Dharamshala: Hu Jia, a Chinese political activist, has been denied medical parole from prison. Mr. Hu, who is serving three and a half years in prison after being convicted in 2008 for inciting subversion, is well-known for his work supporting human rights, AIDS advocacy, and environmental causes.
Mr. Hu has been suffering from liver problems for some time and was recently taken to the prison hospital to be tested for liver cancer. However, prison authorities said that his test results were negative for cancer and that he would not be granted medical parole. While he does have a blood tumor on his liver, this condition does not meet the requirements needed for medical parole. Mr Hu has been taken back to prison to fulfill the remainder of his sentence.
His wife, Zeng Jinyan, had requested the parole when she found out that her husband had been experiencing liver ailments. Mrs. Zeng asked for a written report of her husband's medical diagnosis, but was denied by prison authorities. She is also an activist and is under surveillance by the Chinese government.
