"The wife of a Chinese dissident from the northwestern region of #Xinjiang jailed for subversion after standing up for #Uyghurs says she has received what could be a forcibly written letter from him, prompting fears of "extreme persecution" in prison." rfa.org/english/news/c…
Zhang Haitao, an outspoken critic of the ruling Chinese Communist Party's treatment of the mostly Muslim Uyghur ethnic group, is serving a 19-year jail term at Xinjiang's Shaya Prison for "incitement to subvert state power" and spying charges.
Even before the pandemic, which has led the authorities lock down prisons and ban face-to-face meetings, Zhang had only been allowed three family visits during the first five years of his sentence.
Since then, his wife Li Aijie, who fled China with her son after being harassed and threatened by local authorities, has only received a handful of letters from Zhang.
The most recent letter came after a gap of one year and eight months, and didn't appear to be genuine, Li said.
"The obvious difference this time is that he wrote in the letter that he was eating very well, and in very specific terms; he mentioned beef, lamb, ...
"The obvious difference this time is that he wrote in the letter that he was eating very well, and in very specific terms; he mentioned beef, lamb, ...
... chicken, milk and eggs, etc," Li said.
The letter, dated June 27, 2022, is only the fifth Zhang has sent to his family since his sentence began.
In it, Zhang also says he has good clothing, and tells his family not to try to visit.
In it, Zhang also says he has good clothing, and tells his family not to try to visit.
"The letter I received said there was no need to visit him," she said, adding that Zhang has spent time in solitary confinement.
"We have previously confirmed that he wasn't even allowed outside for exercise," Li said. "Why wouldn't he want to see his family? At least his sister, and to find out how we're doing in the U.S."
The letter signs off with something even more unexpected, Li said.
The letter signs off with something even more unexpected, Li said.
"The weirdest things is that he writes: 'Thanks to the party, to the government, and to the country'," Li said. "That's just not credible."
"The whole reason he went to jail in the first place was for scolding and criticizing the country and its government," she said. "He is an innocent man, [wrongfully] convicted: how could he be thanking them?"
"It was very painful and uncomfortable for me to read that line," Li said. "The Zhang Haitao I know is a tough guy who doesn't crack."
"In the absence of extreme persecution, it would be unthinkable for him to write this kind of self-violation," she said.
"In the absence of extreme persecution, it would be unthinkable for him to write this kind of self-violation," she said.
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