Persecution of Fathers
Fathers Zhang Ming (L) Chen Minxi (R).
Remembering the fathers currently detained and persecuted this Father’s Day.
Numerous fathers in China today are separated from their children for practicing or sharing information about Falun Gong. Here, we highlight three such fathers from different parts of China. Their sons and daughters call for their safety and await the day they can be reunited. We hope you can keep them in your thoughts.
Single Father Sentenced to 4 Years, Teenage Daughter Left Alone
On February 14, 2022, 52-year-old single father Mr. Chen Mingxi from Chongqing was sentenced to 4 years in prison for practicing Falun Gong. This is the third time Chinese communist officials have sentenced Mr. Chen for his faith. A year after the Chinese regime started to persecute Falun Gong practitioners, Mr. Chen was put in a forced labor camp in September 2000 and again in April 2011, for a total of 3 years. The torture he endured during the first term left him disabled.
Mr. Chen’s wife Ms. Wang Xiaoxia, who also practiced Falun Gong, was tortured for distributing brochures about Falun Gong. She lost consciousness 3 days before a scheduled court hearing and died on October 22, 2015. Without a mother and with her father in prison, Mr. and Mrs. Chen’s teenage daughter has been left struggling to fend for herself. (Read More)
New York High School Student Calls for Freedom for Jailed Father in China
Mr. Yang Chen and his wife are Falun Gong practitioners from Hunan Province. They were both detained by police on October 27, 2020 along with 19 other Falun Gong practitioners. Their teenage daughter Grace, who lives in New York, has been unable to contact them and lawyers have been pressured not to take their case. Her parents have both been previously imprisoned for their faith.
Mr. Chen is currently detained in an unknown location, and nobody knows his health condition. His daughter fears for his well-being. Grace has contacted New York representatives and officials. She continues to advocate for her parents’ case today. (Take Action)
Father of American Resident Harassed
On June 29, 2018, in Dandong City, Liaoning Province, several police officers arrested Mr. Zhang Ming along with another Falun Gong practitioner, Li Quanchen, upon finding in the car some literature about the CCP’s persecution. They detained Zhang and Li at Kuandian Detention Center—a place so remote and covert that nothing comes up when searching for this location on the internet. Zhang Ming’s lawyer revealed that he was in critical condition, with his blood pressure over 200 and his heart beating at abnormally high rates.
On June 28, 2019, Zhang was released after having served his term but authorities continue to harass him outside of prison. (Read more)
