(Minghui.org) When Mr. Guo Baojun’s son woke up at 7: 27 a.m. on March 14, 2021, he was devastated to see a text message saying that his father, who was only 63, had passed away at 12:55 a.m.
The Zhengzhou City No.3 Detention Center in Henan Province had called the younger Mr. Guo between 12:10 and 12:23 a.m. and texted him at 12:40 a.m. that his father could die at any time. But he had put his phone on mute and didn’t see the notification until morning.
Grief-stricken, he called the detention center. The guards confirmed that his father has indeed passed away and his body was in the Zhengzhou City Funeral Home.
Mr. Guo’s son, sister, and brother-in-law rushed to the funeral home, only to be told that they weren’t allowed to see Mr. Guo’s body. They were directed to the Zhengzhou City No.3 Detention Center if they had any questions.
When the family went to the detention center, the guards kept them waiting for 20 minutes and then told them to write down their names, ages, ID numbers, workplaces, and home addresses if they wanted any information.
Mr. Guo’s family refused to comply. They asked the guards why they needed their personal information to see the body of their loved one.
After some negotiation, Mr. Guo’s family agreed to provide their names, ages, and addresses. Two of the guards introduced themselves, Xu Zhenwang, a deputy director, and Liu Wenna, a medical director.
When Mr. Guo’s family demanded to see his body, the guards said they had to wait until the next day (March 15) after a forensic doctor had examined the body. The guards also told his family to fill out applications if they wanted to see his body. Only five family members would be given access and they wouldn’t be allowed to take any pictures or videos. Everything would also be recorded by the detention center.
Mr. Guo’s family complained about the detention center’s requirements and refused to fill out any forms before seeing his body.
While they were in the detention center for over an hour, Mr. Guo’s sister fainted several times from grief. Because their mother, who is in her late 80s, was at home by herself, Mr. Guo’s sister, her husband, and their nephew decided to go home after the guards refused to allow them see Mr. Guo’s body that day.
It’s not clear whether or not Mr. Guo's family has yet been allowed to see his body.
Arrest and Sentence
Mr. Guo, from Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, was arrested on November 10, 2019, after being reported for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong.
He was first held in the Xinmi City Lockup and then transferred to the Zhengzhou City No.3 Detention Center on the evening of November 13. He was indicted around January 9, 2020, and his case was submitted to the Zhongyuan District Court.
Mr. Guo was tried via a video conference in the detention center on June 13, 2020. By then, he had been on a hunger strike for seven months. The guards kept the feeding tube in his nose during the hearing.
Mr. Guo was sentenced to two years and fined 20,000 yuan on June 29. He appealed the verdict, but the intermediate court ruled to uphold the original sentence on August 28.
Because Mr. Guo continued his hunger strike, his condition continued to deteriorate. In early December, he was in critical condition and hospitalized.
On December 3, Mr. Guo’s son and daughter-in-law were finally allowed to visit him in the hospital, the first time since his arrest more than a year ago.
Mr. Guo’s son said that his father was emaciated. His lips were very dry, his skin was cracked, and his eyes were swollen.
Three weeks after their visit, on December 28, Mr. Guo’s son contacted the detention center guards again and asked about his father. A guard said that Mr. Guo was still in the hospital but doing much better. But when asked whether Mr. Guo was able to walk on his own, the guard said he didn’t know and referred his son to the doctor.
When Mr. Guo’s son went to the hospital the next day to see the doctor, the doctor said that they couldn’t meet with a detainee’s family by themselves, that any meeting had to be supervised by the detention center guards. When Mr. Guo’s son argued that it was the guard who’d sent him there, the doctor asked for an approval letter from the guards before agreeing to talk to him about Mr. Guo.
It’s not clear whether the doctor ever updated Mr. Guo’s son on his father’s situation. And it also remains to be investigated if Mr. Guo died in the hospital or the detention center.
Related report:
Henan Man in Critical Condition After One Year on Hunger Strike
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