The Guardian
July 27, 2006

Authorities have told the family of paralyzed activist Fu Xiancai not to appeal the decision or file a new complaint.

Beijing: Chinese investigators have concluded that an activist who said he was paralyzed after assailants broke his neck inflicted the injury on himself, his son said Thursday. “We cannot accept this decision,” said Fu Bing, whose father, Fu Xiancai, criticized the government’s treatment of people who were forced to relocate as a result of the Three Gorges dam project. Fu Xiancai was injured three weeks after German public television broadcast an interview in which he said he had been threatened and beaten for complaining about inadequate compensation for relocated residents. He says that on June 8, he was called into the Zigui County Public Security Bureau in Hubei province and criticized for his television appearance. He was attacked after leaving the police station, he said. On Wednesday, the head of the security bureau’s forensics department and another county official told Fu Bing that experts concluded the injuries were self-inflicted, Fu Bing said. Investigators refused to release other details, but said they found no other footprints at the scene, indicating his father had been alone, Fu Bing said. A man who answered the phone at the security bureau Thursday said he was “unclear” about the case and refused to give his name. Authorities told the Fu family not to appeal the decision or file a new complaint, Fu Bing said. “My father was beaten with a wooden stick, first on his thighs, then repeatedly on his neck. He was beaten until he fell to the ground and lost consciousness. His body went numb,” Fu said. “He is very upset about the results of this investigation,” he said. “He will definitely appeal.” Fu Xiancai underwent an operation last month that may enable him to use a wheelchair, but doctors have said he will not walk again. The New York-based group Human Rights in China said it was “strongly concerned” about the Chinese investigation.