(Minghui.org) Two Shenzhen residents imprisoned for their faith have been suffering from declining health since their arrest more than two years ago, but authorities have refused to grant them medical parole.
Mr. Zeng Heping and Ms. Wang Shuling were arrested along with several other local residents while reading Falun Gong books at a private home on April 14, 2016.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime.
While in police custody, Ms. Wang had a relapse of her fainting problem, and Mr. Zeng developed a severe heart ailment and high blood pressure. The local detention center twice declined to admit them but was eventually pressured into taking them.
During the two Falun Gong practitioners' joint court appearance on December 14, 2016, Ms. Wang had a medical emergency halfway through the trial and had to be resuscitated. The presiding judge, however, resumed the hearing as soon as she got better.
The judge convicted Ms. Wang and Mr. Zeng in July 2017, giving them prison terms ranging from 4 years and 3 months to 4 years and 6 months. The exact sentences are as yet unknown.
This is not the first time that Ms. Wang and Mr. Zeng have been targeted for their faith. Ms. Wang was given forced labor in 2000 and detained for six months in 2005. Mr. Zeng was detained in 1999 and injected with unknown drugs.
Ms. Wang's and Mr. Zeng's health have continued to deteriorate since their latest conviction. Their families' requests to have them released on medical parole have been declined.
Related Reports:
Four Shenzhen Residents Sentenced for Their Faith, with Oldest Person Given Longest Prison Term
Practitioners in Shenzhen City Detained for Reading Falun Gong Teachings
