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Growing health concerns for detained journalist in China
Huang Qi has been in police detention in Sichuan in China since December 2016. Serious concerns have now been raised about his deteriorating health. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is calling on the authorities to release Huang on humanitarian grounds and ensure he receives the necessary medical care.According to media reports, Huang’s mother and doctor, Pu Wenqing, he suffers from a number of medical conditions including hydrocephalus, brain atrophy, emphysema, renal cysts, and liver cysts. In a recent interview Pu said: “I am very worried about him”, having had several applications for medical parole not acknowledged. Huang Qi is the founder of 64 Tiananwang, who was detained for allegedly ‘illegally supplying state secrets overseas’.Pu has also called for a new investigation into Huang’s case, as many of the documents which the government claim are ‘state secrets’ are not on official letterhead or have the government stamp included.Huang’s trial is pending in the Mianyang Intermediate People’s Court, with no hearing date set.The IFJ said: “The health of Huang Qi reiterates the concerns raised by the IFJ in 2017 about the medical services available to detainees in China. The fact that several medical parole applications have been ignored questions the governments commitments to the rights of its citizens. Huang Qi should be immediate released from custody to ensure he can receive adequate medical treatment, particularly as he is still awaiting his trial."