After the implementation of the new petition regulations by the Chinese Communist Party on July 1st, it has become increasingly difficult for petitioners to go to Beijing to appeal. Faced with the hopeless resolution of long-standing rights issues, some petitioners have chosen to end their own lives, while others have even made suicide pacts to jump into the river together.
On October 11th, Guo Youxian, a former judge from Heshan District Court in Yiyang City, Hunan Province, who has been trapped in a wrongful case for ten years without being cleared, made plans to commit suicide by jumping into Beihai (Beihai Park) with two petitioners. Fortunately, they were stopped in time by two disabled petitioners at the riverside, averting a tragic incident.
Wang Xiuying, a rights activist from Fujian living in Beijing, recently got to know Guo Youxian through her interest in the incidents of petitioners attempting suicide. On October 8th, Wang saw a video online where a female petitioner from Xi’an, Shaanxi, was about to jump into the river, claiming she had been illegally detained twice, saying, “They want me dead, so I will comply with their wishes…” While following up on this petitioner, Wang unexpectedly learned about Guo Youxian’s plan to commit suicide in Beihai on October 11th.
Having gone through similar experiences as Guo Youxian, Wang Xiuying wrote an article titled “The Oath of Petitioners at Beihai: When ‘Enforcers’ Become ‘Wronged,’ How Much Dignity is Left in the Rule of Law.” In the article, she mentioned that suicide or acts of extreme rebellion among petitioners used to be heard occasionally, but since the new petition regulations were introduced on July 1st, these tragedies have been happening more frequently.
Guo Youxian has been through over a decade of appeals, lawsuits, complaints, and protests, but due to serious procedural delays, seeking justice has been obstructed. He remarked, “The injustices are not just innocent mistakes, but organized criminal justice crimes perpetrated intentionally by colluding judicial criminals, with protective umbrellas and cancerous tumors within the system.”
Wang Xiuying stated, “The fact that ordinary people at the grassroots level feel cornered points to the fact that the legal channels for seeking justice have been spinning in circles for so long. With nowhere to turn for help, they are left with no choice but to seek attention in extreme ways. It is regrettable that even a former judge like Guo Youxian has been caught up in a wrongful case for ten years with no resolution despite appeals. This serves as a stark warning that injustice is not just limited to ordinary citizens; when the judicial error correction mechanism falls into self-protection mode, giving rise to procedural delays, professional status and legal knowledge struggle to withstand systematic resistance.”
She emphasized that public confidence in the rule of law hinges on the smooth correction of wrongful cases. If those who have been wronged, regardless of their status, can find no recourse for help, the repercussions will not only affect individual fates but will also lead to the collapse of the country’s rule of law.
According to online reports, on October 1st, on the D1884 train from Liuzhou to Guangzhou South Station, a petitioner climbed onto the roof of the train to express grievances, after which they were electrocuted and pronounced lifeless by emergency personnel upon arrival.
On September 18th, nine rights petitioners jumped into the Yongding River, resulting in the death of four and injuries to five. On September 17th, two petitioners died after drinking poison at the National Petition Bureau. As videos and information were censored, the platform user “Cyber Petition Bureau” openly solicited corroborative evidence for the “9.18 petitioner suicides.”
Jiang Jiawen, a petitioner from Liaoning, told a reporter from Epoch Times, “Petitioner suicides are meant to alert the higher-ups! After experiencing ups and downs, facing numerous obstacles, and traveling great distances to the capital, all one wants is an explanation for right and wrong. But when no one from the local to central levels gives you an answer, let alone solves the problem! When in despair, there is only one final path to take, to seek liberation! Let heaven avenge them, punish the evil system!”