Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong are 'deliberately' preventing the sister of jailed rights activist Guo Feixiong, who has been on hunger strike for more than a month, from visiting him in prison, an overseas rights group said on Thursday.
The New York-based Human Rights in China (HRIC) group said it has learned from an "informed source that prison authorities are deliberately obstructing a visit by the elder sister of imprisoned rights defender Guo Feixiong.
In a statement on its website, the group said Guo's sister Yang Maoping and his U.S.-based wife Zhang Qing are both urging him to call off his hunger strike begun on May 2 amid fears that it could kill him.
"HRIC strongly deplores the prison authorities’ actions that are endangering Guo Feixiong’s life and calls upon them to immediately allow Guo’s sister to visit him," it said.
"The denial of a family visit for Guo at this critical time raises serious concerns about compliance with [international] standards ... in light of his serious health condition."
When she tried to visit Guo in prison earlier this week, Yang was told that Guo's brother, who saw him in early June, had used up the monthly quota of family visits, before waiting for several hours outside in the hope that the authorities would change their minds.
However, she was allowed to exchange scribbled messages on paper that were then relayed to him by prison guards, who shot video of both parties writing and receiving the notes, Yang told RFA on Wednesday.
Guo wrote back that he has already seen a letter from his wife, but declined to stop, Yang said in a statement posted on the HRIC website.
"Because none of his demands have been met, there was no way for him to stop the hunger strike," the statement said.
Acts of humiliation
Guo began his hunger strike after being subjected to a forced rectal cavity search at the instigation of state security police, as well as forced head shaving and verbal abuse from prison guards, rights groups have said.
Prison guards had filmed the procedure and threatened to post the video online, according to the Twitter account of the Hong Kong-based Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group (CHRLCG).
Yang wrote: "Prison authorities have continuously engaged in other smaller acts of humiliation since he started the hunger strike."
She said Guo has asked her to visit on the 100th day of his fast, July 28, when he plans to dictate a letter requesting a transfer to another prison.
Yang also accused the prison authorities of deliberately dragging their feet over the delivery of mail to Guo.
"I had a discussion with the prison about this, and they said that the state security police took too long reading the letters first," she said.
Reported by Wen Yuqing for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.