In late June, Liu Dongbao, a resident affected by a demolition in Jing’an District, Shanghai, traveled to Beijing to petition for his rights but was intercepted and sent back when he approached the vicinity of Zhongnanhai. Subsequently, he was criminally detained for 30 days.
On June 27, aboard the high-speed train back to Shanghai, Liu addressed all the petitioners being sent back, expressing his resolute determination to fight for their legitimate rights through petitioning.
Upon arriving in Shanghai on June 28, all petitioners were taken to the “Relief Station” at 500 Fangcu Village Road by the Shanghai municipal government. Police officers from the Putuo District Public Security Sub-Bureau (Badge Number 030215) read out an “Education Notification” to Liu Dongbao, stating that Zhongnanhai is not a place for petitioning and petitioners are not allowed to go there. When Liu Dongbao requested the police officer to show the legal basis for this, the officer could not provide any and simply left.
Thirty years ago, Liu Dongbao’s only housing in the central Jing’an District of Shanghai was demolished by the government. The compensation received was far from enough to buy a new house, leaving his family of three to reside in a rudimentary rented room. Over the past thirty years, he has faced various forms of suppression and persecution on his journey for rights protection, with multiple detentions and imprisonment, leading to deteriorating health.
Shanghai human rights activist Song Jiahong told a reporter from Dajiyuan, “Liu Dongbao has been criminally detained again, this is not a victory for the rule of law but a failure of it!”
Song Jiahong believes that while Zhongnanhai serves as the central leadership office, activities like walking outside the red walls, taking photos, or sightseeing should all be permissible. Criminal detention of Liu Dongbao or other petitioners near Zhongnanhai reflects the misuse of “stability maintenance fees.” He estimates that police from the “Five Places” are involved in seizing these fees, including officers from the Beijing Zhongnanhai Right Street Police, Shanghai Public Security Bureau’s Office in Beijing, Putuo Sub-Bureau Police at 500 Fangcu Road, Jing’an District Police at Jiangning Street, and the Shanghai Public Security Bureau’s Jing’an District Police responsible for reviewing Liu Dongbao’s case.
He stated, “From Liu Dongbao’s interception in Beijing until his return to Shanghai, foreigners have seen through the ‘CCP’s authoritarian regime,’ yet our leaders remain complacent. If a citizen’s private property is forcibly demolished by the government, why is it so difficult to demand rightful housing compensation? The government can rob its people, but citizens’ rights protection is not allowed; this authoritarian regime will not last long!”
Gu Guoping, a retired teacher from Shanghai University and human rights activist, remarked, “Jiangning Street in Jing’an District has the highest number of petitioners in Shanghai, leading to severe pressure on petitioners in the area. However, people like Liu Dongbao and myself, who suffer from diabetes and hypertension with complications, are still being forcibly detained even when presenting hospital certifications. According to the provisions of the Criminal Law, the Law on Administrative Penalties, and the Regulations on Detention Centers, high-risk patients like him should not be subjected to coercive measures, and detention centers are ill-equipped to handle such medical conditions. This callous disregard for people’s lives must be condemned!”