During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022, the Chinese Communist authorities implemented a “dynamic zero-COVID” policy, imposing strict lockdown measures and restricting people’s freedom of movement, leading to numerous incidents of violent enforcement by officials. It was only recently that a case involving a man from Qinghai who was injured by three police officers during a nucleic acid dispute reached its final resolution.
According to reports from various mainland Chinese media outlets such as Vision News and Dafeng News on February 13, there was a new ruling in the case of “Police and Auxiliary Police assaulting a male in Xining, Qinghai.” The individual involved, Mr. Sun, indicated that the Xining Intermediate People’s Court rejected the appeal of the police officer Zhang involved in the case, upholding the original verdict of the first trial. Previously, Zhang was sentenced to 8 months in prison, while two auxiliary police officers received suspended sentences. In addition, the three defendants were ordered to jointly compensate Mr. Sun for economic losses totaling more than 288,000 yuan.
The incident occurred during the three-year period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the morning of August 29, 2022, Mr. Sun accompanied his mother, who had an injured foot, downstairs for a nucleic acid test. Due to an abnormal QR code scan, community workers reported the situation to the police, resulting in Mr. Sun and his mother being taken to the Pengjiazhai Police Station of the Xining City Public Security Bureau.
When questioned, Mr. Sun’s mother explained the situation, but was rebuked by Officer Zhang. Mr. Sun interjected with “Mom, stop talking,” which angered Officer Zhang.
Subsequently, Officer Zhang and another auxiliary police officer forcibly dragged Mr. Sun to the women’s restroom in the police station and physically assaulted him, while another officer kicked him. The three individuals’ actions left Mr. Sun injured.
Mr. Sun stated that he was punched and kicked in the temple when he was dragged to the restroom, causing him to lose consciousness quickly. When he woke up, he found himself lying on the floor with wet pants, initially thinking it was due to water on the ground, only to realize he had involuntarily urinated. He recalled his mother crying and asking who had hit him, but no one took responsibility. He was then taken to receive medical treatment.
Judicial appraisal revealed that Mr. Sun suffered a fractured right scapula, categorized as a second-degree minor injury, along with head injuries accompanied by neurological symptoms, scalp abrasions, and soft tissue injuries to the face, constituting minor injuries.
On January 14, 2025, the three police officers involved in the case were publicly tried for the first time. On the morning of November 12, 2025, the first trial of the three police and auxiliary officers in the Chengbei District Court of Xining, Qinghai, resulted in convictions for intentional injury. Officer Zhang was sentenced to 8 months in prison, while the two auxiliary officers received 8 months in prison with a one-year suspension.
It was reported that Officer Zhang contested the verdict at the sentencing, claiming uncertainty regarding the time of the injuries and the causal relationship between his actions and Mr. Sun’s injuries. He asserted that he had no intention to cause harm subjectively and argued that Mr. Sun violated epidemic prevention and control regulations and sought to interfere with judicial matters using online public opinion, requesting a retrial or acquittal in the second instance.
On January 12, 2026, the Xining Intermediate People’s Court heard the case and ultimately ruled to reject the appeal and uphold the original verdict.
Mr. Sun remarked that from the assault to the final judgment, the process took three years, involving two courtroom appearances, before finally receiving a verdict.
Following the incident, Mr. Sun initially accepted a private settlement of 100,000 yuan but insisted on holding the assailants accountable. However, the police officers denied the assault and were not penalized, prompting Mr. Sun to file a report.
Chinese netizens have expressed skepticism about the prolonged timeframe and leniency of the judgment, stating, “Such a straightforward case took four years.” Some criticized the light sentences, saying, “Eight months? Were they just stripped of their positions?” One comment remarked on the severity of the assault, “Professional assault judgments are lighter than those of amateur athletes.” Others opined, “This is too lenient; at least a minimum of three years should be imposed for breaking the law.” There were also criticisms of the delayed legal proceedings, with remarks such as, “The case from 2022 wasn’t processed until 2025?”
Regarding the turbulent years of the pandemic, some netizens reflected on the atmosphere, saying, “During those years, many tyrants ran amok.” They added, “During the pandemic, anomalies became the norm,” and “In those years of the outbreak, as long as something was remotely related to the epidemic, those who claimed to have authority seemed to wield a supreme power as if they all possessed an imperial sword, readily slapping you with accusations and tagging you as a hindrance to epidemic control.”
On overseas forums, prior discussions about the incident sparked comments, with one individual reflecting, “Once the ‘dynamic zero-COVID’ ends and individuals within the walls no longer feel the chokehold, they immediately become triumphant and boast to the world, forgetting the days when they were wrongfully confined and verbally abused.” Some expressed disillusionment with the notion of justice, stating, “It’s just going through the motions; there’s no real justice.” Criticism of police governance emerged, with comments like, “The police rule the country, they don’t see the people as human, and they can make someone disappear at any time.” Some speculated on the lack of influence behind the police officer, as evidenced by media reports not affecting the case outcome, “Apparently, the backing of this police officer isn’t strong enough; otherwise, the media wouldn’t dare report, and even if they did, it wouldn’t matter.”