Australian Survivor Reveals Harrowing Details of Five-Year Detention in Chinese Prison**

Matthew Radalj, an Australian man who endured five years in a Chinese prison, shares his harrowing experiences of torture, psychological manipulation, and maltreatment, raising awareness of human rights abuses in Chinese detention facilities.**

Australian citizen Matthew Radalj spent an excruciating five years in Beijing's No. 2 detention facility, where he endured extreme conditions characterized by sleep deprivation, unhygienic living quarters, and forced labor. After his release, Radalj is finally giving voice to the inhumane treatment he and his fellow inmates faced, including severe physical punishment and psychological torture.

Radjl's incarceration began on January 2, 2020, after he was wrongfully convicted following a dispute regarding the repair fee of a mobile phone screen, which escalated into a fight with shopkeepers. He was coerced into signing a false confession to robbery, believing it was his only chance for a lighter sentence in a system notorious for nearly 100% conviction rates. The court sentenced him to four years, but the brutality began even earlier, during his initial arrest, where he claims to have been beaten and deprived of basic needs like food and water.

Radalj's account has been corroborated by former inmates, many of whom remain anonymous out of fear for their families still living in China. Inside the prison, conditions continued to deteriorate, with inmates often going without basic sanitation for extended periods and subjected to mental games designed to break their spirit.

He described a "good behavior points system" that was manipulated by guards to maintain control over inmates, often penalizing them for trivial infractions, effectively making it impossible to earn points that could lead to sentence reductions. "Psychological torture" was prevalent, and many confusing rules were established to ensure inmates lived in a constant state of tension.

Prison meals were minimal and lacked nutrition, primarily consisting of cabbage and bland bread, leaving inmates malnourished. Some prisoners attempted to supplement their diet with modest purchases from prison accounts, but Radalj faced restrictions for refusing to work in the prison factory. He described the authorities' manipulation of food and resources, often leading to violent confrontations among inmates over scarce rations.

The most severe punishment was solitary confinement, a place designed to induce madness, where he spent nearly seven months in a tiny, dark cell, battling his own thoughts until he reached emotional breaking points. Despite the oppressive environment, Radalj secretly documented his experience using scraps of Covid masks, smuggling them out as a testament to the reality inside prison walls.

After his release on October 5, 2024, Radalj returned to Australia, where he found solace in reconnecting with loved ones and marrying his long-time girlfriend. While navigating post-prison life, he remains haunted by the memories of his ordeal and is actively advocating for his former inmates, many of whom have lost contact with the outside world.

"I have a responsibility to those still left behind," Radalj stated, emphasizing his commitment to fight for the rights of the imprisoned and to use his freedom to lobby for their better treatment. With newfound appreciation for liberty, he acknowledges both the gratitude for his release and the weight of responsibility for those he left behind in a cycle of suffering and disregard for human rights.