A Christian human rights lawyer in China who endured two miscarriages and other severe health issues after being beaten by authorities is now in desperate need of lifesaving cancer treatment.
According to China Aid, an international non-profit Christian human rights organization committed to promoting religious freedom and rule of law in China, Huang Yan, a 47-year-old Christian woman who has assisted a number of Christians targeted by the government, was refused a necessary operation for her ovarian cancer, despite previously having one in the fall of 2013.
Huang told the outlet she believes Chinese medical staff were pressured by government officials to refuse her treatment, on account of her involvement with important Christians and other human rights activists. The Communist Party has been cracking down on human rights lawyers in China for a year and a half, according to Amnesty International. Since July 2015, over 260 lawyers and activists caught up in China's crackdown have been questioned by police, detained or charged with subverting state power.
China Aid notes that Huang has endured severe persecution for her faith. In 2010 and 2012, she was severely beaten by public security bureau officials, causing her to miscarry two separate unborn babies.
During the second instance, the officials burst into the bathroom, where she had just miscarried her child, and continued to abuse her. At that time, her husband was taken to the public security bureau and received injuries at the hands of the authorities.
As a result of the miscarriages, she contracted cancer, and also suffers from diabetes and other threatening conditions. While in prison, Huang's diabetes medication was confiscated, and her ovarian cancer rapidly spread, her lawyer told Radio Free Asia in 2016.
In 2015, Huang was arrested on falsified charges of spreading terrorist information, and later charged with "obstructing official business". While in prison, she was forced to take drugs and shackled, causing her ankles to bled and waste away.
Currently, Huang resides in Taiwan, and is awaiting the approval of a medical visa to Taiwan. If the Taiwanese government refuses to grant her a visa, she is in a location where she can receive medical treatment as a backup plan, China Aid reports.
However, the outlet is asking the international community for help, as the Christian woman desperately needs financial assistance in order to be able to have this important procedure. China Aid is currently taking emergency donations on her behalf.
RFA notes that in November 2015, the United Nations Committee against Torture (CAT) said torture and ill-treatment remain "deeply entrenched" in China's law-enforcement and criminal justice systems.
In a statement on its website, CHRD called on the ruling Chinese Communist Party to set up an effective watchdog to probe allegations of torture and detainee abuse in its judicial system.
"[The government should] ensure that all acts of torture are punishable by appropriate penalties in line with their severity," the group said, adding that the government should also compensate and rehabilitate victims of torture.
