In a recent development from Jilin Province, Siping City, it is reported that rights activist Guo Hongwei has died under suspicious circumstances while in custody, and his body remains uncremated three years later. Guo Hongying, in an effort to seek justice for her brother Guo Hongwei, was detained on criminal charges of “provoking trouble” by the authorities when she traveled to Beijing. Currently, she is being held at the Siping City Detention Center.
Guo Hongwei, a former employee of the Songjiang River Hydroelectric Power Plant in Jilin Province, was sentenced to a total of 18 years in prison on charges of extortion after he reported corruption among officials and faced retaliation. He passed away on April 9, 2021, while serving his sentence at the Gongzhuling Prison in Jilin.
The investigation report into Guo Hongwei’s death was only delivered to his family by the Gongzhuling Prison on September 23, 2024. After receiving the “Investigation Conclusion on the Death of Inmate Guo Hongwei,” the family raised questions, believing that Guo Hongwei’s death was not normal and demanding that the judicial authorities immediately initiate a comprehensive investigation to hold those responsible for any wrongdoing accountable.
In her quest for justice for her brother, Guo Hongying made the decision to travel to Beijing to defend their family’s honor.
According to Li Yanjun from Guangxi, “Guo Hongwei has been deceased in prison for over three years, and the family has been denied access to review the prison footage. They were only permitted to view the footage from that year after three years, and now Guo Hongying has been detained again while seeking justice in Beijing.”
As per information provided by an insider, Tang Xinbo, on the morning of October 13, Guo Hongying was abducted by police officers from the Pinnan Police Station in Siping City at her residence in Jiaozhuang, Fangshan District, Beijing.
At 4:22 am on October 14, Guo Hongying called Tang Xinbo, stating that she was being investigated for “provoking trouble” at a detention center. Subsequently, she was formally detained on criminal charges of “provoking trouble” and is currently being held at the Siping City Detention Center.
Tang Xinbo mentioned that as Guo Hongwei’s cause of death in prison remains unknown, Guo Hongying reached out to the Governor of Jilin Province, pleading for intervention to prevent the forced cremation of Guo Hongwei’s body, but her appeals went unanswered. This was what prompted her journey to Beijing. What crime has Guo Hongying committed that led to her arrest by the Pinnan Police Station in Siping City?
On October 14, Guo Hongying’s father, Guo Yinqi, issued a plea for help to the public: “My son Guo Hongwei was wrongfully accused and died in prison, and his body was cremated against the family’s wishes. My daughter Guo Hongying traveled to Beijing to arrange for a second autopsy and was forcibly returned by the Tiedong Sub-bureau of the Siping City Public Security Bureau, detained on charges of ‘provoking trouble.’ I implore kind-hearted netizens to come to the aid of my daughter Guo Hongying. Our family would be immensely grateful.”
Guo Hongying, born on August 30, 1966, a resident of Haiyin Garden Community in Tiedong District, Siping City, Jilin Province, is a displaced worker and a human rights activist.
In 2018, Guo Hongying was briefly detained by the Siping City police on charges of “escalating matters and assaulting others” after submitting materials seeking justice to representatives of the Jilin Province People’s Congress and visiting her brother in prison in Changchun. Subsequently, she was arrested on suspicion of “obstructing official duties” and one month later prosecuted by the Siping City Procuratorate, with the additional charge of “provoking trouble.”
On April 20, 2019, Guo Hongying was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months for “obstructing official duties” and 4 years for “provoking trouble,” with the sentences to be served concurrently, resulting in a total of 5 years of imprisonment, with the sentence set to end on February 1, 2023.