Recently, an investigation by the Xinjing News revealed that multiple mental hospitals in cities such as Xiangyang and Yichang in Hubei province have been found to engage in illegal admissions, fabricating illnesses, obstructing patients from being discharged, and suspected embezzlement of medical insurance funds. Following the exposure of these reports, several petitioners and rights activists have expressed to reporters that these so-called “mental hospitals” have been operating in the area for many years, being used to detain and isolate individuals who express grievances against the government, and such practices have not stopped completely despite this recent revelation.
A petitioner surnamed Li from Wuhan, Hubei, interviewed by Dajiyuan on February 4th, mentioned that due to his house being forcibly demolished, he had gone to Beijing multiple times in the past decade to petition, during which he was often sent to mental hospitals by local authorities on grounds of “mental abnormalities.”
Li said, “Those of us who petition and challenge the government are quickly targeted. Sometimes as soon as we arrive in Beijing, we are intercepted and sent back; sometimes before we can even speak, we are directly sent to mental hospitals.”
He stated that in these mental hospitals, the actual presence of an illness is not significant. “The doctors hardly listen to your explanations, they just tie you up, force-feed you medication three times a day, which you must take. I have no idea what kind of medication I was given, I just feel my limbs go weak, my reactions slow down, and I become disoriented.”
Recalling stories shared by fellow petitioners, Li mentioned several individuals who were detained in mental hospitals for extended periods. “We have someone here named Xu Wu, who was sent to a mental hospital in 2008 and was held for four years. Later he escaped to Guangzhou, was interviewed by a reporter from Southern Metropolis Daily, then got caught and held at a mental hospital in Wugang. There’s also someone named Cheng Xue, she and her husband have also been sent to mental hospitals multiple times.”
Li told reporters that among the petitioners he has been in contact with, such experiences are not uncommon. “Whether it’s disputes over demolition, work-related injuries, land issues, or seeking justice for family members, as long as you are non-compliant and persistent in seeking redress, mental hospitals become the most convenient place for them.” He added that such situations are particularly prominent in Hubei, saying, “If you go online and look at complaints about mental hospitals, Hubei province has more than any other province that I’m aware of.”
Rights activist Lin Jie (pseudonym), from Liaoning, informed reporters that similar situations exist in the region where individuals challenging the government are sent to mental hospitals, with the most notable case being Zhu Guiqin, who has been involved in rights advocacy for over twenty years.
Lin Jie said, “Zhu Guiqin from Fushun has been advocating for rights for over twenty years. In June 2024, she was once again sent to the local Kangning Mental Hospital.” He recounted information obtained from Zhu Guiqin’s friends and family, stating that she had been physically assaulted in the hospital, bound to a bed for extended periods, forced into restraints, and forcibly medicated.
Lin Jie mentioned that he has been unable to contact Zhu Guiqin recently, stating, “I’ve tried reaching her several times recently, but her phone is always off. In that area, anyone who challenges the government could be taken and detained in a mental hospital.”
Hubei legal rights advocate Mr. Zhang, who focuses on issues concerning citizens being labeled as “mentally ill,” expressed to reporters that according to the Mental Health Law self-imposed by the Chinese Communist Party, the police have no authority to forcibly admit a mentally sound individual into a mental hospital without judicial assessment and consent from family members, however, this provision has been neglected in local enforcement for a long time.
Mr. Zhang pointed out that the practice of sending petitioners and rights activists to mental hospitals is a long-established method. “Compared to going through criminal detention or administrative penalties, sending people to mental hospitals is much easier, there’s no need for a public trial, no documentation of the sentence, making it difficult for external accountability.”
He mentioned that there are cases of petitioners being sent to mental hospitals in regions such as Jiangsu, Jiangxi, among others. “In Shenyang, Fushun, Shaoyang, there are instances, such as Li Xueyi from Jiangxi and ‘Ink-Splashing Girl’ Dong Yaoqiong from Hunan, who were both detained as mentally ill at the No. 3 Hospital in Zhuzhou. This kind of situation is not uncommon.”
According to estimates quoted by official Chinese departments and state media in recent years, there are approximately 100 to 200 million individuals in the mainland with various degrees of mental disorders, including over 16 million suffering from severe mental illnesses. Many interviewees emphasized that the label of being “mentally ill” does not fall within the scope of normal medical treatment, but rather denotes the forcible admission of individuals who have not been diagnosed with mental illness into mental hospitals without proper medical assessment and judicial procedures.
Data compiled by the international human rights organization Safeguard Defenders shows that between 2015 and 2021, there were at least 99 cases involving dissidents and a total of 144 instances of individuals being subjected to forced psychiatric treatment in China. The organization highlighted challenges in obtaining information due to information censorship and difficulties in collecting evidence, suggesting that publicly disclosed cases likely represent only a fraction of the reality.