(Minghui.org) A Xishui County resident serving 7 years for his faith was not allowed to say goodbye to his mother, not even on the phone.

Mr. Zhang Xinzi’s family called Shayang Prison on February 12, 2017 and frantically requested he be released to see his dying mother. One guard told them, “We can allow any other prisoners to go back home, but not Falun Gong practitioners!”

Mr. Zhang’s mother, 99, died hours later on that day. Her last words were, “My son has been wronged. He’s a good person and the government shouldn’t keep him imprisoned for practicing Falun Gong.”

Mr. Zhang was arrested on August 3, 2010 for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime. The arresting officer, Guo Jianli, was heard saying, “My goal is to destroy his family and see him unable to raise his children or care for his elderly parents!”

Mr. Zhang was initially given one year of “re-education” in a forced labor camp, but even before he finished his term, the local court sentenced him to 7 years in prison.

The guards tried, unsuccessfully, to force Mr. Zhang to give up his belief. In response, they revoked his family visits and subjected him to various forms of torture. The relentless abuse has severely damaged his eyesight.