Shanghai petitioner Wang Huifang was abducted on March 19 on bus route 14 in Beijing and taken back to Shanghai, where she was detained at the Shimen 2nd Road Police Station in Jing’an District for 50 days for a psychiatric evaluation, along with an additional 30 days of criminal detention. However, with the defense of her lawyer and media attention, the illegal actions of the police station were exposed, leading to Wang’s release after 50 days of detention.
Wang Huifang traveled to Beijing to report the misconduct of Shimen 2nd Road Police Station, and the case was forwarded to the Public Security Bureau visitation room by the Ministry of Public Security. On March 19, Wang Huifang was controlled by the police on a public bus in Beijing, taken back to Shimen 2nd Road Police Station in Shanghai, detained at the Jing’an detention center, and subjected to a forced psychiatric evaluation.
On April 8, Wang Huifang’s defense lawyer discovered that the Shimen 2nd Road Police Station had not reported the case to the Jing’an District Public Security Sub-bureau for investigation by the criminal investigation team, but instead kept it in their own hands, implicating them in abuse of power, retaliatory filing, and falsely diagnosing Wang as mentally ill. The lawyer demanded the recusal of relevant personnel from the Shimen 2nd Road Police Station in this case.
On May 10, Wang Huifang was released after the completion of the 50-day statutory appraisal period, and the subsequent 30 days of detention were not enforced.
Gu Guoping, a retired teacher from Shanghai University who was abducted on bus route 14 in Beijing at the same time as Wang Huifang, told a reporter from the Epoch Times, “The Shimen 2nd Road Police Station violated the law in three ways:
1. Wang Huifang, detained under the charge of provocation, was not found in any records of the Jing’an District Public Security Sub-bureau. This suggests that the Shimen 2nd Road Police Station may have violated procedural regulations governing police conduct.
2. The Shimen 2nd Road Police Station filed a provocation charge against Wang Huifang on bus route 14 in Beijing, which does not comply with relevant legal provisions. This act of retaliatory filing and the forced psychiatric evaluation raise serious concerns of illegal retaliation against whistleblowers.
3. The Shimen 2nd Road Police Station forcibly transferred Wang Huifang to the detention center without conducting a pre-incarceration examination. Wang Huifang, a 72-year-old woman with high blood pressure, should have undergone various medical tests such as CT scans, blood tests, electrocardiograms, and ultrasounds before confinement, which points to a potential violation of her personal rights.”
“The above three points are sufficient evidence of the Shimen 2nd Road Police Station’s violations of legal procedures and the illegal retaliatory actions taken against Wang Huifang. Therefore, the relevant superior authorities should investigate the Shimen 2nd Road Police Station, impose appropriate and serious penalties, and restore justice for Wang Huifang.”
Gu Guoping also expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thanks to the timely reports from the Epoch Times and NTD, as well as the efforts of the lawyers, Wang Huifang was released one month early, preventing the authorities from unfairly labeling her as mentally ill.”