Chen relatives' interview: Transcript

Transcript of interview conducted by a reporter from Hong Kong-based online magazine iSun Affairs with Chen Guangfu and Ren Zongju, the brother and sister-in-law of activist Chen Guangcheng.

<italic>Chen Guangfu on what happened when officials discovered Chen Guangcheng had escaped:</italic>

Not long after I turned off the light, I heard the sound of a car parking. I immediately knew that they had come for me. So I quickly put on my clothes. Just after I put on my trousers they climbed over the wall and came in. They pushed open both of the doors, very quickly.

Reporter: what happened after they opened the door?

They started to shout at me 'Are you Chen Guangfu?' I said 'yes'. They covered my head before I could say anything. I hadn't even had time to put on my coat. They tied my arms together behind my back.

They held me, one person on each side, another pressing my head down. They had people in front and behind me. At least four or five people. They pulled me into the car which was parked outside.

They drove me to Yinan County, Economic Investigation Department. They put me on a chair, bound my feet with iron chains and locked my hands with handcuffs behind my back.

They pulled my hands upwards forcefully. Then they slapped me in the face.

Reporter: can you recognise any of the people who slapped you? Were they wearing any uniforms?

None of them wore uniforms.

They first asked me if I knew what this was about. I said 'I don't know'. So they beat me, and slapped my face. Only on one side, not the other. And they trampled my feet with their leather shoes.

In the end, I said, 'This is because Guangcheng got out, right?' They said 'Why did you play a fool when you actually knew.'

They interrogated me over and over because so many people were involved. I didn't want to name others so I told them that it was me who rescued him. They said 'You must know about Liu Yuancheng, don't you?' After I heard this, I knew immediately they knew some of those involved.

I resisted for a really long time. In the end I couldn't hold out any more. I figured that since Guangcheng had already escaped, other details wouldn't matter. Then I told them the whole story.

They interrogated me for two days and three nights.

<italic>Chen Guangfu on being told his son had attacked one of the officials who had raided his house:</italic>

Secretary Ma, a member of the county's Communist Party Standing Committee, who is chief of police told me "After you left, a serious event happened at your home. I won't fool you. I'm telling you as the chief of the Public Security Bureau, that your son hacked and wounded Zhang Jian using a cleaver. He was hacked with the cleaver more than 20 times and now his life is in danger. Your son also hacked two other community policemen."

He said 'And it is all because of you. If you hadn't helped Guangcheng escape, these things would not have happened to your family.'

I said 'Secretary Ma, I respect you very much. I hope you can tell me the truth. Did my son hack people in our courtyard or on the street?' He told me precisely that it was inside the house. I then said 'Well, that is good, at least he didn't chase and hack people out on the street.' They then all laughed.

He asked me 'You want to hire a lawyer don't you? You claim it was self-defence, don't you?'

Reporter: What did you see when you came back home?

When I got home I saw lots of blood. So I thought that Secretary Ma must have been right. It happened inside the house. After he hacked him here, he ran to the door. So there was blood at the door.

<italic>Ren Zongju, Chen Guangfu's wife, on the way officials attacked her son</italic>:

They started fighting inside the house. So many people were beating him [my son]. He face was bleeding, and his legs. His trousers were ripped. He said to me 'Mum, I need to get out immediately'. We had a thousand yuan. It was on the ground. They didn't see it, because they would have taken it away. So I picked it up and gave it to my son.