Lawyers tight-lipped on sudden death of prisoner

• Source: Global Times
• [01:13 March 10 2010]
• Comments

By Lin Meilian

An estimated 200 protestors in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, took to the streets Tuesday calling for justice for a man who died in suspicious circumstances in prison.

Organized by the inmate's brother, the protestors who are friends and other relatives of the inmate, gathered in front of the prison holding banners that read "Give us an explanation, give us justice."

Zhou Lingguang, 35, was taken into custody in July 2009 for "playing mahjong." He was sentenced to one year in jail, but he was found dead on Monday, his brother Zhou Shuguang told the Global Times Tuesday.

Playing mahjong may sometimes involve gambling.

The family find it impossible to believe Zhou's heart simply stopped beating for no reason.

"We visited him last Thursday and he seemed OK. We talked with him. He told us that he was about to get out of prison next month because of good behavior," his brother said.

The brother said the protesters were taken to see the inmate's body.

"We could only see his face at a distance, his whole body was covered by a glass box and we were not allowed to take pictures," he said.

He said the family is worried that police will cremate his brother's body before they are told the facts about what happened.

However, a police officer, who declined to reveal his name, said Tuesday that Zhou died "naturally" of heart failure.

"Zhou had been very healthy," the officer said. "But when we found him the other day, his heart had just stopped beating."

Zhou's family has rejected this explanation.

"We don't know and nobody told us why he suddenly died," his brother said.

A Guangzhou-based lawyer who is involved with the case and asked for anonymity said Tuesday that many lawyers in Guangzhou have been asked not to comment on it. When asked why, and if he thought the family was right to view Zhou's death as suspicious, he said the case "might have a significant influence on the abolishment of the re-education-through-labor system."