Chinese democratic activist and internet lyricist Xu Lin has been illegally detained by the Guangzhou authorities for over a year, and his health has deteriorated significantly. According to a recent meeting with his lawyer, Xu Lin’s condition has worsened due to the poor conditions in the detention center. He has become extremely thin, weighing only 93 pounds, and is suffering from heart problems, severe malnutrition, and tooth loss, putting his life at risk.
Xu Lin was arrested on May 17, 2024, by the Nansha District Branch of the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau on charges of “provoking trouble,” and a month later he was formally arrested and has been detained in the Nansha Detention Center in Guangzhou ever since.
On July 22 of this year, Xu Lin’s family received a letter from him detailing his worsening health condition and requesting to see his lawyer as soon as possible. On the afternoon of the 30th, lawyer Ge Wenxiu visited the Nansha Detention Center in Guangzhou to meet with Xu Lin, and later released the meeting transcript.
During the meeting, Xu Lin disclosed that he had been rapidly losing weight and was extremely emaciated, with severe potassium and calcium deficiencies. Only after his request, the detention center started giving him 2 bananas a day, and his weight slightly improved to only 46.6 kilograms.
Xu Lin’s wife expressed to a media outlet that his weight now being 93 pounds shows there must have been further deterioration before. She questioned the local police, stating, “If you continue to neglect him, are you going to let him die in there?”
Before his imprisonment, Xu Lin was in good health, and his wife suspects he may have been subjected to abuse and violence leading to his current condition. She urged the authorities, “If you do not take this seriously, are you waiting for him to die in there?”
Xu Lin also mentioned during the meeting that he has several damaged teeth, and swelling and pain in the mammary glands in his chest have not been treated. He blamed the harsh conditions in the detention center for these ailments. Additionally, his right to communicate has been stripped away. Xu Lin strongly protested the delayed judgment by the judicial authorities, accusing them of intentionally torturing him. He demanded a swift trial and to be freed from the detention center.
The Guangzhou police have obstructed Xu Lin’s wife from communicating with the media, attempting to block external attention on Xu Lin.
Feeling helpless, Xu Lin’s wife stated that she had initially kept a low profile, only seeking her husband’s safety inside. She added, “But they keep targeting me, leaving me no choice. If the authorities continue to ignore us, I will have no option but to make the situation public.”
In the final part of the meeting, Xu Lin remarked that if a prompt judgment is not made, he will protest by hunger strike and other means. In a statement released on a platform on May 16, 2024, Xu Lin expressed that if he were to die in custody, it would be a result of persecution by the Chinese Communist Party.
Xu Lin’s wife fervently demanded that Xu Lin receive medical treatment. She warned, “If something happens to Xu Lin, I will hold those involved accountable, and no one will escape scrutiny!” She also called on the Nansha District Court to expedite the judgment and cease arbitrary detention.
Xu Lin has been writing critical articles and poems since the late 1990s, advocating for universal values such as freedom and democracy through numerous songs. As a result, he has been summoned and warned by the authorities multiple times. Starting in 2010, he actively engaged in street protests, public speeches, and organizing citizen gatherings in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and other areas.
In 2017, he wrote a song titled “Restoring the Truth,” using footage of the police shooting incident in Qing’an, Heilongjiang in the music video, which led to his illegal arrest and a three-year prison sentence. He was released in September 2020 after serving his sentence.