Zhao Yajing, a leukemia patient in Shanxi province, has been petitioning for justice for her serious illness, suspected to be caused by vaccination. She was recently sentenced to two years and nine months in prison for provoking disturbances. Feeling despair, Zhao Yajing declared she would not appeal and "wanted to die in prison." Her husband, similarly, was previously sentenced to six months in prison for provoking disturbances after petitioning the National Health Commission.
After receiving the verdict from the Qi County Court in Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province, Zhao Yajing's husband, Wang Hongyi, told Radio Free Asia that his seriously ill wife did not appeal the judge's decision because, "She had previously told me she didn't want to live anymore and wanted to die in prison because she saw no hope. Her rights defense efforts over the past few years have left her emotionally and physically exhausted, and her condition has steadily worsened as she has continued to advocate. She's been feeling depressed. The verdict was issued over ten days ago, and I only received it today."
Zhao Yajing, 31, once had a stable job and a normal life. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020, she received the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine shortly after her marriage. Weeks later, she developed severe symptoms and was eventually diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Zhao Yajing and her family suspected a link between her condition and the vaccine and filed a complaint, seeking a reasonable explanation and compensation.
However, after an investigation, local authorities and national disease control authorities determined that Zhao Yajing's condition was a "coincidence," meaning her illness coincided with her vaccinations but lacked a direct causal relationship. Officials provided her with subsistence allowances and temporary assistance but refused to pursue further accountability. Zhao Yajing and her husband, Wang Hongyi, disagreed with this conclusion and repeatedly reported the situation to the National Health Commission, the State Council's Bureau of Letters and Calls, and other authorities. They also sought assistance by mailing materials and raising concerns online.
The condition continued to deteriorate and no effective treatment was provided in the detention center.
Zhao Yajing was repeatedly warned and summoned by the Qi County Dongguan Police Station. In April of this year, the Qi County People's Court in Shanxi Province found Zhao Yajing guilty of "disturbing public order" for posting messages in WeChat groups, sending accusations to National People's Congress representatives, and holding up a sign in front of the National Health Commission to protest her injustice. She was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison for the crime of provoking disturbances.
According to insiders, Zhao Yajing was extremely depressed during the trial, stating, "I don't want to appeal. Let it be. I will die in prison." Court records also noted that Zhao Yajing suffers from a serious illness and is currently in a worsening condition. However, the verdict found her actions to be "egregious and have a serious social impact," requiring legal punishment. Wang Hongyi stated that his wife's health is deteriorating. "She currently has a leukemia gene mutation, and multiple tests have shown positive results for symptoms. They all say she has acute myeloid leukemia and is probably in the relapse stage."
Zhao Yajing's husband, Wang Hongyi, also stated that Zhao Yajing's condition had developed a genetic mutation and required urgent chemotherapy, but she was unable to obtain effective treatment in the detention center. A doctor had issued a medical certificate for hospitalization, but the court did not approve her request for medical parole. He said, "She no longer has any hope of survival... She has suffered a complete mental breakdown. We only got married in August 2020, and the premarital physical examination showed "everything was normal." She developed fatigue after receiving the vaccine, and we never imagined she would develop such a serious illness."
The husband was sentenced for petitioning and the family is deeply in debt.
Wang Hongyi also revealed that the couple had accumulated significant debt during their long-term treatment. Zhao Yajing even requested a refund of her medical checkup fees from the detention center so she could save for her family's living expenses. Treatment-related expenses alone totaled 600,000 RMB, and the local government's aid was far from sufficient to cover the cost.
To demand compensation from the government, Wang Hongyi and Zhao Yajing repeatedly petitioned Beijing for their rights. On December 1, 2022, Wang Hongyi was sentenced to six months in prison for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" and was released in June of the following year. He said: "The government promised to provide me with 130,000 yuan in aid, but I waited and waited for news. Then I went to Beijing with Qian Dalong (vaccine victim rights advocate) to the National Health Commission. After returning (to my hometown), our local government did not provide any aid and sentenced me to six months in prison."
The court verdict shows that at around 3 p.m. on January 7, 2025, while the defendant Zhao Yajing was on bail pending trial, she gathered for a long time with six people, including Liu Yanling, Song Yuner, Zhang Weiduo, Xu Yingxia, and Zhai Zhihui, at the National Health Commission in Beijing. When the others shouted the slogan "We want to see the leader", Zhao Yajing gathered with them. At the same time, the defendant Zhao Yajing and six others blocked the gate of the National Health Commission for a long time, causing adverse social impact, and "the facts are clear and the evidence is conclusive".
People were punished for shouting slogans while demonstrating in front of the National Health Commission.
Qian Dalong, a COVID-19 vaccine activist in Beijing, told this station that those who protested in front of the National Health Commission were subsequently punished to varying degrees. He said: "This is very rare. Their government can't solve the problem, so they 'solve' the people first. We went to the National Health Commission to demonstrate and shout slogans that day, and they arrested us. Wang Hongyi was sentenced to six months (for provoking trouble), I was released on bail pending trial for one year, Liang Xiaoqiang was given a suspended sentence, and Wu Song was also given a suspended sentence."
The verdict in Zhao Yajing's case sparked a strong online response, with many netizens questioning why the authorities would resort to criminal means to treat a seriously ill individual who simply sought justice.
