The father who continues to fight for his daughter’s rights
Guo Li paused when I asked about his New Year’s resolution.
Then, when I repeated the question, he replied: “I hope I can be reunited with my daughter and that the people who violated my freedom will be punished.”
A decade ago, the father from Beijing fought for the rights of his daughter, then age 2, after she was poisoned when she drank Scient milk formula.
The formula, made by Guangdong Yashili Group, had been contaminated with melamine. As a result, the girl developed kidney stones and her physical development was affected.
At least six children died and 300,000 were poisoned during the 2008 scandal.
Guo asked the China National Food and Safety Supervision and Inspection Center to analyze the contents of the Scient bottle after reading a government warning that several domestic brands of baby formula and milk powder had been contaminated with the toxic chemical, which was used to boost protein readings in quality tests.
The center discovered that the formula contained 132.9 micrograms of melamine per kilogram — 132 times higher than the permitted standard.
During compensation negotiations with representatives of Yashili, Guo was falsely accused of attempting to blackmail the company. The allegations were untrue, but he was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison in 2010.
He never admitted guilt, and in April 7 last year, the Guangdong Provincial High People’s Court quashed his conviction on the grounds of insufficient evidence. However he had already served his sentence and been released from prison.
“I couldn’t bear to compromise as a father 10 years ago, and I will continue to fight for my child,” he said, when he spoke with China Daily last week.
He claims that in addition to compensation of 400,000 yuan ($58,000) Yashili paid him in 2008, the company also agreed to provide an additional 3 million yuan in 2009, but failed to do so.
Guo’s fight not only involves securing the second round of compensation, “but also resolving food safety problems and identifying the people who slandered me and cheated consumers”.
His fight means he has not seen his daughter since late 2016. He spent most of last year pursuing his appeal, making large posters that explained his story and speaking to people in Chaozhou, Guangdong province, where Yashili is based.
The 49-year-old, who divorced while he was in prison, is unemployed and lives on 1,000 yuan a month, provided by the Beijing government.
He lives with his parents and looks after them in their home in the capital.
In prison, he often painted when he was missing his daughter and feeling hopeless, but since his release, he has not had time for art.
“Finding and punishing the perpetrators is more important, because justice will be the best gift for my girl,” he said.