Mr. Lai Jiamiao, 60, Guangdong

Name: Lai Jiamiao (???)
Gender: Male
Age: 60
Occupation: Small business owner
Date of Most Recent Arrest: December 2007
Date of Most Recent Release: Died in Custody
Date of Death: November 27, 2009
Province: Guangdong
City: Shaoguan
Address: Jiaoling County, Meizhou City, Guangdong Province
Most Recent Place of Detention: Shaoguan City Prison (????)

Case Details:

Prior to his last detention, Mr. Lai was detained on several previous occasions and forced to attend “brainwashing” classes. After repeated harassment, he and his wife were forced to leave the tending of their business to family members and moved to Shenzhen in 2005.

In Dec 2007, the police discovered their address in Shenzhen and abducted the couple from home. In 2008, they were both “sentenced” to three years in a prison camp.

On Nov 27, 2009, Mr. Lai’s family received a call from the Shaoguan Prison authorities that he was very ill, but they did not invite the family to visit him. Three hours later, they called again to inform the family that Mr. Lai had died. The family rushed to the prison and requested an autopsy, but the prison refused, saying that no one works on weekends. His family was unable to view his body – he was cremated on November 30, 2009. It is not known whether his wife, Ms. Lin Xingru, who is imprisoned herself, has been informed of her husband’s death.