(Minghui.org) A 74-year-old man in Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province became critically ill while serving a five-year term for his faith in Falun Gong. The prison authorities have kept him hospitalized since July 2024 and denied him parole. He is set to be released on January 20, 2026.
Mr. Zhou Yonglin, 74, and his wife Ms. Sun Jiping, around 72 and also a Falun Gong practitioner, were arrested on January 20, 2021 and both secretly sentenced to five years in prison with a 10,000-yuan fine two months later. Their appeals were rejected on March 26, 2021.
Mr. Zhou was admitted to the Panjin Prison on July 4, 2021 and his wife to the Liaoning Province Women’s Prison at an unknown time. Their son learned three months later that Mr. Zhou had been transferred to Division 20 of the Jinzhou Prison. The son visited the prison in early 2024 and noted that Mr. Zhou was emaciated. He said that he was put under strict management and not allowed to purchase daily necessities because he held firm to his faith in Falun Gong.
A prison guard called Mr. Zhou’s son in July 2024, saying that his father was at the Jinzhou City Center Hospital for “a minor stroke.”
Mr. Zhou’s son was not sure whether his father indeed had the medical condition or was hospitalized due to torture-induced injuries. He then received another call in September 2024 and was notified that his father was in critical condition. He rushed to the Jinzhou City Center Hospital and saw his extremely emaciated father in the intensive care unit, with one tube inserted into his throat to assist with his breathing and another tube into his nose for nasal feeding.
A hospital worker said the elder Mr. Zhou had been given a tracheotomy. He shed tears but was unable to utter a word when his son asked if he still recognized him.
The prison transferred Mr. Zhou to the Lingyuan Prison Hospital in early October 2025 and no longer allowed his family to visit him. His family’s request to have him released on parole was denied.
Mr. Zhou’s wife was also abused in prison and suffered declining health. She was released ahead of time on July 2, 2025. She was emaciated, struggled to breathe and walk, and suffered from severe anemia. Unable to take care of herself, she moved in with her son for help with daily needs. She gradually recovered and has now returned to her own home.
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