Guangxi Man Imprisoned Despite Metastatic Cancer, Dies Three Months Later

A Qinzhou City, Guangxi Province, man passed away on July 23, 2019, three months after he was imprisoned despite severe health issues, including metastatic gastric cancer. He was 57.

Mr. Liao Dawu, a real estate agent, was arrested on July 17, 2018, while seeking the release of a fellow Falun Gong practitioner detained for her faith.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Mr. Liao appeared in the Qinbei District Court first on November 23 and then on December 28, 2018. The second hearing only lasted a few minutes and the judge didn't allow him to defend himself.

The judge later sentenced Mr. Liao to two years in prison with a 10,000-yuan fine. His appeal to Qinzhou City Intermediate Court was turned down.

After eight months of incarceration in the Qinzhou City Detention Center, Mr. Liao developed severe ailments, including metastatic cancer of the cardia, a lung infection, and fluid buildup in his chest cavity.

The Qinzhou City 610 Office, an extralegal agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, ordered officials to send Mr. Liao to Beihai Prison on April 9, 2019, without disclosing his medical condition.

Mr. Liao's family made multiple requests to the 610 Office and Beihai Prison to have him released, but they never received a response.

In early July 2019, Mr. Liao was transferred to Xinkang Hospital, which is under the jurisdiction of Litang Prison. He passed away two weeks later.