Dr Zhang Mingqiang is in cell number 204 of Shanghai’s notorious Qingpu prison – sentenced to six years for spying. He worked for US pharmaceutical giant Amgen in charge of research and development at their Asian operations. Caught in the crossfire between Beijing, the US and the EU, Zhang and his case are not openly discussed.
"His feet were black. Frostbite. He's losing his toes. He was in tears," says Seyed Alireza Motavalian, an Iranian former Qingpu prisoner, of the ordeal suffered by fellow prisoner Zhang – who holds dual Dutch-Chinese citizenship and a PhD in medicinal chemistry with Belgium’s Leuven University.
