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Peter Simpson

A family from Hebei  who claim their elderly father was murdered by thugs hired by corrupt officials are preserving his battered body in a large chest freezer kept in their living room.
 Defying medical and police orders to bury their father, the grieving Guo family sneaked the body of 70-year-old Guo Chengzhi - the former chief of Hedong village - out of hospital and set up their makeshift forensic laboratory 15 months ago.
 His children and wife said their temporary mortuary contains vital human evidence for a  murder trial.
 Village chief Bai Hulin has been arrested and went on trial last week in Handan's  Congtai district.
 'After more than a year, we finally got the district court officials to inspect our father's body and they agreed he had been beaten to death. They then made arrests,' said Guo's eldest son, Guo Jumin, 49.
 Bai's case has been adjourned because it has been deemed by the judge to be too sensitive to be concluded during the annual meetings of the National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in nearby Beijing. 
The mainland media has been banned from reporting details of the case.
 'The world must know how we have had to fight for justice in this way,' said Guo Chengzhi's daughter, Guo Meiying ,  as she consoled her sobbing sister-in-law when family members and local villagers gathered to tell of their desperate and macabre quest for justice.
Guo Chengzhi, a long-time Communist Party member, was the village leader for 12 years until 1991. He then became a highly respected local people's congress member, a role he remained active in until his death, family and friends said.
In 2002, he led a protest against Bai's sale of farm and industrial land to a property developer to build upmarket apartments.
Guo Chengzhi, an  accountant, accused Bai of making 200 million yuan from the sale and fobbing off the villagers with low compensation offers.
Guo Chengzhi and three villagers took their case to Beijing in November 2008, to complain to the country's leaders. 
But they were intercepted in the capital by local officials and held in a room. Hours later, villagers say, a gang arrived and, following orders given by the officials, bundled them into separate cars for the five-hour drive back home. 'We saw Bai in a car as we were manhandled into the vehicles,' villager Li Suying   said.
Two hours from their home, Guo Chengzhi and Li were beaten up and warned to 'drop their complaints or face death' before being dumped at different spots on the side of the motorway, Li said. 
A passing motorist came to Guo Chengzhi's aid and he was taken to hospital. But he died from his horrific beating several days later, his family said. 
'The hospital refused to do a proper postmortem examination on our father, and just said he had a broken neck,' Guo Jumin said. 'The police ordered us to bury him but we brought him home when they went for their dinner. We know they and the doctors were lent on to cover up his death as Bai had strong guanxi [connections]. Dad was beaten very badly and was murdered by those he tried to stop exploiting the villagers.' 
Guo Chengzhi's wife, Zhang Xiuqin ,  71, remains in shock.
'Mum has become very sick and has not been the same since our father was killed,' Guo Jumin said. 'She cries every day and never wants to leave the house because she wants to be near dad. But she wants to get justice.' 
Bai admitted to the court that he paid a gang 25,000 yuan (HK$28,300) to intercept Guo Chengzhi in Beijing but denies murder. He has been stripped of his post and is in police custody. The trial is expected to resume after the NPC meeting ends later this month.



Family keeps father's body in freezer to preserve evidence of murder