Liaoyang Labor Activist Yao Fuxin Has Heart Attack in Prison

September 29, 2005

Labor rights activist Yao Fuxin had a heart attack on August 6 while serving a prison sentence in Lingyuan, Liaoning province, according to a report by the China Labour Bulletin (CLB). Yao and Xiao Yunliang, a fellow worker, joined workers rallying in Liaoyang city, Liaoning province, in March 2002 to campaign for payment of wage arrears and pension benefits.

Labor rights activist Yao Fuxin had a heart attack on August 6 while serving a prison sentence in Lingyuan, Liaoning province, according to a report by the China Labour Bulletin (CLB). Yao and Xiao Yunliang, a fellow worker, joined workers rallying in Liaoyang city, Liaoning province, in March 2002 to campaign for payment of wage arrears and pension benefits.

Public security officers detained Yao, a former factory employee, and the prosecutor charged him with "illegal assembly and demonstration." Subsequently, the prosecutor added a charge of "subversion." The Liaoyang Intermediate People's Court tried Yao on January 15, 2003, and sentenced him to 7 years in prison. Additional information on Yao and Xiao may be found on the CLB Web site and in the CECC Political Prisoner Data Base.

According to CLB report, Yao's family visited him on September 9 after his return to prison from the hospital. Yao apparently was on life support while in the hospital, and suffers from high blood pressure, partial paralysis, and vision and hearing problems as a result of the heart attack. His prison term ends in 2009.

Xiao Yunliang, was imprisoned for the same offense as Yao, also has suffered from medical problems, including arteriosclerosis, and liver and kidney stones. Xiao is also said to have lost sight in one eye as a result of conjunctivitis. Xiao's release is scheduled for March 2006.

Article 214 of the Criminal Procedure Law provides that a prisoner "may be permitted to temporarily serve his sentence outside prison if the criminal is seriously ill and needs to be released on parole for medical treatment." The China Labor Bulletin has called on Chinese authorities to release both Yao and Xiao on medical parole under this section.