Alarm Raised Over Jailed Mainland Lawyer's Health

The wife of jailed mainland human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang who has met him for the first time in nearly four years, says she is worried about his health and mental state.

Li Wenzu, who was allowed to visit her husband on Friday at a prison in Shandong province, said Wang looks thin and old, and sounds very anxious. He was like a man with a completely different temperament, she said.

Back in 2015, some 200 lawyers and activists were arrested across the country in the so-called 709 crackdown. Wang was the last of the group to be put on trial, and he was jailed for four-and-a-half years in January for subversion.

After the visit, Li said her husband seemed distracted and didn't appear to fully appreciate what she had to say. She said she didn't expect the 30-minute meeting to go this way.

Wang also asked her not to visit him again in the next two months, citing concerns about her and their son's safety.

Li said she is now increasingly worried about his mental condition and is concerned that even after he is released, he won't be able to communicate with others.

Li said Wang also told her not to be "too rude" to mainland authorities, saying he's been treated well behind bars.

She added that her husband spoke to their six-year-old son, telling him to be good. The son offered encouragement to his dad.

Wang's sister joined the visit at the prison in Linyi.

Earlier on Friday, a Japanese journalist trying to film Li and her family arriving at the jail was pushed to the ground by several men.

Other reporters were also sent away from the prison area, where many vehicles carrying plainclothes police officers and state security agents were parked.