by Ailan Evans
A Chinese man alleging that he was imprisoned and tortured after he revealed substandard working conditions in factories making Amazon products is asking the company for an apology.
Tang Mingfang spent two years in prison after he shed a light on working conditions inside Foxconn factories manufacturing Amazon Echo, Echo Dot and Kindle devices, he told The Guardian. Tang said he was beaten and tortured by Chinese authorities during his internment.
“I think Amazon should give me an explanation, tell me if I really deserve to be sent to jail?” Tang said. “If not, Amazon should give me an apology, along with its partner, Foxconn, to assist me to appeal for a redress, and provide compensation.”
Tang’s revelations included allegations that schoolchildren were forced to work long hours in the Foxconn factory and that workers were forced to work past the allotted 36 hours of overtime each month, with some units exceeding 100 hours a month, according to The Guardian.
Amazon investigated the factory following Tang’s decision to speak up, and Foxconn was fined for the labor violations, The Guardian reported. However, Tang told The Guardian he believes the company should have done more to protect him from reprisals.
Chinese authorities reportedly tortured Tang by handcuffing him in stress positions and slapping him, and he said that he was forced to sign a confession.
“I refused to sign seven times, and they got angry and handcuffed me to the bottom of the iron frame, unable to stand, squat, sit; only bending, half squatting all night. In the early morning, I could not stand any more,” he told The Guardian.
Amazon did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
“We do not tolerate violations of our supply chain standards,” an Amazon spokesperson told The Guardian. “We regularly assess suppliers, using independent auditors as appropriate, to monitor continued compliance and improvement – if we find violations, we take appropriate steps, including requesting immediate corrective action.”
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Ailan Evans is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Amazon” by vohoaiduy.
