According to the complaint filed on Thursday in the Southern District of New York, 32-year-old Chaofeng Ge was found hanging by his neck in a shower stall “with his hands and legs tied behind his back” at the Moshannon Valley Processing Centre (MVPC) in Pennsylvania.
In the filing, his brother, Yanfeng Ge, alleged Chaofeng was isolated because no one at the facility spoke Chinese and staff made no effort to communicate with him.
“Mr Ge was isolated because no one in the facility could speak Chinese. MVPC staff refused even to try to communicate with him, much less offer him the mental healthcare that he so urgently needed,” the complaint said.
It added that Yanfeng Ge submitted a request under the Freedom of Information Act on September 9 for records on his brother’s detention, treatment by MVPC personnel, and the circumstances of his death, but US authorities missed the response deadline. He is now asking the court to order the agencies to release all related records.
