【新唐人2015年02月09日訊】連日來，大陸各地監獄亂象連續遭到媒體曝光，其中黑幕令人震驚，諸多醜聞、怪聞讓輿論嘩然。近日，大陸媒體再度披露，江西贛州一個監獄中，6年內有8名囚犯死亡，引發社會關注。為此，來自全國多個地區的十多名律師日前聚集江西，針對大陸頻發的監獄、看守所等羈押場所中，犯人非正常死亡等現象進行研討，但卻遭到地方當局百般阻撓。
2月7號，來自江蘇、山東、湖南、北京、廣州及江西等地的十多名律師和受害者家屬，在江西南昌一家酒店召開了主題為「透視高牆」——監獄看守所非正常死亡關注研討會，沒想到，會議險些因地方當局的破壞而無法召開。
山東律師張維玉：「6號就有一些開會人員就已經到了現場，到了賓館之後，就遇到了警察來查身份證。第二天早上突然接到（酒店）通知，說是會議室已經停電了，沒有電，線路故障。然後我們要了會議室的鑰匙去開門的時候，這個鎖扣，就被用火柴棍給堵上了。」
據參加會議的山東濟南律師張維玉說，除了阻止律師進入會場之外，就連應邀參加會議的受害者家屬，也因地方當局的百般阻撓而無法趕往會場。
張維玉：「在開會之前，我們就得到了信息，沒有到現場的五、六位家屬，他們家裏都來了監控人員，就住在他們的房間，盯著他們，不讓他們出門了。就來了兩個當事人的家屬，他們所在地的可能是鎮政府的，反正是官方的，非要勸他們回去，還不讓我們跟他們接見，就拽著他們走。」
地方當局為甚麼如此「害怕」研討會召開？律師指出，會議的主題過於「敏感」，觸及到了當局神經。據了解，這次會議除了針對全國各地「高牆」內被關押人員人身權利受到侵犯，甚至非正常死亡的現象進行探討外，同時啟動「透視高牆計劃」，成立律師觀察組，希望藉此幫助受害人家屬並引起當局關注。
張維玉：「我們在刑事案件辦理當中，遇到的大量的、比較普遍的情況是，全國各地的看守所裡，人身權利受到侵犯、受到虐待、受到酷刑的情況比較普遍。所以我們希望通過律師的參與能夠幫助家屬找到真相。」
今年1月30號，大陸媒體一則「江西贛州一監獄6年8名囚犯死亡，獄方拒公開完整監控」的新聞，引發了社會關注。報導稱，2008年到2014年，贛州市監獄8名服刑人員死亡，僅2014年下半年就死亡3人。8人中，5人為「突發疾病死亡」，1人被「其他服刑人員殺害」，1人「墜樓身亡」，另有1人死因不明。
在這次研討會上，律師們也邀請了贛州市監獄的幾名受害者家屬前往參加。
張維玉：「我們律師也關注這樣一個事情，就覺得這件事情，本來通過一個非常簡單的公布現場視頻的情況下，就可以明明白白的說明問題，但是監獄方面就是拒絕給家屬提供，就說甚麼『恢復不了』這樣一些理由去搪塞，這樣的情況的話，就讓我們覺得非常不可理解，更讓我們懷疑他的死亡應該是另有原因的。」
近年來，大陸各地勞教所、監獄、看守所等羈押場所，犯人非正常死亡現象日益嚴重，而監獄方面為了推卸責任，通常會編出各種犯人死亡的理由推卸責任，包括「躲貓貓死」、「上吊死」、「睡覺死」、「喝水死」、「自然死」、「摔跤死」等多種離奇死法。但這些所謂死因，到了監獄犯人和知情人口中，就變成了「酷刑死」、「過勞死」、「毆打死」甚至「活摘死」等。
張維玉：「它不會說是非正常死亡的，它說是『突發疾病』啊、還有今天剛剛還有一個電話，說是有『自殺』的，說他自殺甚麼之類的這樣的情況。我們受理的案件裡邊，還沒有監獄主動說它們會承擔這個責任，沒有這種情況。」
面對輿論不斷譴責，當局曾在2010年對全國下達整治「嚴令」，聲稱監所出現非正常死亡，將嚴懲主管領導。但幾年過去，非正常死亡事件不但沒有減少，反而更加普遍，甚至連一個關注非正常死亡現象的研討會，都無法順利進行。
採訪寫稿/張天宇
Eight Deaths in Jiangxi Prisons in Six Years.
Shocking and terrible secrets from within the Mainland
prisons have been exposed recently.
Notably, eight prisoners died over the past six years
in a prison in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province.
A number of lawyers and families of the victims met in
Jiangxi to discuss the unnatural deaths of the prisoners.
But, there was interference from the local authorities.
On Feb. 7, the participants from Jiangsu, Shandong, Hunan,
Beijing, Guangzhou and Jiangxi gathered in a hotel in
Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. The theme was ‘Seeing through
the wall’.
It was to examine the unnatural deaths in prisons
and detention centers.
The meeting was almost canceled due to interference
from the authorities.
Shandong lawyer Zhang Weiyu, “There were people arriving
at the hotel on Feb. 6. The police attended to check their ID.
The next day we were told the power was off and
there was a short circuit in the conference room.
We got the key to the conference room, and found the
conference room lock was plugged with a matchstick."
Lawyer Zhang Weiyu said that as well as stopping lawyers
from entering the venue, the participating families of the
victims were also blocked from joining the meeting by
the local authorities.
Zhang Weiyu: “We were told before the meeting that at
least five or six of the invited participants were monitored
by agents who directly live in their houses. They were
prevented from going out.
Only two of them made it to the meeting.
But their local agents insisted that they should go home
and would not let us meet them. They were dragged away."
Why are the local authorities afraid of the meeting? Lawyers
felt that the topic is too sensitive for them.
It is said that the agenda of the meeting included
topics of violation of inmate’s personal rights,
the unnatural death of inmates, and establishing
a lawyer’s observation scheme.
Lawyers hope to support the families of victims
and raise concerns with the authorities.
Zhang Weiyu: “There has been the phenomenon of a
relatively large number of detainees having their personal
rights violated and experiencing torture while in detention
centers throughout China.
We hope the lawyers’ assistance will help the victims’
families to find out the truth."
A news report on eight prisoners who died over 6 years in a
jail in Jiangxi revealed how prison authorities have refused
to disclose the facts or implement a prison monitoring system.
A Jan. 30 report said from 2008 to 2014, eight prisoners died.
Three of the deaths occurred in the second half of 2014.
Five of them apparently died of sudden illnesses;
One was killed by other inmates; one died falling off
the building; and, one died of unknown causes.
Several of these victims’ family members were also invited
to join the meeting.
Zhang Weiyu, “It is our concern. As lawyers, we feel it was
a fairly simple thing to find out the truth.
The video recordings could have explained it clearly.
But the prison refused to provide the information.
They claimed the videos couldn’t be recovered.
We can’t comprehend this type of excuse.
We can only believe that there were other reasons
for the deaths."
In recent years, prisoners dying of unnatural causes in labor
camps, prisons and detention centers has become a
surprisingly severe phenomenon in China.
To shirk the responsibilities, prisons often made out bizarre
excuses.
These range from death caused by “hide and seek",
“hanging", “drinking water", “nature causes", and “falling".
To prisoners and insiders, the causes become “torture",
“exhaustion", “beatings" and even “live organ harvesting".
Zhang Weiyu, “They won’t admit the unnatural causes.
They would say it’s a sudden death caused by illnesses.
I have just received one call saying that it’s ‘suicide’.
In all the cases we’ve handled so far, no prison has ever
voluntarily assumed responsibility. None of them!"
After public condemnation, authorities issued a law in 2010
to punish prison leaders when unnatural deaths occur.
A few years have passed but unnatural deaths have not
lessened but actually have become more wide spread.
Even a simple conference focusing on the unnatural deaths
is faced with the authorities causing a lot of difficulties.
Interview & Edit/Zhang Tianyu
