An Ottawa resident whose mother is being held in China for her spiritual belief says an update on the case has her worried about her mother’s fate.
Hongyan Lu’s mother, Huixia Chen, was arrested for her practice of Falun Gong on June 3, 2016, and has been arbitrarily detained since then.
Lu says her relatives in China received notice this week less than 24 hours in advance that her mother would be put on trial on Jan. 4.
“The trial went on for about an hour and a half, but there were no judgements made. The court only said it will take a few days to announce the decision.”
Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa, is an traditional Chinese meditation practice that teaches adherents the three principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. The spiritual discipline has been the target of severe persecution by the communist regime in China since 1999.
Chen was put on trial for the first time on May 12, 2017, but that session was indefinitely adjourned after her lawyer succeeded in proving that the evidence produced was obtained from Chen under torture. Chen’s relatives also received notice of that trial less than 24 hours before the trial began.
Lu says she is very worried about her mother, who has already experienced torture while in detention.
“We have contacted Global Affairs Canada. They said they will forward to the Canadian Embassy in Beijing,” Lu said.
