Chinese woman detained in unused mortuary for 3 years

A Chinese woman has been detained in an unused mortuary in Heilongjiang province for three years. 

Chen Qingxia was petitioning the government over her husband's treatment in a labor camp, and had already served an 18-month sentence at a re-education camp, according to BBC News. She did not give up her petition, and was confined to the mortuary, where she was reportedly guarded by sanitation workers.

Her husband was sentenced to "re-education through labor" during 2003's SARS epidemic, after he tried to escape from quarantine. 

Upon his release, he had bruises on his body and was experiencing mental health issues, so Chen petitioned authorities in Beijing about how her husband was treated, the Daily Star reported. 

Chen herself is "now confined to a wheelchair and her health has severely deteriorated," the Global Times reported. 

The case has sparked outrage in China. 

Party chief Zhang Yuewen said that the region's local government was responsible for Chen Qingxia's treatment, and that Chen would be compensated in accordance with the law, according to the Global Times. 

A committee has also been formed to review her case, BBC News reported. 

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