Page 108 - Feasibility Study of New Media Technology on Constructing Online Public Sphere

Feasibility Study of New Media Technology
on Constructing Online Public Sphere

However, in the questioning record, it clearly stated ‘valid identification certificate: ID

number: 4221*******9523’. Also, in the ‘Sanwu’ Person Registry of Guangzhou Cus-
tody & Repatriation Transit Point, the place where Sun was later transferred from the
police substation to, it stated ‘registered work unit: Guangzhou Daqi Garment Compa-
ny’ (Yuan, 2003).
One hour later, at around 11 p.m., Sun’s roommate (also a classmate) took a phone

call from Sun, saying that he had been detained at Huangcun police substation for not
having a temporary residence certificate. Sun asked the roommate to bail him with
Sun’s personal ID and cash. Sun’s roommate arrived at the substation with Sun’s valid

identification card, residential evidence and employment certificate, but the two staffs
on duty refused to release him, claiming ‘Sun is a person in trouble’ without providing
any further explanation (Yuan, 2003).
On the next day, 18 March, Sun was transferred from the police substation to
Guangzhou C&R Transit Point. Another friend of Sun’s took a phone call from him and

was told that Sun’s employer was required to come and bail Sun from the transit point.
When the employer came with all of the certificates, the staff there told him that as the
transit point would be closed shortly and that he had to come back tomorrow. Howev-

er, on the night of 18 March, Sun was transferred to Guangzhou C&R Centre (Yuan,
2003).
On 20 March, Sun was bullied and beaten by eight inmates in the same ward and
by two nursing workers. He was found dead the next morning and the death certificate
provided by Guangzhou C&R Centre showed that the cause of his death was ‘sudden

attack of heart disease’. However, on 18 April, an autopsy report provided by the fo-
rensic science centre at the Medical School of Sun Yat-sen University showed that Sun
had been beaten and abused in the 72 hours before his death. The main reason of Sun’s

death was injuries and internal bleeding caused by blunt trauma. The doctor on duty at
the C&R Centre on 18 March claimed that Sun said he had a heart disease history, so
they deduced that he was dead because of a heart attack. However, this statement was
challenged by Sun’s family, and Sun’s father indicated that his son never had heart dis-
ease (Yuan, 2003).

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