After being arrested on September 17, 2004, well-known Beijing human rights activist Ye Guozhu was sentenced on December 18, 2004 to four years in prison for the crime of “provoking trouble.” Ye was arrested on August 24, 2004 because he had applied for permission to hold a march in Tiananmen Square on September 18, 2004.
On January 23, 2006, Ye had his first meeting with his family since his imprisonment. He told his family that he did not admit to any crime and that he had suffered serious abuse at the hands of prison authorities. Nonetheless, Ye said, “Even if it means death, I am continuing this fight to help more people to stay the course.”
Tortured and Deprived of His Rights
Prison authorities deprived Ye of the customary bi-monthly family telephone calls. After one and half years in prison, this was the first time the family had obtained visitation rights
Ye had lost a lot of weight. Dressed in the blue and white striped prison uniform, he had a pained expression on his face during the meeting. Ye told his family that he had been assigned to the Strict Disciplinary Team in prison and had been forced to wear hand and foot shackles for long periods of time. After four months locked in heavy foot shackles, both of Ye’s feet were distorted, and large bumps had formed on his legs. Recently, he was released from the Strict Disciplinary Team and sent to the Prison Squadron because he had to be hospitalized for surgery.
