Amazon’s Whistleblower sentenced to two years

For 13 years, Tang Mingfang was a material control engineer at the Foxconn factory, which produces Kindle and Echo products in Hengyang, China. In the belief in social justice, Mingfang reported cases of forced labor, use of underage labor, and extreme disrespect for labor rights and welfare in the Foxconn factory in July 2019. His investigation was later reported by the Guardian and the Voice of America news. Foxconn also made a public statement to confirm its illegal use of labor and commitment to improvement.

However, one month after his report, Mingfang was arrested by the police in China and was immediately sentenced to two-year imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 RMB for “infringements upon trade secrets.” This sentence was established without respecting Mingfang’s civil rights. He suffered from tremendous mental and physical torture in prison. Mingfang’s father, whose illness worsened after Mingfang’s sentence, passed away during Mingfang’s imprisonment, and Mingfang was not granted a chance to see his father. The U.S. commissioners released a letter to Amazon asking the company to support Tang Mingfang's court appeal for exoneration and compensation (https://www.cecc.gov/media-center/press-releases/commissioners-ask-amazon-to-advocate-for-labor-rights-activist).

Mingfang faces many challenges in his labor rights activism in China. He cannot get employed and has one 9-year- old son to look after. His wife is afraid of the consequences of his sentence and fear for their future and is considering a divorce.

Mingfang decided to sue Foxconn and suppliers of Amazon in the United States and China regarding the infringement of his civil rights and illegal use of labor after his release. However, Mingfang could not afford to pay the fees himself, and he realized that he needed support from the community that support human and labor rights activism.

We believe that people like Mingfang, who fight for a brighter future, should be honored. Please join us in supporting his lawsuit against the companies. The funds raised here will help him cover various costs associated with his lawsuit.

For more information, please follow the link below to the news articles about Mingfang.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/aug/08/schoolchildren-in-china-work-overnight-to-produce-amazon-alexa-devices

https://www.voanews.com/a/silicon-valley-technology_amazon-pledges-probe-claims-worker-abuse-china-factory/6173577.html

Thank you.