(Minghui.org) A woman who had been on a hunger strike for more than 70 days to protest her detention was brought into a courtroom in a cage. Just a few minutes into the trial, she started coughing up blood.
The presiding judge recessed the hearing and signaled for the woman to be taken outside for a few minutes. He then resumed the session after she was brought back in.
About ten minutes later, the woman suddenly passed out. Her lawyer requested the hearing be halted so that his client could receive medical attention. The judge asked the doctor on standby if she was conscious enough to continue the trial.
The doctor answered, “Her hands still show some movement. Perhaps she’s still conscious.”
The judge resumed questioning the woman, whose head drooped and who couldn’t say anything. At one point she moaned, and it was obvious that she was completely unconscious.
The woman’s family and lawyer made another plea for the judge to stop the hearing. Only then did he adjourn the session.
The woman – Ms. Du Hexian – was arrested on September 26, 2016, for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese Communist regime.
As no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong, the Xiong County, Hebei Province resident soon went on a hunger strike to protest the illegal detention. She was brutally force-fed on a regular basis. Her lawyer noted that she had to be wheeled out to see him and that she looked extremely weak.
The lawyer tried a few times but was denied access to Ms. Du's case file each time. He then tried to submit a complaint against the local procuratorate, but no agency was willing to register his complaint.
In the meantime, Ms. Du’s father, who is in his 70's, visited various government agencies to try to seek her release. He, however, was barred from attending Ms. Du's trial on December 8, 2017. Only two other family members were allowed inside the courtroom.
It is unclear whether Ms. Du was given proper medical attention after the court hearing.
Woman on Hunger Strike to Protest Illegal Detention; Defense Lawyers Denied Access to Her Case File