Father still confined in China

Nearly five years ago, junior Richard Hu’s father, Dr. Zhicheng Hu, an American citizen, went on a business trip to China. He has yet to return. Chinese police detained Dr. Hu, an award-winning automotive engineer and holder of 48 patents, because one of his competitor companies accused him of misusing trade secrets and “stealing technology.”

“They [arrested him] with no incriminating evidence whatsoever, with the intent of keeping my dad there until his will broke and he gave them what they wanted: bribe money,” Hu said.

Dr. Hu was held in jail for over a year, living in a cell with about 30 inmates, many on death row. There, he developed a serious back problem. In 2010, the case was withdrawn, but border control forced him to remain in China despite the fact that he was no longer incarcerated. According to the family, when Dr. Hu paid the collateral requested by the government, the court informed him that his competitor had filed a lawsuit accusing him of patent infringement. Investigators then threatened him with multi-million dollar fines if he did not give the plaintiff the rights to one of his U.S. patents.

“We eventually fought and got him out of jail, but he couldn’t leave the country… [and he] still can’t,” Hu said. “I don’t expect it’ll be any time soon.”

The competing company has continued to create new cases and, according to the family, has allegedly bribed court officials as the court continues to stall on these cases. As a result, Hu has not seen his father since the sixth grade. His and his family’s lives have greatly changed since then. Hu and his sister were forced to grow up without a father and his mother devoting much of her time and energy to bringing Dr. Hu home, which has greatly affected her health.

Hu, along with his mother and sister, began a petition and a Facebook page in order to gain support for his father’s return from China, and these efforts have gained “a good bit of publicity,” Hu said.

The campaign was covered in a number of newspapers including the Washington Post.

“All we can do is try to get the matter into public attention and hope that some pressure can force them to let him go,” Richard said.