In Jilin Province, Siping City, a petitioner named Guo Hongying has been seeking justice for her brother Guo Hongwei for several years. Guo Hongwei was arrested again in October 2024 in Beijing and has been detained for 15 months so far. Recently, the Tiedong District Court in Siping City held secret court sessions for several days without notifying the family members. Guo Hongying’s 90-year-old parents declared that their son and daughter are innocent, appealing for attention from the public.
Guo Hongying has been advocating for her brother Guo Hongwei, who died under mysterious circumstances in prison and had been sentenced to 5 years in 2019. After being released, she went to Beijing to find a forensic expert to conduct a second evaluation for her brother but was taken away by the police again.
Guo Yinqi, father of Guo Hongying, told Epoch Times that Guo Hongying did not break the law. He criticized the Tiedong District Court for holding consecutive court sessions in an attempt to force a guilty verdict without allowing defense lawyers and family members to attend. “Guo Hongying is innocent, but the court arbitrarily charged her with ‘provocation.’ They deliberately delayed the court sessions to control her. Claiming it involves state secrets, how could ordinary people be involved in any secrecy?”
Chinese human rights lawyer Zhou Shifeng filed a complaint and recommendation regarding this case. The complaint called for a legal investigation into the Guo Hongying case, a specialized investigation into the authenticity of the case filing sources and reports, accountability for procedural violations during the case handling, legal action against individuals suspected of retaliation and persecution, protection of Guo Hongying’s legal rights to litigation, and a legal re-investigation into the death of Guo Hongwei to uncover the truth.
Guo Hongwei was sentenced to a combined 18 years in prison for reporting corruption by officials from the Longtan District Prosecutor’s Office in Jilin Province and suffering retaliatory attacks. During his detention, he endured torture including stretching, toxic gas exposure, starvation, and repeated detainment in small cells, resulting in disabled legs that rendered him unable to walk. He passed away on April 9, 2021, while still in custody.
Guo Yinqi mentioned that after his son’s release, he was told about the severe torture suffered in prison, saying, “It was extremely cruel, he almost didn’t make it out alive.”
While detained in the Xingye Prison in Changchun, Guo Hongwei was frequently placed in isolation, deprived of food, and had his limbs stretched and fixed into a spread-eagle position for over 50 days, leaving him unable to walk after release.
At one point, the prison guards intentionally sprayed a large amount of disinfectant in Guo Hongwei’s room for over half an hour until he had difficulty breathing and went unconscious before being dragged out of the room. Guo Yinqi said, “He almost didn’t make it. They subjected him to various forms of torture and abuse.”
Guo Hongwei’s mother, Xiao Yunling, also fought for justice with her son and was sentenced to 5 years, suffering severe physical harm.
Xiao Yunling tearfully told Epoch Times, “We are innocent, my son did not commit any crime; it’s all because of reporting corrupt officials that he faced retaliation.”
Former Chinese citizen journalist Wang Jing, who protested for rights along with Guo Hongwei, expressed that there are numerous petitioners in China facing similar circumstances like the siblings.
Wang Jing stated, “I have witnessed too many human tragedies and personally experienced the hellish life of rights defenders under the tyranny of the Chinese Communist Party. Only by overthrowing the CCP’s tyranny can rights defenders in China hope to solve their survival and living issues. Only then can China have a future.”