The inmates of Dongguan Foreign Prison, many of them Nigerians, have endured unimaginable suffering and injustice, according to their heartbreaking testimonies.
This labor camp masquerading as a prison has become a living nightmare for over 5,000 Nigerians, many of whom are innocent of the crimes they were charged with.
One former inmate, Mr. Onowu Chukwuemeka, who spent 15 years in the prison, painted a grim picture of the daily horrors faced by the prisoners.
He revealed that the majority of Nigerians incarcerated there were wrongfully accused, with their court-appointed attorneys often compromised and working for the Chinese government. The inmates are forced to work grueling hours for various manufacturing companies, with the promise of reduced sentences if they meet their targets.
However, this is a cruel lie, as even those who work themselves to the bone are not granted any leniency. Inmates who fail to meet their quotas are subjected to merciless beatings, starvation, and solitary confinement.
The working conditions are deplorable, with no safety equipment provided.
Many inmates have died from inhaling toxic fumes, melted plastics, and other hazardous materials while assembling products like phone chargers, headphones, and lamps.
The meager food they receive, consisting of half-cooked rice and vegetables, is barely enough to sustain them.
The Nigerian Ambassador’s visits to the prison and his attempts to address some of the horrifying issues during the previous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan was the only spark of hope that has been seen by these hapless Nigerians.
Even that effort eventually failed due to the change in government, leading to the cessation of visits from the Nigerian embassy.
Under the Muhammadu Buhari administration, in spite of the outrage from the prison and human rights organizations, neither the Nigerian Ambassador in China nor his emissary made any effort to visit the prison again for the eight years of that administration.
All the proposed negotiations with the Chinese government by the Jonathan Government were apparently abandoned under the new government.
The inmates now live in constant fear, with the threat of solitary confinement silencing those who dare to speak out.
The Dongguan Foreign Prison has become a nightmarish labor camp, where Nigerians are exploited, abused, and denied their basic human rights.
Efforts to reach the prison authorities were made impossible by the fact that all communications in their access portal is in the Chinese language.
But not a few persons and organizations have confirmed the terrifying state of things in the Dongguan Foreign Prison.
For Stuart Foster, an American, if not for the intervention of the American embassy, he would still be in prison assembling Christmas trees for companies, without pay.
“Being an American, I was spared the harshest of punishments. Thanks to the Consulate’s involvement, the prison adopted a “hands off” approach and I was rarely beaten or physically mistreated”, he had said.
He continued: “Other foreigners, such as Africans, sometimes languished for over a year without a court date or outside communication. Likewise, most of the other foreign prisoners, Africans and even some Chinese prisoners, had simply disappeared from the outside world without their family knowing if they were dead or alive. Without the U.S. Consulate, today I would still be assembling Christmas lights for no pay and sleeping on a concrete floor while surviving on rice, turnips and a little pork fat.”
In what seems to corroborate what Onowu Chukwuemeka narrated to our correspondent, Wikipedia also had this to say about Dongguan Foreign Prison:
“Prisoners at Dongguan Prison are reportedly forced to work manufacturing goods, and are allegedly routinely beaten. In 2013, former inmates told The Australian Financial Review that they were forced to make disposable headphones sold to major airlines for the equivalent of around £0.85 per month. They said they were beaten, tasered, or put in solitary confinement for failing to achieve production targets.[3]
“Similarly, Der Spiegel interviewed several ex-inmates of Dongguan Prison in 2019. They described overcrowded living conditions and sweltering heat in the summertime. A German ex-prisoner said that the prisoners were forced to work nine-hour days, six or seven days a week, manufacturing model Porsche cars, Samsonite-branded luggage locks, and transformers. Several ex-inmates described torture and abuse of prisoners, including the strapping of prisoners to a torture chair for days or weeks, and electric shocks.”
Reacting, the Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Mr. Okechukwu Nwanguma decried the situation, urging the Nigerian authorities to take action to secure the lives of her citizens in the prison.
His words: “This is a startling and chilling story of inhumanity against foreign citizens in China. I see, from the story, how American embassy personnel in China intervened decisively to save and secure the freedom of an American citizen in the inhuman dungeon. That is how a country that truly cares for its citizens and values their liberty and dignity responds. And that easily inspires citizens’ patriotism and sacrifice for their country. Contrast the response of the American authorities with that of the Nigerian authorities under successive administrations. It’s truly a shame if indeed Nigerian authorities are aware of the undeserved punishment and indignities their citizens are going through in that Chinese prison and abandon them to continue to suffer. I think that the Nigerian government should urgently explore diplomatic efforts to secure the freedom of Nigerians in that prison.”
Against the foregoing, it is expected that the Nigerian government will as a matter of urgency, intervene to secure the release of the innocent and put an end to the rampant egregious violations of human dignity.
