Sister Says Guo Feixiong Will Not Stop Hunger Strike

In an account titled “Will Guo Feixiong Live Long Enough to Walk out of Prison?” (see HRIC translation and original Chinese account below), Guo’s sister, Yang Maoping (杨茂平) said that instead of letting her meet with Guo Feixiong (郭飞雄)(penname of Yang Maodong, (杨茂东))  to deliver an appeal from his wife that he stop his hunger strike, the Yangchun Prison authorities let her exchange written notes with Guo on June 15.

In his note to his sister—which the prison authorities only let her look at but not keep or take a photo of—Guo said: he will not stop his hunger strike because his demands have not been met; he had just received the letters his children sent him more than four months earlier; the prison has engaged in continuous acts to humiliate him; and he wishes to request a transfer from the Yangchun Prison on the 100th day of his hunger strike.

The prison authorities also showed Yang a video of her brother, which showed the prison authorities rejecting Guo’s requests to meet with his sister and that his sister be given the “3-page plan of his hunger strike.”

Will Guo Feixiong Live Long Enough to Walk Out of Prison?
Account of Being Denied Visit with My Brother Yang Maodong (Guo Feixiong)

Yang Maoping
June 15, 2016

[Translation by Human Rights in China]

At 11:00 am, on June 13, 2016, after rushing for more than 20 hours by train and bus, I arrived at Yangchun Prison with a letter from Guo Feixiong’s wife. I requested to meet with Yang Maodong to urge him to stop the hunger strike that he has been on for more than 30 days. The heads of the Prison Petition Reception Office and the Yangchun Prison Administration Department, as well as the director of the prison General Office met with me. They refused to let me see Yang Maodong, stating that every one of my visits with him led to enormous amounts of international and domestic public opinion and attention and focus [on his case]. I don’t understand. Even if I had the ability to control public opinion, can this constitute a lawful reason for refusing to let me visit my brother? After further discussion, and my waiting in front of the prison’s main entrance for three hours, I was still denied a meeting with Yang Maodong. They also refused to deliver books that I brought him.

On June 15, after more than eight hours of sitting outside in protest and negotiations, prison authorities finally grudgingly permitted me to write a short note to Yang Maodong, for them to deliver to him. After reading my note, Yang Maodong wrote one back to me. The prison authorities refused to let me keep the note or take a photo of it. They only let me take a look at it right there.

Based on my memory, the note’s contents were roughly as follows:

1. He already read his wife Zhang Qing’s letter urging him to stop his hunger strike. But because none of his demands have been met, there was no way for him to stop the hunger strike.
2. He had just received the two letters his children wrote him nearly four months earlier. The confiscation of children’s letters to a father is not only unlawful, it is an act devoid of humanity, and one that destroys human relations.
3. In addition to the forced shaving of his head, forced rectal exam, verbal insults, and video recording that occurred on May 9, prison authorities have continuously engaged in other smaller acts of humiliation since he started the hunger strike.
4. He asked that I [Yang Maoping] visit him on July 28, the 100th day of his hunger strike. He would like me to write down a letter that he will dictate to me, addressed to Li Jingyan (李景言), Director of the Guangdong Provincial Prison Administrative Bureau (广东省监狱局) to request a transfer [from Yangchun Prison].

Prison authorities also showed me a short video of Yang Maodong reading my letter. In it, he asked that I be given the three-page plan of his hunger strike, but he was stopped by prison authorities. In the video, Yang asked to see me, but the request was also rejected by prison authorities.

Prison authorities explained [to me] that the reason Yang did not receive the letters from his children [until now] is that Domestic Security police took too long in their investigation, and [the delay] had nothing to do with them.

After the past few days of traveling long distances, exposure  to the scorching sun, and coupled with my worry, anger, and despair,  I was so extremely exhausted that I no longer had the strength to argue with the prison authorities. I can only go back to Guangzhou to figure things out.

The several times I’ve come into contact with the Yangchun Prison let me once again experience the barbarity and darkness that one rarely sees. Yang Maodong still has more than three years of his sentence left to serve—in a prison so barbaric. I am too frightened: as his health is getting worse and worse, and his character remains as resolute and unyielding as before—will Yang Maodong live long enough to walk out of prison? ! ! !

Yang Maoping
June 15, 2016

郭飞雄会活着走出监狱吗？（会见我弟弟杨茂东（郭飞雄）遭拒经过）

6月13日上午11点我先后乘火车、汽车历经二十多小时赶到阳春监狱，拿着杨茂东妻子的信件，要求会见杨茂东劝说其停止进行了三十多天的绝食行动。监狱信访接待室、阳春监狱狱政科科长、办公室主任接待了我。拒绝我会见杨茂东，理由是我每次会见都引发国际国内舆论的极大关注、聚焦。我不明白，即使我有本领操控舆论，这能成为狱方拒绝我会见的合法理由吗？经过和多方面沟通，我在阳春监狱大门外等待了3个小时，仍然被拒绝见杨茂东，并拒绝接受我送去的书籍。经过8小时露天静坐抗议、言辞交涉，6月15日狱方才勉强同意我写封短信，由他们转交杨茂东。杨茂东看信后写一封信给我。杨茂东的回信不允许我带走，也不许拍照，只允许现场看一下，不能拍照。

凭记忆，大致内容如下：1、张青（郭飞雄太太）劝其停止绝食的信件已阅，因绝食诉求无一被接受，故无法停止绝食。2、孩子近四个月前写给他的两封信，刚刚才收到，扣押孩子写给爸爸的信件不但违法，更丧失人性、摧毁人伦。3、除5月9日强制剃平头、强制肛检、言语侮辱、摄录，绝食以来，狱方侮辱性小动作不断。4、要求我7月28日在他绝食100天的时候去见他，他口述，我记录，一定给广东省监狱局李景言局长写信，请求转监狱。

狱方还播放了杨茂东看我信件的一段视频，画面中，杨茂东要求把他写的三页的绝食计划给我看，遭狱方制止。视频中杨茂东要求见我一面的要求也被狱方拒绝。

狱方解释杨茂东不能收到孩子信件的原因在于国保审查太久，与他们无关。

经过这几天的长途奔波、露天暴晒，加之担忧、愤怒、绝望的心情，我疲乏至极，无力再与狱方理论，只能先折返广州再做打算。

几次与阳春监狱打交道的经历，让我再次见识了平时罕见的野蛮与黑暗，杨茂东还有三年多刑期，在如此野蛮的监狱，我太恐惧了：身体状况越来越坏、而性情刚烈依旧的杨茂东会不会活着走出监狱？！！！

杨茂平 2016.6.15