During the recent fifth plenum of the Chinese Communist Party, a Shanghai petitioners’ representative, Yang Xiuting, faced violent obstruction while attempting to go out in her community. Surveillance personnel employed by the government, often referred to as “black security” for their lack of official status, physically assaulted her, resulting in two fractured ribs and various troubling symptoms, including dizziness and vomiting. The authorities have continued to monitor Yang, effectively preventing her from seeking necessary medical attention.
Yang recounted her experience to a reporter, stating that on the evening of October 20, while she was out, she was forcibly pushed to the ground by these government-sanctioned security personnel, hitting her head on the pavement. Feeling unwell, she attempted to call the police. “During my first call, the police arrived on the scene and requested to verify my identity. The black security guards were cursing at me in front of the officers. I insisted that they document the incident accurately, but the responding officer said the matter fell under the jurisdiction of the local police station and left without garnering any information about those who attacked me. When I called the police again, they refused to respond.”
On the morning of October 21, suffering from unbearable pain along with dizziness and vomiting, Yang called an ambulance to take her to the hospital. Upon arrival, her blood pressure was alarmingly high at 230mmHg/130mmHg. The doctor performed a bloodletting procedure and administered IV medication to lower her blood pressure. However, critical information regarding her treatment was missing from her medical records, including notes about the administration of the IV medication while in the ambulance.
Yang expressed her concerns, saying, “I was unable to move due to the severe pain in my head and back, and I was vomiting repeatedly. The neurosurgeon who examined me after the CT scan said everything looked fine and did not address my symptoms of vomiting, headaches, or dizziness. They did not prescribe any medication, nor were those symptoms documented in my medical records. This represents a significant oversight in my treatment.”
After returning home, Yang found that her symptoms of pain and vomiting worsened. On the afternoon of October 23, she again called for an ambulance to go to the hospital. “I asked the doctor why I kept vomiting, and he replied that the scans looked okay, with no bleeding or fluid buildup, and that the vomiting would gradually improve.” Yang suspects she may have suffered a concussion, but the doctor remarked, “A concussion happens from a sudden impact, but you weren’t struck by a vehicle.”
Almost a month after the incident, Yang indicated that her health has not yet recovered. Due to ongoing surveillance by the black security, she has been unable to leave her home for follow-up medical appointments, resorting to applying ointments to manage her discomfort.
Yang is a resident affected by forced relocation; her private residence was illegally demolished in 2013. Since then, she has spent 13 years seeking justice through the proper petitioning channels but has faced illegal detention, harassment, and confinement. “In 2018, I was held in a black jail for 15 days, where I was poisoned through food, resulting in the loss of 15 teeth. In 2019, I lost six more teeth after being beaten in the same facility. On May 12, 2020, I was kidnapped in my community and held in a black jail, which caused my elderly parents, who are over 90, to become hospitalized due to shock, and my father ultimately passed away as a result of the stress.”
Yang concluded, “On October 20 of this year, during the fifth plenum, I attempted to request documentation for 126 days of continuous surveillance over my residence from July 9 to November 11, 2025. Instead, I was assaulted and left with fractures. I have followed all legal procedures, yet I have not received the documentation to which I am entitled.”