During the ongoing sessions of China’s National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the atmosphere is tense, and the actions of every petitioner have been triggering sensitive nerves of local governments across the country. Petitioners have been restrained in local hotels, intercepted on their way to Beijing, detained, or even sent to black jails. Many have simply gone missing.
In Shaanxi province, Shanghai petitioner Liu Dongbao, who was trying to avoid stability maintenance personnel, managed to escape them by fleeing to Shaanxi. However, upon arriving in Beijing, he was still unable to evade the tight security checks. On March 8th, as he reached the Fu You Street intersection near Zhongnanhai, he was stopped by police for ID check and was subsequently taken to Jiu Jing Zhuang.
Another Shanghai petitioner from Zhabei District, Yao Yuping, was sent back to Shanghai on March 7th after being repatriated from Beijing and taken to Fucun Road in Shanghai, where she was held by local police. It has been reported that Yao Yuping has been detained for 30 days and is now in a detention center.
Meanwhile, another petitioner from Shanghai’s Jing’an District, Liu Tinglan, was intercepted in Beijing on March 5th and is currently missing.
Zhao Weiping, a petitioner from Changning District of Shanghai, went to Beijing on February 27th, accompanied by two local police officers from Huayang Road Police Station. After being escorted back to Shanghai on March 1st by the two officers, she was sent to the black jail on Hengsha Island in Chongming District for stability maintenance.
In Chongqing’s Fengdu County, petitioners Zhang Cuiying and her brother Zhang Shiyin went to Beijing People’s Hospital for medical treatment on March 8th. Upon arrival, they were immediately stopped by police for ID check and taken to Dongjiaomin Lane Police Station, where they were not allowed to leave. Their current status remains unknown.
On March 6th, before 6 am, Chongqing petitioners Wei Wenyuan and Zou Maoshu were intercepted by unidentified individuals at the entrance of the National Petition Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party. Without presenting any identification, they were forcibly detained and taken to a small house for identity verification.
Wei Wenyuan expressed her frustration, stating, “We were taken to this place forcibly. Being at the National Petition Bureau is our legal right, but we have been illegally abducted by them. They ignored me and did not respond to my questions. We are not allowed to use phones here, and if they catch you with one, it will be confiscated! Many petitioners from different regions are being held here.”
According to some petitioners, after undergoing security checks at the National Petition Bureau, individuals from other provinces were taken to small houses by local police officers from Xianongtan Police Station.
In another incident on March 4th, Chongqing petitioners Jiang Kaibi, Liu Guangfen, and Zhao Weizhi were unlawfully restricted in their liberty by stability maintenance personnel at a location in Fengtai District of Beijing. The three have since lost contact, with Liu Guangfen and Zhao Weizhi both being disabled individuals.
Liu Guangfen had faced retaliation in 2020 for long-term reporting on local village cadres, and her husband Mou Wengang is currently in detention. Prior to her disappearance, she released a statement indicating that if she were to go missing, it would be due to retaliation from local village cadres.
Jiang Jiawen, a petitioner from Liaoning province, had long been confined in a hotel in Dandong city. On March 7th, he informed individuals involved in his stability maintenance that he planned to go to Dandong Railway Station on the 8th to meet with his petitioner friends, reaching a consensus with them.
Before 7 am on March 8th, the director and deputy director of the Qidao Police Station under the Yuanbao Public Security Sub-bureau in Dandong City arrived at the hotel, forcibly entered the room without any procedures, and claimed they would detain Jiang Jiawen. Within half an hour, they assaulted him twice and even rode on top of him during the assault.
Jiang Jiawen told a reporter, “The director, Shi Heng, and deputy director, Sun Dayong, assaulted me twice within half an hour, and while they were beating me, there were four other police officers outside the door.”
Currently, Jiang Jiawen is being held at the Donghe Guesthouse in Dandong city, with three police officers watching over him 24/7. “I have been under stability control for over four years. They won’t allow me to go to Beijing, leave the province, or even exit Dandong city. They’ve blinded one of my eyes, detained me twice, neglected my medical treatment, and stopped providing me with medication. Can you trust these fascists?”
Sun Jinxiu, a petitioner from Wushan County in Gansu province, informed a reporter on March 8th that she had been detained in a local hotel for nine days. To prevent her from escaping, the door handle inside her room had been removed, leaving only the staff outside able to open the door.
Sun Jinxiu was intercepted on February 28th while on her way to pay New Year’s greetings to a friend and taken to the police station. She was then picked up by officials from the Guan Zhen Town Party Committee of Wushan County and held in a local hotel under 24-hour surveillance.
With a 90-year-old sick mother at home needing care, Sun Jinxiu expressed her frustration, saying, “I went to visit a friend with gifts and ended up being kidnapped and prevented from returning home. This Wushan County tyranny is out of control!”