Inside Christmas Card, Girl Finds Plea From Chinese Prison Laborers

Mr. Humphrey, the journalist and former inmate, told the BBC he believed the note was “written as a collective message” from the prisoners. He said he believed he knew who wrote the note but would not reveal the person’s identity.

He said there were about 250 foreigners kept in Qingpu “living a very bleak daily life.” The cells held 12 prisoners apiece, with rusty iron bunk beds and mattresses about a centimeter thick, he said.

When he was there, manual labor work was voluntary, with inmates earning pennies they could spend on soap, toothpaste and cookies, he said.

“What has happened in the last year or so is work has become compulsory,” he said.

Mr. Widdicombe said he felt he had a responsibility to pass along the note to Mr. Humphrey.

“The first thought was it must be some sort of prank, but on reflection we realized it was actually potentially quite a serious thing,” Mr. Widdicombe told the BBC.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/23/world/asia/tesco-china-prison-labor.html?emc=rss&partner=rss