In Shaanxi, the hometown of the Chinese Communist Party leader, judicial corruption is rampant, with a mountain of wrongful cases piling up and no one willing to address them. Many petitioners have been imprisoned, persecuted, and even killed for exposing judicial scandals. According to multiple petitioners in the area, the local government in Shaanxi recently issued orders to post offices across the province to strictly scrutinize whistleblowing letters sent to Beijing. Any letters with officials’ names on them are being rejected.
Since May this year, post offices in Xi’an, Xianyang, Lantian County, Baoji, Ankang, Shangluo, Tongchuan, and other areas in Shaanxi have begun closely inspecting petitioners’ mail. Inspections include prohibiting the writing of officials’ names and case titles on the envelope. Post office staff will even open letters for inspection; otherwise, they will not be processed.
One petitioner in Shaanxi, Li Qihong, revealed to Da Ji Yuan that when he went to the Zhonglou post office in Xi’an to send a letter, he learned about the above-mentioned measures. “For example, I accused former Lantian County Public Security Bureau Chief Wei Suikang, the county party secretary, and others of involvement in illegal activities and interference in judicial matters. Letters from the Lantian County Prosecutors Office, the police bureau, reply letters, or people’s names are not allowed to be written.”
“I suspect these officials have made arrangements with the post office to interfere with the accusations,” Li Qihong said.
Li Qihong, a native of Lantian County in Shaanxi, along with his mother and sister, has been suppressed and persecuted by the local government for 29 years while seeking justice for his father who perished in a mining accident. His mother passed away on the road to seeking justice, and his sister was kidnapped and beaten, leading to mental illness. “I accuse them, and they are afraid.”
Another petitioner in Shaanxi, Wang Xiaoqin, stated that post offices in Xianyang and Xi’an have begun to restrict the delivery of petitioners’ mail.
On May 15, when she went to the post office in Xianyang to send a letter, the staff did not allow her to write on it. “The staff said, leaders come to inspect frequently, and each letter is carefully checked. If you insist on writing, we cannot mail it for you,” Wang Xiaoqin said.
Wang Xiaoqin’s brother, Wang Xiaogang, was bitten by a colleague’s unleashed dog in 2007, which led to a mental breakdown. In September 2022, Wang Xiaogang was sentenced to 10 years for acting in self-defense. While detained in the Weicheng District Detention Center, he suffered inhumane treatment causing gastrointestinal bleeding, delayed treatment, and passed away on July 23, 2024.
“Shaanxi is a lawless land, and the government is definitely trying to block and control the situation, fearing that people will report these injustices to the central inspection team,” Wang Xiaoqin said.
What further angers Wang Xiaoqin is that post office staff not only inspect the contents of the letters but also personally seal the letters in envelopes. “They have to inspect it in front of you, see what you put in, then seal it themselves. If you seal it yourself, they won’t mail it. Shaanxi Province is getting worse and worse.”