The Chinese Communist Party’s Central Inspection Team started its two and a half month inspection in Shaanxi in July 2025. However, according to the interview with petitioners, the inspection not only did not promote problem-solving, but also transferred the reported materials to local units being reported, leading to threats and oppression for the parties involved, worsening their situation.
The Inspection Team set up an office at the complaints office in Shaanxi on July 21 last year. Local petitioners reported that every day there were thousands of petitioners outside the complaints office, but they never saw any members of the Inspection Team.
What made the petitioners even more uneasy was that the materials they submitted to the Central Inspection Team were then transferred to the local units being reported. As a result, the parties involved faced pressure and threats from local authorities, taking on greater risks.
A petitioner from Shaanxi, Wang Xiaoqin, told Epoch Times that the person in charge of the complaints reception room at the Weicheng District Procuratorate and a judge at the Criminal Division II of the Xianyang Intermediate People’s Court personally told her that the Inspection Team had transferred the reported materials to them, urging her not to report petitions anymore.
“The actions of the Inspection Team are illegal, violating Article 30 of the Petition Regulations, with local authorities retaliating against us and dragging their feet. The Central Inspection Team does not solve problems, just deceiving the common people,” Wang Xiaoqin said.
About two months after the Inspection Team concluded its work, the Secretary of the Xi’an Municipal Party Committee, Fang Hongwei, was placed under central disciplinary review for suspected serious violations of discipline and law, yet wrongful cases have not been addressed.
Wang Xiaoqin questioned, “If Fang Hongwei was arrested, shouldn’t progress have been made on the cases he was involved in pressure? This is a matter of rule of law?”
Wang Xiaogang, Wang Xiaoqin’s brother, who used to be an employee in the Third Engineering Company of Northwest Electric Power Construction, suffered from a mental illness due to work-related disputes in 2007, leading to a dependence on medication. His long-overdue wages and other income were not paid, and his pension was suspended. Their father, Wang Yingqiang, became physically disabled after being beaten while petitioning, and their mother passed away during this period.
On September 28, 2022, government-hired social worker Ma Yongkui came to provoke trouble with a knife in the Wang family’s yard, and was rightfully defended by Wang Xiaogang, causing Ma Yongkui’s son Ma Jianjun to drive an off-road vehicle into the yard, attempting to hit Wang Yingqiang. In the chaos, Ma Yongkui was accidentally hit and run over twice, leading to his death. Wang Yingqiang was also paralyzed and bedridden since being hit by Ma Yongkui.
After Wang Xiaogang was taken away by the police, he was placed under residential surveillance. It wasn’t until July 11, 2024, that a lawyer finally had access to Wang Xiaogang, who passed away a week later due to a hemorrhagic disease.
It was three days after Wang Xiaogang’s death when his body began to decompose before the official announcement of his death. Wang Xiaoqin believes that her brother died due to mistreatment and delays in treatment while in custody. She vowed to hold those responsible accountable.
Recently, some petitioners collectively sent letters to various departments such as the National People’s Political Consultative Conference, the Central Discipline Inspection Commission, and the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, urging a thorough investigation into the corruption problems within the Shaanxi public prosecution and judicial system, but they have not received a response yet.
Similar experiences are not unique to Wang Xiaoqin’s family. Petitioner Li Qihong, who has been fighting for justice for her deceased father in a mining accident alongside her mother and sister, faced various pressures and persecutions from the local government. Her mother passed away during the fight for justice, and her sister was kidnapped and raped. Li Qihong stated that the Lantian County Court did not conduct a proper investigation, fabricated false materials, and failed to make a fair judgment in the case. Her complaints on behalf of her sister were also redirected to the reported unit, the Lantian County Public Security Bureau, facing pressure and refusal for handling.
Li Qihong believes that the procedures of the Central Inspection Team are illegal, saying, “We reported the Lantian County Public Security Bureau, they transferred the materials to the reported unit. According to the legal procedure, they should recuse themselves, transferring to the reported unit will result in retaliation.”
She stated that the Central Inspection Team is leading the way in illegal actions, with various relevant departments allowing the process to turn vacant, resulting in a vast number of wrongful cases left unresolved. “A country governed by law must be governed by the constitution. Without legal guarantees, freedom of speech, and media oversight, they substitute power for law, words for law, and the law is just empty talk.”
Petitioner Shi Xiuju mentioned that during the Inspection Team’s presence, she and fellow petitioners submitted materials more than ten times, yet their demands have not progressed. “The Inspection Team not only failed to solve the problems but also created issues. Petitioners see no hope and these dark and corrupt truths should be exposed to the world.”