China: Amazon's Whistleblower demands apology after being jailed and tortured

A Chinese whistleblower who uncovered illegal working conditions in a plant that produces Amazon's Alexa gadgets claims he was tortured by Beijing's authorities before being imprisoned. Tang Mingfang, 43, was sentenced to prison after revealing how a Foxconn plant in Hengyang, China, recruited school-children to work excessively for long hours to produce Amazon's popular Echo, Echo Dot, and Kindle gadgets.

He is now appealing to the higher courts to clear his name after serving two years in prison. Despite the risks of retaliation, he has made the difficult decision to speak publicly because he believes Amazon and its founder, Jeff Bezos, have a responsibility to support his appeal, Observer media agency reported. He recalled being assaulted by his interrogators and shackled in stressful positions until he couldn't take it any more, at which point he signed a confession to the crime of stealing trade secrets.

"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. I think Amazon should give me an explanation, tell me if I really deserve to be sent to jail? If not, Amazon should give me an apology, along with its partner, Foxconn, to assist me to appeal for a redress, and provide compensation," he told Observer.

In 2018, an investigation by the Observer and the US-based China Labor Watch exposed illegal labour practices at the facility for the first time. A year later, a second inquiry discovered that Foxconn had attempted to overcome its subsequent recruitment challenges by enlisting the help of schoolchildren for unlawful overtime work. The second investigation was based on internal Foxconn documents passed on by Tang.

We do not tolerate violations of our supply chain standards: Amazon

Amazon deployed its own investigators into the factory to look into the labour code violations, and Foxconn was fined more than £165,000 for underpaying workers in Hengyang who made Echo and Echo Dot gadgets. Meanwhile, Foxconn enlisted the help of Chinese authorities to look into the leak. Tang was accused, convicted, and sentenced to two years in prison. He said he thought Amazon did the right thing in addressing the illegal working practices, but that it should have interfered on his behalf in accordance with US legislation that protects whistleblowers and guarantees their right to free expression.

Amazon spokesperson told Observer, “We do not tolerate violations of our supply chain standards. 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.”

Tang worked for Foxconn, where he was in charge of supply chain management and had access to the factory's computer system. He said he came across evidence that showed Foxconn was cutting expenses by hiring temporary labour and schoolchildren. He said that workers often surpassed the monthly overtime restriction of 36 hours, with some on the assembly lines clocking in at more than 100 hours during peak periods.

(With inputs from agencies)

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