January 07, 2003, Tuesday

By S.C. Chang

[Clearwisdom Editors' Note: This article is posted to show the misuse of mental hospitals in China.]

The world will be watching mainland China's judicial system Jan. 9 when the case of Zhang Gonglai comes before the court of justice in Beijing.

The case has drawn media attention as it is related to the confinement of dissidents such as members of the Falun Gong to mental hospitals around mainland China. [Editor's note: Zhang was not brought to mental hospital for practicing Falun Gong.]

In July 1998, Zhang's superiors at the nursery school at which she was employed decided to have her declared mentally ill after a prolonged dispute regarding mainland China's child birth regulations, leading to her confinement to a mental hospital. In 1981, Zhang obtained her examination certificate as a teacher and was employed at a nursery school in Harbin, northeastern China.

In 1988, at the age of 31, she got married. At that time, strict rules and regulations were in force as to child birth, and she had agreed not to have a child within two years after marriage.

However, because of her age and health condition, she decided to have a baby after her doctor advised her not to wait. After giving birth, she stayed home for seven months, only returning to work in early 1990.

Her superiors then told her that there was no longer a teaching position for her and that the only position was that of a toilet cleaner. Her refusal to take this kind of job led to a sharp conflict with her superiors and finally to their refusal to pay her any salary or compensation for childbirth. Later, she was discharged from work at the nursery school.

Zhang appealed to different authorities against the treatment she had received at the hands of her superiors. At first, she had some success, but by the end of July 1998, her superiors came up with the idea of declaring her mentally ill. This led to her being forcefully brought to a mental hospital in Harbin.

Since that time, she has been confined to the mental hospital and forced to live in horrid conditions, being maltreated by other patients and forcefully given injections of different types of harmful medicine.

During her period of confinement, Zhang said, she has met more than 30 other normal 'patients' who have been forced into the mental hospital.

It has been claimed that Zhang has been continually held at the mental hospital because of her refusal to not unveil the abuses and maltreatment she has witnessed there.

Zhang Gonglai is scheduled to be brought to the 1st criminal law court of District Court Xi Cheng (West City) in Beijing Jan. 9.

The world media will be watching to see if she will be given a fair trial.