(Minghui.org) A 72-year-old man developed severe medical conditions after spending over seven months in detention for his faith in Falun Gong. He is unable to walk and must crawl everywhere. The detention center guards also restricted his water intake, further endangering his health.
Mr. Zhang Yuzhen, of Dashiqiao City, Liaoning Province, was arrested on November 25, 2025, during a police sweep of local Falun Gong practitioners. He is held at the Dashiqiao City Detention Center. The Zhanqian District Procuratorate issued a formal arrest warrant for him in late December 2025 and indicted him at an unknown time.
While in detention, Mr. Zhang’s preexisting conditions, including a heart condition and dangerously high blood pressure, worsened. He also experienced multiple lacunar infarcts in the brain. He was admitted to Luhe Hospital around June 20. He was discharged on June 30 and taken back to the detention center.
Despite his difficulty urinating, the detention center guards refused to allow him to continue using a urinary catheter and instead restricted his water intake.
When Mr. Zhang’s lawyer visited him, he was wheeled out. He appeared extremely thin. His vision had significantly declined. With slurred speech, he told the lawyer that he could no longer walk and could not even keep his balance while sitting. He had to crawl to get around. Three guards were assigned to watch him.
The Zhanqian District Court initially scheduled a hearing of Mr. Zhang’s case for late June 2026 but because of his hospitalization, they postponed it to July 16.
When Mr. Zhang’s family demanded that the court release him after hearing about his hospitalization, the assistant to the presiding judge, Gao Yue, told them, “We cannot release him. If he dies, you may receive state compensation.”
Dashiqiao City, Liaoning Province: Eight Falun Gong Practitioners and One Family Member Indicted