Space Scientist Faces Trial, Wife Passed Away

A couple in Tianjin who were accomplished space scientists have been repeatedly arrested for practising Falun Gong over the past 15 years.

Detainee Mr. Xiong Huifeng was not allowed to see his wife-Ms. Liu Yuanjie one last time before her death.

A trial was scheduled for May 6th for Mr. Xiong, 77. His trial was then postponed with no sufficient evidence given for the delay. His lawyer requested that he be released. The release was ignored by the Nankai Court.

Mr. Xiong Huifeng, a former director on the board of the Chinese Society of Astronautics, was arrested at his home in Tianjin on August 26th, 2014.

This was the fourth arrest for Ms. Xiong since the persecution first began in l999. Back in 2000 he was put in a forced labour camp for three years.

Years of police harassment, multiple arrests, and home searches have taken a toll on Ms. Liu. After her husband's last arrest she suffered a mental breakdown and her health began to deteriorate. She died at the age of 79 on March 3rd, 2015.

Mr. Xiong's family went to Nankai Detention Centre on March 4th, requesting to see him and applied for him to see his dying wife. Officers told them to put in the request at the Wangdingdi Police Station, but the officer at the police station would not help them. They then went to the Nankai Court, where they were still ignored.

Mr. Xiong's family spent the entire day trying to get Mr. Xiong to see his wife one last time. They were unable to get anyone to assist them. She passed away and their son and daughter had no choice but to make the arrangements for her cremation.