Beijing (AsiaNews / ANS) - Once he was a presiding court judge in a Chinese city on the east coast. Then he was imprisoned for 11 years in a forced labor camp because of his belonging to the underground Church. This is the story of brother Li JF, an underground Chinese Catholic Church, who has just been released from prison, as told by Bob Fu, founder and president of ChinaAid. "Li was imprisoned not for corruption or criminal activity, but because he gave free legal advice to the weakest and most vulnerable in society," says Fu.
"Li could easily have gained a fortune if he chose to continue his comfortable legal career - he adds - he could have avoided arrest, beatings, and torture by staying silent in the face of injustice. But he chose a different way because his ears heard the Voice behind him: 'This is the way; walk in it.'" (Isaiah 30:21.)"
In a letter to Fu following his release in April, Li wrote: "I lost everything, but I gained faith in God". " In the letter he described how his health was destroyed during his incarceration, his wife divorced him following government threats, and his daughter disappeared. Li's younger brother fled to Thailand in 2010 because of government threats, after two years i n jail. While Li was imprisoned, government authorities s old his house. "Brother Li still claims he gained from his imprisonment because he did not lose his faith in God," Fu says.
In the labor camp, Li worked 14 hours a day and spent three hours each day in "re-education" classes, which amounted to brainwashing sessions.