Young Brothers in Danger after Parents Sentenced for Their Faith

Mr. Zeng Xingyang (left) and Ms. Deng Fang (right)

Following the arrest of their parents, a kindergartner and his college-bound brother are in dire straits. Since the sentencing of the extended family, the brother’s elderly grandparents are struggling to care for them.

On August 9, 2022, three members of an extended family in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, were sentenced to prison for their faith in Falun Gong.

Mr. Zeng Xingyang, 49, was sentenced to five years with a 10,000-yuan fine. His wife, Ms. Deng Fang, 45, was given three and a half years and fined 6,000 yuan.

The couple’s sentencing has devastated their family. Their youngest son is only five, a kindergartner, and their eldest son is going to college this year. When the couple was arrested in April 2021, their eldest son was still in high school and preparing for the college entrance exam. Despite the stress of his parents’ arrest he did well on the exam and was admitted to his dream college.

The boys have been cared for by their paternal grandparents since their parent’s arrest. The elderly couple, who are in their 70s, does not receive a pension and are having tremendous difficulties supporting themselves and their grandsons. With the fall semester fast approaching, they are struggling to find the money to pay for their grandson’s college tuition, as most Chinese college students do not have access to student loans.

Their aunt, Ms. Zeng Yueling, 43, was also sentenced to 3 years and fined 6,000 yuan on August 9, 2022. Zeng Yueling was widowed a few years ago when her son was only 9 years old.

Her parents-in-law do not have any income and are also facing a dire situation in caring for her son.

Arrests and Sentencing

On April 9, 2021, Zeng, a teacher, was arrested at his teaching studio. The police raided Zeng’s home that afternoon and arrested his wife. His younger sister, Ms. Zeng, who was visiting them, was also arrested after the police found Falun Gong pamphlets in her bag.

While ransacking Zeng’s home, the police kept his then 4-year-old son and 74-year-old father from entering the apartment building. Zeng’s parents had been visiting him from their hometown in Meizhou, Guangdong Province because his mother was seeking medical care for her heart problem.

Lai Ganwen of the Shipai Police Station frequently harassed Zeng’s parents, who decided to stay longer to help care for their two grandsons following the arrests. Lai threatened the elderly couple with arrest if they did not cooperate with the interrogation. As a result of the stress, Zeng’s mother’s condition worsened, and she went to the hospital several times during that period.

The family later learned that the police had arrested Zeng after suspecting him of making calendars with information about Falun Gong. They had followed him for a year before making the arrest. The calendar stand and hanging rod they confiscated from him were used as prosecution evidence.

On May 17, 2021, the Tianhe District Procuratorate approved the arrests of Mr. Zeng, Ms. Deng, and Ms. Zeng. Their case was transferred to the Haizhu District Procuratorate on August 2, and they were indicted in late August.

The Haizhu District Court held a virtual hearing on October 21, 2021. Their lawyers entered a not guilty plea for them and the three practitioners maintained that they did not violate any law in practicing Falun Gong. Judge Wang Jie announced their verdicts on August 9, 2022.