On the 36th anniversary of the June Fourth Incident, dissident and former prosecutor Shen Liangqing from Anhui was taken away by the police for questioning. He was detained in the police station all day until the early hours of the next day before being released. According to several friends of Shen Liangqing, the authorities cited “suspected provocation of trouble” as the reason for taking action against him, possibly due to his reposting of sensitive posts on social media.
On June 4th at noon, Shen Liangqing was taken from his home, a process that lasted nearly 15 hours. Mr. Xie, a friend of Shen Liangqing, said that around 11 a.m. that day, someone claiming to be a community worker knocked on Shen’s door while he was reading at home. Thinking it was a routine check for his low-income subsidy eligibility, Shen initially didn’t suspect anything until the visitor failed to contact him in advance. Mr. Xie said, “He described to us that after opening the door, several police officers from the Wuhu Road Police Station entered, with one showing a summons, and two plainclothes officers taking photos.”
It was reported that the police did not immediately reveal the reason for the summons, only saying they received reports accusing Shen Liangqing of “spreading rumors on the internet.” On the evening of June 3rd, Shen Liangqing had posted an old news video related to Chinese social issues on a social media platform, involving the death of a Yunnan girl with a rare blood type. The police apparently viewed this post as “disturbing the order” and took actions based on it.
Ms. Feng, another friend of Shen Liangqing, revealed that there was a verbal conflict when the police entered his residence. She said, “He mentioned that he just wanted to put lunch ingredients in the fridge and was taking scissors to cut cling film when the police suddenly took the scissors for photos and wanted to take them away, saying they were afraid he would attack the police. He felt it was very absurd.”
Ms. Feng mentioned that Shen Liangqing was forcefully taken away, and even his phone was confiscated. According to friends, Shen Liangqing was taken to the underground case handling center of the Taihu Road Police Station in Hefei. The police conducted a body search, collected information, and provided a simple meal box. He was left in the waiting room all afternoon until he was first questioned in the evening. “The police used a wooden restraining chair and had him sign a transcript, but he exercised his right to remain silent and refused to answer questions,” a source said.
“He didn’t read the transcript or sign it, and the police seemed particularly concerned about his ‘attitude,'” the source added.
Around 9 p.m. that evening, Shen Liangqing was once again taken to the interrogation room. Allegedly, the police said that as long as he cooperated and did not resist, things could be handled lightly. Friends revealed that the police repeatedly emphasized, “As long as the attitude is good, things will be easy,” but Shen Liangqing insisted on exercising his rights and refused vague handling.
Another informant, Mr. Huang (alias), stated that the police later requested Shen Liangqing to provide his phone password to check the content of social software, but he refused citing privacy and financial security concerns. The police then prepared to “check him in” to the detention center and collected fingerprints and blood samples.
“They went through almost all the entry procedures, and Shen Liangqing had mentally prepared to be formally detained,” Huang said. “Until around 2 a.m., the police suddenly changed their minds and released him. But they asked him to go home and delete the posts, confirming the deletion on the spot.”
Checking the social media posts released by Shen Liangqing shortly after the incident, it was found that he uploaded a summons from the police station and wrote, “Deleted the posts, reporting safe.”
His friends expressed widespread concerns that despite not being formally detained this time, the handling by the police indicated a continuing rise in local stability pressure and stricter control over activities on sensitive dates.
Public records show that Shen Liangqing had previously worked in the Anhui prosecution system and in the early 1990s participated in constitutional reform and democratic discussions in mainland China, being seen as a “dissident who emerged from within the system.” In recent years, he has been sentenced, summoned, or monitored multiple times due to his remarks.
Mr. Xie said, “Shen Liangqing’s experience this time is not an isolated case. In recent years, many rights activists, dissenting intellectuals from around the time of June Fourth have been invited for tea, travel, or had their freedom restricted on ‘sensitive days.’ Shen Liangqing has been controlled in terms of his whereabouts during the June Fourth incident, the National People’s Congress sessions, or the Party Congress.”
When asked by reporters, Shen Liangqing confirmed the above events but said he was not able to give an interview.