(Minghui.org) Mr. Hou Lijun of Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, was recently sentenced to ten years for practicing Falun Gong, and his appeal was denied. It has been more than 60 days since Mr. Hou started a hunger strike to protest the persecution and he is in serious condition.

Wu Shaoping, a human rights lawyer currently living in the U.S., said Mr. Hou’s plight is a typical case of political persecution targeting Falun Gong practitioners, who are deprived of basic human rights simply for upholding their faith.

Mr. Hou’s aunt, Ms. Karen Kang, who lives in Los Angeles, California, condemned the Chinese authorities for persecuting her nephew. She called on the international community to help rescue Mr. Hou.

Mr. Hou Lijun (top left), his mother Ms. Kang Shuqin (lower left), father (lower right), and sister (top right) (Courtesy of Ms. Karen Kang)

According to Ms. Kang, Mr. Hou was arrested on April 25, 2023, by officers from the Xiaojingyu Police Station. His arrest came after he'd already spent over 20 years in displacement to avoid being persecuted for his faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been targeted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. He started a hunger strike in the Taiyuan City No.1 Detention Center shortly after his arrest. After he was taken to Jinzhong Prison, he continued his hunger strike.

Ms. Kang said Mr. Hou’s family in China recently received a call from the prison, saying that his condition was very serious and they were about to take him to the hospital. The family rushed to the hospital. They said Mr. Hou’s hair had turned all gray and he only weighed about 50 kg (110 lbs). He was unable to walk on his own and relied on the help of two inmates. Mr. Hou told them that, despite his condition, a guard surnamed An once ordered him to stand for 30 minutes.

Twenty Years on the Run

Mr. Hou used to work at the Taiyuan Industrial and Commercial Bank as a security guard. He went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong on January 3, 2000, and was given two years of forced labor. He served time in three labor camps, including the Zhencheng Forced Labor Camp in Taiyuan, Yuxiang Forced Labor Camp in Yongji City, and Xindian Forced Labor Camp in Taiyuan. His term was extended by four months and he was released in May 2002.

Mr. Hou and his mother, Ms. Kang Shuqin, who also practiced Falun Gong, were seized during a mass arrest of 64 local practitioners on October 20, 2002. He started a hunger strike at the Wanbolin Police Station. After over three months of detention, he managed to escape and spent the next two decades on the run to avoid persecution.

His mother, who remained in custody, was sentenced to 11 years. The police continued to monitor her daily life after she was released. They not only arranged for community workers to monitor her but also installed listening devices in her home. She succumbed to the persecution and died in 2020. Her passing dealt a hard blow to her husband, who suffered a stroke and became incapacitated. Mr. Hou’s recent arrest further aggravated his condition and he passed away on June 23, 2023.

Lawyer Wu said, “Hou Lijun’s case is a typical example of political persecution by the Chinese Communist Party targeting Falun Gong practitioners. Although its Constitution claims that Chinese citizens enjoy freedom of religion, it’s only an empty promise. The reality is they have completely deprived the Chinese people of their rights to practice a religion.”

The Ten-year Sentence

Mr. Hou was sentenced to ten years in prison by the Wanbolin District Court on May 12, 2023, although there was no hearing. There were no witness accounts or valid evidence listed on the verdict either. Mr. Hou was so outraged by the sentence that he tore the judgment into pieces.

Mr. Hou appealed to the Taiyuan City Intermediate Court on May 16. He wrote, “The verdict was not based on any witness accounts or physical evidence. I demand that the appellate court hear my case.”

The higher court ruled on May 30 to uphold the original verdict. It said in its decision, “The facts in the case are very clear. It’s been decided that a hearing will not be held and the decision on the case is final.”

“This is obviously the result of behind-the-scenes machinations by the court,” said lawyer Wu. “The appellate court didn’t address his concern that there were no valid witness accounts or physical evidence when they ruled to uphold the original verdict. The communist regime arbitrarily persecutes Falun Gong practitioners, based not on facts but on their political stances.

“Because they practice Falun Gong, even if they didn’t commit any real crime, they are still guilty. This tells us that the persecution is based purely on political motives. Article 300 of Criminal Law the regime used to sentence Falun Gong practitioners violates the Constitution that protects Chinese citizens’ religious freedom. The communist regime just uses any excuse to deprive them [Falun Gong practitioners] of their most basic human rights.”

Lawyer Wu added, “In most appeals, a judge would hear the case--it’s rare for them not to. But when it comes to Falun Gong cases, it’s common for the judges to uphold the original verdicts without having a hearing, especially in the northern provinces. The judges’ attitude is, 'If it's a Falun Gong case, I will not hold a hearing.'”

Calling on the International Community to Rescue Loved Ones in China

Ms. Kang said Mr. Hou always got along well with his friends and classmates when he was in school. After he went to work, his colleagues also said he was a good person. When the persecution started in 1999, some of them put their own safety at risk to protect him. She called on the Chinese authorities to release Mr. Hou immediately. She also condemned them for arresting and sentencing him.

Mr. Hou’s other aunt Ms. Kang Shumei and her son Mr. Zhang Gu were arrested on October 31, 2022, for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong.

Ms. Kang Shumei is now in the Gujiao City No. 4 Detention Center and Mr. Zhang is in the Taiyuan City No. 1 Detention Center. Both of them have been denied family visits.

In addition to Mr. Hou, Ms. Karen Kang is calling on the international community to help rescue her other nephew and sister, too.

Related reports:

U.S. Citizen Calls for the Release of Her Loved Ones, Including a Nephew Who Has Been on Hunger Strike for 48 Days and Counting

Shanxi Man Arrested After 20 Years of Displacement, on Hunger Strike for Over a Month