Alarm is mounting over the critical health of imprisoned Chinese pastor Wang Yi, with credible reports suggesting he may be suffering from advanced liver cancer, a situation exacerbated by his family’s continued inability to gain access for personal verification or vital medical information. Rev. Dr. Bob Fu of ChinaAid has expressed grave concern, citing multiple internal sources, though independent confirmation remains elusive due to severe restrictions imposed by Chinese authorities. Pastor Wang, a prominent figure from the Early Rain Covenant Church, has been incarcerated since December 2018, serving a nine-year sentence on charges of inciting subversion and illegal business operations. Despite prison officials claiming Wang is in good health based on an alleged October 1st examination, his family has been denied any in-person visits since these health concerns surfaced, and communication, including letters from his wife, has been nonexistent for years, a drastic restriction that ChinaAid argues violates Chinese law. The Early Rain Covenant Church has also issued an open letter confirming the reports but emphasizing their inability to ascertain Wang’s true condition, imploring authorities for regular family contact and transparency regarding his medical care. ChinaAid is urgently calling for Chinese authorities to permit private meetings between Wang and his wife, son, and elderly parents, allow an independent medical examination with legal counsel present, and release his full medical records, including details on any medications administered. This plea comes amid broader concerns about the mistreatment of other prisoners of conscience in China. ChinaAid is specifically urging the Trump administration to forcefully raise Pastor Wang’s case, along with other individual prisoners of conscience, in high-level diplomatic engagements with China, citing the successful intervention in Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri’s case as a precedent for the potential impact of direct presidential intervention, and stressing that human rights and religious freedom should not be overshadowed by trade and security negotiations.
Adapted from: Latest World News on Fox News
