E. George, A&S '05, is at home today in Hamburg, N.Y. He has a story to tell, but for now, he's not saying much.
In August, George, who had attended Shanghai's East China Normal University during the spring 2004 term, was ready to return to the United States after a summer of traveling. Instead, he found himself in a Chinese prison that would become his home for the next seven months.
The circumstances that led to his imprisonment are laid out in a report by the Shanghai Public Security Bureau that was picked up by the Chinese Internet Information Center. It's a report that George insists is "ridiculously far from the truth."
Shanghai officials say that George entered a coffee shop at about 2 a.m. on Aug. 18 and started shouting at a female bartender to give him another drink. The report said he then kicked her in the waist, causing kidney damage, when she told him the eatery was closing. He then allegedly struck two police officers who had been sent to the scene to arrest him. Neither required medical attention, according to officials.
George was charged with "misconduct and seditious behavior" and sent along to his prison cell. Life in a Chinese detention center, he contends "was horrible and probably worse than most people would imagine." He returned to his home, outside of Buffalo, N.Y., in mid-February. George was not enrolled in a University program at the time of his arrest.
From his home, via e-mail, he disputes the account in the Chinese media. "The Chinese articles are a joke, and were actually simply a copy of what the Chinese police bureau had decided occurred," he writes. "What was written was ridiculously far from the truth."
George, who wasn't interested in discussing the matter at length, declined further comment. An international studies major, he hopes to put the situation behind him and return to campus in the fall to complete his degree.
Complex Legal System
The Chinese legal system can be complex, according to experts, who note that there are frustratingly few ways for friends and family to expedite an individual's release. "Hiring your hometown lawyer probably isn't going to help much," says Joseph Dellapenna, a Chinese law scholar and a professor at Villanova University's School of Law. "In general, the aggressive tactics of American attorneys don't go far in China."
American citizens have the most luck navigating the Chinese legal system when they retain the counsel of a Chinese attorney or contact an American firm with connections in the nation, notes Dellapenna.
Travel Presents Dangers
George is just one of more than 2,500 Americans who are arrested abroad each year, according to the State Department. While drug charges make up half of those arrests, public intoxication and disorderly conduct also cause trouble for citizens traveling in foreign countries.
"Some young Americans go abroad assuming that local authorities will overlook such conduct, believing that they are immune from prosecution in foreign countries because they are American citizens," the State Department wrote in a recent student travel advisory. "The truth is that Americans are expected to obey all of the laws of the countries they visit, and those who break these laws could face severe penalties, including prison sentences."
About 30 percent of BC juniors opt to spend at least one semester abroad. All of them are required to attend a pre-departure orientation that reviews, among other things, the importance of having familiarity with foreign laws.
"We alert them to the fact that they need to be conscious about the laws of the countries they're visiting," says Dean for Student Development Robert Sherwood.
Jan Wolfe contributed to this report. Editor's note: The student's first name is Erik.
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