Hu Zhihua’s heart feels heavy whenever he eats a nice meal. His younger brother does not have the same luxury. Imprisoned in a labor camp in China, Hu Zhiming refuses to eat—it is the only form of protest he has left.
Four years ago, someone told police that Zhiming was carrying six DVDs in his bicycle basket. The DVDs contained information about the Chinese regime’s persecution of the spiritual practice Falun Gong—of which Zhiming is a practitioner.
“There was no open trial for my brother,” said Zhihua, a U.S. resident since 1996. “No family was allowed at the trial.”
“They just assigned their official lawyer for my brother—the lawyer was not even trying to protect my brother.”
So began Zhiming’s second four-year stint in prisons and labor camps. The first four years had left him crippled, unable to walk. But he was so steadfast in his faith that he recovered quickly. Now, Zhihua doesn’t know how his brother is—the last he heard, he was languishing in bed all day, unable to walk once again.
Zhihua remembers the happy times when they were children. “From a young age we were always together,” he said. “We were in the same elementary school and because I am older, I always took care of my brothers when we were little kids.”
Four years ago, someone told police that Zhiming was carrying six DVDs in his bicycle basket. The DVDs contained information about the Chinese regime’s persecution of the spiritual practice Falun Gong—of which Zhiming is a practitioner.
“There was no open trial for my brother,” said Zhihua, a U.S. resident since 1996. “No family was allowed at the trial.”
“They just assigned their official lawyer for my brother—the lawyer was not even trying to protect my brother.”
So began Zhiming’s second four-year stint in prisons and labor camps. The first four years had left him crippled, unable to walk. But he was so steadfast in his faith that he recovered quickly. Now, Zhihua doesn’t know how his brother is—the last he heard, he was languishing in bed all day, unable to walk once again.
Zhihua remembers the happy times when they were children. “From a young age we were always together,” he said. “We were in the same elementary school and because I am older, I always took care of my brothers when we were little kids.”
