There is concern at reports that Wei Jingsheng, a prisoner of conscience and China’s best-known dissident, who is serving a 14-year prison sentence in Tangshan, Hebei province, was severely beaten by a fellow prisoner earlier this month while prison guards looked on without intervening. The prisoner who hit Wei Jingsheng reportedly received a reduction in his sentence the next day, while Wei Jingsheng was reportedly punished by the prison authorities. There is further concern that his health has deteriorated in prison. He is reported to suffer from heart trouble, back pain and other ailments.
