Recently, lawyers Wang Yu and Jiang Tianyong went to Weixian County, Handan, Hebei to handle a case and got into a conflict with law enforcement personnel outside the court, leading to their arrest and detention. Wang Yu has been on a hunger strike in prison to protest for the 8th day, with her health deteriorating and her condition becoming critical.
According to a report on a human rights website on October 28, on October 26, lawyers met with Wang Yu and confirmed her hunger strike. They also obtained a complaint letter from Wang Yu against the police officers handling the case at Weicheng Town Police Station, as well as the detention order.
During a meeting with Jiang Tianyong, he mentioned that the food in the Weixian County detention center was very poor, consisting of only plain porridge, steamed buns, and a little pickled vegetables every day. The so-called plain porridge wasn’t even properly cooked rice but rather rice soup. Previously, they could communicate from outside the detention center, but later the windows were covered with thick cloth, making it difficult to hear outside voices.
During a visit by her family member, Bao Longjun, Wang Yu was described as only drinking water while on hunger strike. However, in the detention center, as they were served only rice soup daily, water was not easily accessible. Due to this, Wang Yu stated, “I won’t drink water from now on.”
On October 23, at noon at the police station, Wang Yu gave her lunch to an elderly lady detained with her, but she wasn’t given any food at night. So, it wasn’t a voluntary hunger strike on the 23rd.
It was explained that there were three people in the cell, including two Vietnamese girls who seemed to have been abducted and detained for over two months without even a change of clothes. Wang Yu gave them the clothes sent to her.
Wang Yu recounted the detailed account of her arrest. When Liu Meixiang was falsely accused of corruption in court, Wang Yu and Liu Meixiang’s husband, Qiu Bin, were waiting in the court hall. The police from Weicheng Town Police Station apprehended all five of them after Wang Yu reported to the police. Wang Yu demanded to see their police and summons. Cao Ran shouted to arrest her without showing any credentials. Wang Yu questioned, “Why arrest me? Show me your police ID and summons.” Cao Ran answered, “I verbally summoned you.”
Without hesitation, over a dozen people forcefully dragged Wang Yu, tearing off her upper clothing and roughly putting her into a cage. Wang Yu criticized their lack of female officers and their rough treatment, which she described as inappropriate. In the afternoon, Wang Yu was taken to the county public security bureau for a physical examination, where Cao Ran twisted her arm, personally pressed her, forcefully twisted her left arm, causing Wang Yu to scream in pain. After an examination at the county hospital, it was diagnosed as a muscle strain without any fractures.
After returning to the police station that evening, Cao Ran made her sit throughout the night, intentionally preventing her from sleeping.
Wang Yu’s defense lawyer, He Wei, in a legal opinion issued on October 29, stated that Wang Yu had been on a hunger strike for seven consecutive days since being administratively detained on the 23rd, with her condition showing signs of exhaustion and weakness that could jeopardize her health. He requested necessary medical examinations or an early release from detention.
On October 29, Bao Longjun posted that Wang Yu had been on a hunger strike for seven days, and they went to the Weixian County Public Security Bureau to ensure her health and safety. Despite their efforts, the officials were uncooperative and hostile, showing a lack of humanity.
Bao Longjun informed a reporter on October 30 that Wang Yu was on a hunger strike in protest. Although he intended to visit her that day, the detention center refused to allow the meeting or accept any papers. They even rejected the legal advice book, which was snuck in through the door crack.
Under normal circumstances, visiting a detention center is more relaxed compared to a prison and does not strictly adhere to specific standards. However, Article 26 of the Detention Center Regulations clearly states that lawyers and family members have the right to visit. For Wang Yu’s visit, it required approval from the handling department, with imposed limitations.
As per the Law on Administrative Penalties for Public Security, restricting personal freedom for a day can be counted as one day of detention. They were restricted on the 23rd at noon, so technically, the day Jiang Tianyong’s lawyer visited should have been on the 30th. Wang Yu and Qiu Bin were held for nine days, so it should have been on the 31st.
Expressing concerns as a family member, Bao Longjun stated he was unaware if the detention center had taken any protective measures for the hunger-striking Wang Yu and feared the possibility of them resorting to forced feeding.
Reporters attempted to contact Chen Guojun, Director of the Weixian County Public Security Bureau, and Lian Jing, Head of the Inspection Team, but they did not answer the calls. When reaching out to the Weixian Police Station, they hung up upon hearing the names Wang Yu and Jiang Tianyong.
Based on eyewitness videos and accounts from informants, on October 23, the corruption trial of Liu Meixiang in Weicheng County, Hebei commenced. Around 9 a.m., there was a heavy police presence in front of the Weicheng County Court, disguised as Special Police officers but without proper identification. Later, they were identified as security personnel or auxiliary police with no enforcement authority.
During the filming of these auxiliary police by Liu Meixiang’s husband, Qiu Bin, his phone was violently snatched, leading to a physical altercation when he tried to retrieve it. Jiang Tianyong intervened and was also restrained, forcibly taken into custody in the court premises. Wang Yu immediately called the police for help. However, instead of assisting, Weicheng Town Police Station accused Wang Yu of making a false report and detained her, Qiu Bin, and others who couldn’t attend the trial. Jiang Tianyong was taken into custody after the trial concluded, along with Qiu Bin.
According to the administrative penalty decision of the Weixian County Public Security Bureau, Jiang Tianyong was detained for 8 days for “assaulting someone in front of the Weixian County Court,” Wang Yu for 9 days for “disrupting the office order,” and family member Qiu Bin for 8 days.
Informants informed reporters that the defense lawyers believed Liu Meixiang’s case was a miscarriage of justice. They had filed complaints everywhere and posted online, making the local court nervous. Many citizens and a group of 10-20 friends and family attended, making the authorities apprehensive, prompting a large deployment of armed police.
“We found that in Weixian County, the police, even though typical in China, were particularly aggressive and offensive in remote and underdeveloped areas. Wang Yu might have been outspoken, which agitated the police.” Possibly, higher authorities considered using the situation to intimidate human rights lawyers.