(Minghui.org) Mr. Yang Zhantang, a Falun Gong practitioner from Yangping Township of Baoji City, became critically ill after being held at Chencang District Detention Center for less a month. On October 15, Yang's family received a phone call from the detention center notifying them that Mr. Yang had been given a physical exam at Chencang District Hospital.

When Yang's wife and son arrived the hospital, they found Mr. Yang semi-conscious and unable to speak or eat. The director of the detention center told the family that physical exams showed that Mr. Yang had blood clots in his brain and that a doctor recommended surgery. The family demanded to know what had happened to Mr. Yang.

“He was a lively, healthy person when the police took him away from home. He’s completely crippled now!” Yang's wife exclaimed, “He was only telling people about truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. And you had to do this to him!”

Mr. Yang was arrested on September 25 on the charge of “undermining law enforcement,” a pretext commonly used by the Chinese Communist Party to sentence Falun Gong practitioners.

After being interrogated at Yangping Township Police Station, he was taken to Chencang District Detention Center. According to information obtained from his family, Mr. Yang was telling others about the persecution of Falun Gong at the detention center. He was then forced to take unknown drugs at least five times. Each time after taking the drug, he had headaches and became drowsy and extremely tired.

Mr. Yang returned home on bail on October 18.