Chinese human rights defender Wang Quanzhang says he cut all emotional ties with his family so he could survive in prison
- Lawyer was released earlier this month after spending 4½ years behind bars for refusing to plead guilty to the ‘crime’ of representing people abused by the system
- ‘The only thing I am guilty of is that I did not prioritise my family highly enough … that is my biggest regret,’ he says
Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang said the only way he could survive 4½ years in prison and total isolation from his family was to detach himself from his emotional attachment to them.
Wang was among the last group of lawyers to be released from jail in the “709” crackdown – a purge of human rights defenders and activists by the authorities five years ago, which takes its name from the July 9 date on which the crackdown began.
In a recent interview with the South China Morning Post, Wang recalled how he struggled when he was held incommunicado during his detention.
“I was suddenly isolated from the whole world and I was totally consumed by the pain that I was separated from my wife and son. As it went on, I had no choice but to force myself to give up my emotional reliance on them and become indifferent,” he said.
“Honestly, I would not be able to stand my ground for so long if I had not become indifferent. So this was why I was very aloof to my family when they visited me at the prison.”
