Family Members Speak: The Toll of Political Imprisonment

In his final public statement, Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo wrote to his wife: “I am serving my sentence in a tangible prison, while you wait in the intangible prison of the heart.” His words capture the often-overlooked suffering of families who grapple with emotional anguish, mounting legal fees, and fears for their loved ones’ health and safety. Many find themselves thrust into the unfamiliar role of advocate, fighting for due process, visitation rights, and even basic information about those held incommunicado.

Solidarity with political prisoners must also extend to the families who endure these hardships. Below, they share their experiences in their own words.

Talia Khattak, daughter of political prisoner Idris Khattak

Every morning I wake up and try to carry on with my life, and every night the constant worry returns, and my heart drops: my father was convicted in a fake trial, he is getting old and sick, and he is not receiving his medicine. I lie awake wondering if he is in pain, if he knows how hard we are fighting for him. I should be caring for him now, yet I can’t hear his voice telling me it’s going to be okay. 

When he should be spoiling his grandchildren, he is in a prison cell. He raised my sister and me on his own, and now, when he needs us the most, we cannot be there for him. I miss his stories, his jokes, the sound of him singing. He is alive, yet so out of reach. Every day without him is a day we will never get back. I pray he comes back home to us soon.

Enita Meyeh Yambong Tsi, wife of political prisoner Tsi Conrad

My husband, Tsi Conrad’s imprisonment has shattered the heart of our family. He was not jailed for a crime, but for his conscience and his work as a journalist.

Since his detention in Kondengui Central Prison, my children and I have been forced to leave our once-happy home in Bamenda and displaced to Yaoundé, just to remain close to him. My children have lost their home, their school, and their childhood. I have become both mother and father, carrying the trauma of separation, the constant fear for my husband’s life, and the unbearable cost of keeping him alive in prison.

Every night, I face his empty side of the bed. Every morning, my children ask the same heartbreaking question, “Is Daddy coming home?” I struggle to hold our family together while watching their childhood slip away. His prison walls may hold him, but his imprisonment has imprisoned us all.

Gao Pu, son of political prisoners Pastor Gao Quanfu and Pang Yu

My parents’ detention has changed everything for me and my family.

As their son, I have had to endure the pain of being separated from the two people who raised me, taught me about faith, and showed me what it means to live with integrity. I wake up each day wondering about their safety, health, and whether they are going to spend the rest of their days in prison.

Some of my family members have experienced harassment and intimidation. There has been tremendous fear, emotional strain, uncertainty, and helplessness. Milestones and holidays gatherings have been on pause because they have become reminders of our separation.

In the past 17 months, I have experienced the absolute darkest moments of my life. Yet with the unbearable despair, this time has also strengthened my resolve and faith with clarity. For the first time, I understood what “I will go to the ends of the earth for you” meant.

I am proud to be my parents’ son and I am becoming the son they raised me to be. One day soon, they will see that.