British man says China denied him medical aid

Chinese authorities told a jailed British investigator he had problems with his prostate but withheld diagnosis for months to put pressure on him to confess, he said after his release.

Peter Humphrey said his health was “held hostage” after he and his wife Yu Yingzeng, a naturalised US citizen, were detained in 2013. They had become embroiled in the fallout from a GlaxoSmithKline corruption scandal that their company was originally hired to investigate.

"Prison officers deliberately obstructed my access to appropriate medical attention, for my prostate and other health problems," Mr Humphrey told the Guardian, adding that at times during his imprisonment, he was handcuffed and held in a metal cage.

“Every week in captivity I raised requests for next-step procedures. I was always refused on the grounds that I had not signed an admission of crime.”

He was told he had a prostate problem after a check-up when he was first taken into detention, but only got a diagnosis on April 28th this year, according to a family friend. Yu also needs medical treatment for kidney problems, although it was not clear if she had also been denied access to doctors. – (Guardian service)