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| Jiang Mao in an undated photo. (Photo courtesy of the Jiang family.) |
China Aid Association
(Zizhou County, Shaanxi—Dec. 23, 2013) The daughter of a Christian detained in inland Shaanxi province over the weekend is speaking out about the situation surrounding his detainment and the situation at home without him.
I am the daughter of Jiang Mao. Following is a description of the whole process from the disappearance of my father to the moment I learned where he is detained as well as a description of the current situation I face at home.
After my father went out on the afternoon of Dec. 1, 2013, I could no longer get into contact with him. When I called him on Dec. 2, 2013, his phone was always “powered off.” At first, I thought his cell phone had run out of battery, so I didn’t pay too much attention to it. On Sept. 24 of this year, my mother got into an auto accident and she was seriously injured and went through a major operation. My father took care of my mother in the hospital. My father used to live in Xi’an [the provincial capital of China’s inland Shaanxi province] with us all these years. As our house was to be demolished and rebuilt, he went back to our native town in Zichang County, Yan’an City, Shaanxi province.
However, we still couldn’t get through to my father on his cell phone by Dec. 6. We contacted all our relatives and friends and during this time none of them could get through to my father. Therefore, on the night of Dec. 6, my mother, my brother and I returned to Zichang County. On the early morning of the next day, we went to report this disappearance at the county’s Criminal Police Brigade. By Dec. 9, there was no progress on this case. We urged them again and again, and they simply wouldn’t file a case. It was not until the afternoon of Dec. 10 that someone from Zizhou County Public Security Bureau of Yulin Municipality called me and told me that my father had been arrested by them. So far, we have not received any notice of my father’s arrest.
I graduated from college this year. After graduation, I haven’t gone out to look for jobs and have been taking care of my mother and my brother. My brother got seriously sick this year and the court hasn’t opened session on my mother’s accident that occurred in September. At the time of the accident, my mother was seriously injured. She suffered fractures in five ribs, a shattered clavicle, a concussion, a hemothorax, [a condition where blood accumulates in the chest cavity around the lungs,] and ear problems. Meanwhile, my mother has serious high blood pressure and she will soon go for a disability evaluation. While my mother was hospitalized, it was my father who took care of her. My mother has not yet healed from her injuries and still needs my father to take care of her. However, my father was arrested for no apparent reasons.
My father also has a bad health. He has serious diabetes, and now I really worry about my father’s situation. In this year, our family’s old house was demolished and we are planning to build a new house elsewhere. In the past, all these things were taken care of by my father, and we really can’t be without him. The bank has come up with the huge loan, but who will pay so much interest? Should we really ask the bank to look for my father at Zizhou Public Security Bureau? My father borrowed 400,000 yuan (US$65,870) from China Construction Bank this year. Where does the interest come from? Our family is really worrying about this. I want to look for a job, but the family can’t go without me. I hope I can get the help from the outside world and hope my father will regain his freedom soon. Thank God!
China Aid Contacts