Shanxi leukemia patient Zhao Yajing, who suspects that her illness is caused by receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, has been sentenced to 2 years and 9 months in prison on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”. The latest news reveals that she was officially transferred to the Taiyuan Third Prison on September 28. Informed sources disclosed that Zhao Yajing’s husband, Wang Hongyi, was detained by the local authorities before the Fourth Plenum, preventing him from appealing.
31-year-old Zhao Yajing was leading a stable life. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she experienced severe discomfort after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine produced by China’s Sinovac Biotech and was eventually diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Her family suspects a link between her illness and the vaccine, thus initiating a complaint.
However, the official investigation concluded that Zhao Yajing’s illness was a “coincidental syndrome” (meaning the onset coincided with vaccination but without a direct causal relationship), and refused to hold anyone accountable. The local government only provided minimum living allowance and temporary assistance. Despite Zhao Yajing and her husband’s dissatisfaction, they made multiple attempts to appeal to departments such as the National Health Commission of China and the State Council Petition Office, as well as speaking out online, but faced suppression until their arrest.
During the court trial in April this year, Zhao Yajing was extremely low-spirited and stated in court, “I don’t want to appeal, I want to die in prison,” indicating her mental state is on the verge of collapse. Although the court judgment acknowledged her serious illness, it still deemed her actions as “heinous with severe social impact” and rejected her application for “serving sentence outside prison”.
Zhao Yajing’s husband, Wang Hongyi, mentioned that his wife’s leukemia has relapsed several times, and after interrupting chemotherapy, she developed severe anemia and infection, leaving her extremely weak. “Both the court and the prison have refused medical parole,” he said, “We do not know if she can survive this winter.”
According to a friend of Wang Hongyi, the medical conditions in the detention center are limited, and although doctors have issued a hospitalization recommendation, the court refused to accept it.
Supporter of Zhao Yajing’s rights campaign, Ms. Xu, told reporters on October 7 that Wang Hongyi himself has been punished multiple times for standing up for their rights: “At the end of 2022, he was sentenced to six months for ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’ because he petitioned the National Health Commission, and he was released in June 2023.”
She further stated that both Zhao Yajing and Wang Hongyi have accumulated significant debts for medical treatment, spending around 600,000 to 700,000 yuan, and had to sell valuable assets at home.
Shortly after Zhao Yajing’s sentencing, Wang Hongyi, preparing to appeal again to support his wife, was “rounded up” by local personnel for several weeks.
Mr. Zhang, a representative for vaccine victims, told reporters: “The Fourth Plenum is set for October 20, Wang Hongyi is being monitored again, and I’m being monitored too, unable to go anywhere. Zhao Yajing has been transferred from the detention center to prison, and Wang Hongyi cannot see her again. This couple is in a dire situation.”
People familiar with the situation revealed that many vaccine victims and their families on the mainland have been “monitored” by authorities, related to the upcoming Fourth Plenum of the Communist Party. He said, “Local governments have received ‘stability maintenance orders’ to prevent vaccine victims’ families from petitioning in Beijing. I know they are also watching me.”
Vaccines produced by Chinese companies have been linked to complications in thousands of individuals. As of early 2024, nearly 3,000 public and verifiable registered petitioners have raised concerns. Due to dispersed organization and control, the actual extent is difficult to confirm.
In contrast, the abnormal reaction monitoring data released by the Chinese authorities from 2021 to 2022 showed that the reporting rate was within the expected range but did not provide higher transparency on causal determination and relief mechanisms for severe cases of public concern.
A rights lawyer in Shanxi told reporters that Zhao Yajing’s case has procedural and qualitative issues: “Ms. Zhao’s actions fall under lawful petitioning and freedom of speech expression and should not be considered criminal.” He mentioned that he had repeatedly applied for medical parole and sentence reduction for Zhao Yajing, all of which were denied. Calls to the Shanxi Provincial Prison Administration and the Taiyuan Third Prison office went unanswered.
A member of the Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Group pointed out that Zhao Yajing’s case reflects the “systemic suppression” of authorities towards vaccine victims seeking justice. He called on the international community to monitor Zhao Yajing’s health condition and ensure she receives proper treatment. Several legal professionals believe that if this case is not corrected, it will become a typical example of “using criminal charges to suppress rights”.