Rights activist Zhang Wuzhou’s son Xu Hongbo pointed out in an interview with reporters on March 23 that at 3 p.m. on March 22, a video session of the Qingcheng District Court directly pronounced the verdict in his mother’s case. “Only ten minutes, the judge hurriedly read out and ran away.”
Xu Hongbo said, “as soon as my mother spoke, (the court) turned off her voice, basically could not hear her speak, the presiding judge surnamed Xia, my mother said to remember his name. At the end I only heard my mother say: ‘You sentenced me to 2 years and 6 months, I will always want the truth.'”
On June 4, 2020, rights activist Zhang Wuzhou went to Baiyun Mountain, a famous scenic spot in Guangzhou, and put up banners on the mountain railings with the words “Don’t forget the Sixth Century, withdraw the evil law” and “Witness to the beating of a female lawyer” to commemorate the June Fourth Incident 31 years ago and to oppose the Hong Kong version of the National Security Law.
On June 5, 2020, at 14:30, Zhang Wuzhou was summoned by the Shijiao police station of the Qingcheng District Branch of the Qingyuan Public Security Bureau of Guangdong Province on suspicion of “disturbing public order” and was placed in criminal detention on June 6.
The case was heard in November last year, the prosecution indictment accused her of obstructing state officials in the execution of their duties by violent means, and was prosecuted for “obstructing official duties and provoking trouble”. On the day of the trial, many supporters came to observe the trial, but were restricted and some were taken away by the police. The source said that Zhang Wuzhou firmly believed in court that he did not constitute any crime, and his defense lawyer suggested in court that his client’s actions belonged to the freedom of expression.
Zhang Wuzhou’s sister has disclosed to several media outlets that Zhang Wuzhou was tortured while detained at the Qingyuan City Xinxin Detention Center. The first Time Zhang Wuzhou’s lawyer met with her, Zhang Wuzhou cried to her lawyer, saying that the day after her arrest, the detention center put her in heavy torture shackles of more than 100 pounds, with her hands and feet handcuffed together, and her body could not stand upright, so she could only squat and curl up into a ball. Therefore, she needed help with eating and toileting, which caused discontent among the others in the cell, and the head of the cell beat her. Zhang Wuzhou was interrogated continuously without being allowed to sleep, and the torture lasted for about six or seven days.
According to Apple Daily, it is unknown whether Zhang Wuzhou will appeal her conviction, as she has previously denied the charges. Xu Hongbo said his mother is currently in poor health and he is actively writing to the authorities to apply for her to see a doctor: “I saw my mother sitting leaning as if she couldn’t sit up and needed to support her body with one hand on the table, and I felt that she was in a very bad state. Because the conditions in the detention center were particularly poor, my mother’s body could not withstand it. If you appeal, you may stay there for a long time and your body deteriorates even more.”
Xu Hongbo said that in September last year, Zhang Wuzhou continued to have back pain and abdominal pain, often unable to stand properly. Recently she went to Qingyuan City Second Hospital twice for checkups, and the results were cervical cysts, adnexal cysts, uterine fibroids and other symptoms, and usually you can touch the abdominal hard mass with your hands. Because of the unbearable body pain, Zhang Wuzhou repeatedly reflected to the detention center requested to go for further MRI to confirm the condition in accordance with the hospital CT findings, but was refused. The detention center only provides painkillers.
Xu Hongbo said that although he applied to the authorities to see his mother for medical treatment, there was no response. He told Apple Daily that the court’s verdict against Zhang Wuzhou was illegal and that the so-called evidence in the verdict was fabricated, arguing that the incident was more proof of the public security authorities’ ability to enforce the law and make up nonsense. He hopes that the sentencing of his mother will receive more attention from the outside world, so that more people can understand the truth of the incident.
Recent Comments