid valve disease (a problem in the valve between the two right heart chambers) and the most serious form of tuberculosis. He was highly contagious and could even infect mask-wearing people who had close contact with him. Treating his conditions would cost 60,000-70,000 yuan per month, according to the doctor.
The prison doctor also claimed that the police hospital was giving Mr. Deng the best treatment and bragged that they were at least as good as West China Hospital (a top hospital that is affiliated with the flagship Sichuan University) where she used to work. She added that Mr. Deng’s hometown lacked good hospitals to treat him. Even if he was released on parole, the authorities may not turn him over to his family, but directly transfer him to an approved hospital. Moreover, she doubted if the family could afford to hire aides for his round-the-clock care. She warned the family that Mr. Deng might even die on his way back to Kaijiang should he be released on parole.
Mr. Deng’s family was terrified to hear his prognosis and ended up not seeking medical parole for him. They stayed near the prison for more than one month but were only allowed to have one virtual visit with Mr. Deng every week. During their stay, Mr. Deng was issued another critical condition notice.
Mr. Deng’s loved ones have since not received any further updates from the prison authorities after they returned home.
Arrest and Sentencing
After graduating from the Sichuan Agriculture University, Mr. Deng landed a job at the Kaijang County Supply and Marketing Cooperatives. With the onset of the persecution of Falun Gong, he was demoted from his managerial position and his pay was cut because he held firm to his faith. He remained dedicated to his work and sometimes worked overtime on weekends until he retired in 2017.
Mr. Deng was arrested on January 13, 2018 and sentenced to eight years with a 20,000 yuan fine on January 9, 2020. The Kaijiang County Court didn’t notify his family of his trial or give them a copy of his verdict.
During Mr. Deng’s appeal process, the Dazhou City Intermediate Court refused to provide any updates on his case despite repeated requests from his family and lawyer. The court also used various excuses to block the lawyer from reviewing the case file.
Mr. Deng’s lawyer was notified at the end of April 2020 that his appeal case had “concluded.” The lawyer was shocked because he had not been made aware of his appeals hearing (if any). The intermediate court claimed that they had a court-appointed lawyer represent Mr. Deng. Again, his family wasn’t given a copy of the ruling.
Mr. Deng was admitted to the Jiazhou Prison around 3 a.m. on May 29, 2020. Due to the COVID pandemic and some special family circumstances, his family was unable to visit him during the first four years he was imprisoned. When they finally got to see him virtually on April 13, 2024, they were heartbroken to see an extremely emaciated man.
Related Reports:
Retired Marketing Manager Sentenced to Eight Years for His Faith
Sichuan Resident Faces Ten Years in Prison for Practicing Falun Gong
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