"You Start to Lose Your Mind": The Australian Who Spent Five Years in a Chinese Jail

Australian citizen Matthew Radalj spent five frightening years in a Chinese prison, much of which was at Beijing's No. 2 Detention Centre—a facility commonly used by foreign inmates. In a rare public statement, Radalj has come forward to describe the harsh reality of his prison life.

Living Conditions and Abuse

Radalj details a grim life: crowded and dirty cells, constant sleep deprivation, lights on 24/7, and obligatory labor. "You begin to lose your mind," he explained to the BBC, detailing the mental effects of his detention. He also mentioned that he suffered and witnessed harsh beatings, food starvation, and other kinds of psychological and physical abuse.

Several other former prisoners who were detained with Radalj have also confirmed some aspects of his testimony, though others declined to be named—some fearing for relatives they had left behind in China, others simply to move on and not look back.

The Chinese government has not yet responded to the BBC's request for reaction to these allegations.

A Violent Start

Radalj's nightmare began on 2 January 2020, when he was arrested following a scuffle with street vendors at Beijing electronics market. The cause of the brawl was allegedly due to the cost of repairing a mobile phone screen.

He claims he was beaten more than two days at a police station and not allowed to sleep, eat, or drink for 48 hours. He reports that he was bullied into signing a set of documents during this time—a confession to robbery being one of them.

Faced with a system of justice whose ratio of convictions was practically impeccable, Radalj says he felt his only prospect of shortening his time behind bars was through the signing of the confession. The strategy worked somewhat, court filings indicate, as he received four years.

Brutal Transition Period

Before being sent to the central prison, Radalj was held for months in a detention center experiencing what he calls a savage "transition phase." Conditions were even worse there, designed to crush prisoners physically and mentally.

Radalj, finally out of China, has made up his mind to speak out to expose the conditions experienced by foreign nationals imprisoned in the country.