Mrs. Qin Yirong, a resident of Yangpu District in Shanghai, has been enduring years of violence, threats, and administrative pressure from Judge Liu since a dispute over demolition and relocation in 2003. This has left her physically and mentally shattered, leading to the disintegration of her family. Her husband passed away in bitterness, and she herself suffered a fractured spine and near blindness.
Qin had previously filed a lawsuit, claiming that the court did not consider witness testimony and only lightly ordered Liu to compensate over two thousand yuan. Dissatisfied with this ruling, she appealed, and the Shanghai Second Intermediate People’s Court is scheduled to hold a retrial on April 23. Qin hopes for public attention on the case.
The dispute originated from urban demolition and relocation in Yangpu District, Shanghai in 2003, where the house of Qin Yirong’s family was in a controversy with the local demolition company due to inheritance issues. She stated that her husband, being the only son, should have inherited the right to live in the house of his deceased parents.
“The right to use the house belongs to my husband. According to Shanghai’s residential regulations, my husband should have been able to sign the contract with the demolition company, but the court ruled that we were not qualified to sign,” Qin Yirong said.
The initial trial of the case was presided over by former Yangpu District judge Liu, and dissatisfied with the verdict, Qin appealed to the Shanghai Second Intermediate People’s Court. The case was subsequently handled by Judges Wang Chaohui and Ying Yong, and after multiple procedures and changes in judgment, the ownership of her house remains unresolved to this day.
“I have been through over two years of legal battles with twists and turns, and it was from that time that Liu and I harbored enmity towards each other,” she expressed.
According to Qin Yirong, Liu was later dismissed from the court and reassigned to work in Wujiaochang Street as the head of the Community Safety Office and urban management. She accused Liu of continuing to pressure her during his tenure, even going as far as sabotaging renovation projects in her home.
Recalling a renovation incident in her home, Qin mentioned that their yard was forcibly destroyed, leading to her husband being hospitalized due to emotional distress. She said, “My husband used to be a civil servant. Seeing the yard turned into ruins, he was devastated.”
Subsequently, her husband’s health deteriorated, leading to multiple hospitalizations and eventually being diagnosed with esophageal varices and stomach cancer before passing away in 2024. Qin remembered her husband’s last words before his death, “I can’t help you anymore.”
“He couldn’t let go of that resentment, and he kept coughing up blood for several years before passing away,” Qin said.
Qin Yirong further revealed that since 2005, she had been subjected to violence and surveillance by Liu and his subordinates, including being lured out and physically assaulted during her pregnancy, leading to a miscarriage, and being illegally confined at one point.
“He is an official, and I am just a commoner. When I was pregnant with a test tube baby, they actually tricked me out of the house and caused a miscarriage by beating me, and then illegally detained me,” Qin recalled.
A violent confrontation occurred on January 12, 2015, when Qin went to the Wujiaochang Street office for petition matters and had a physical altercation with Liu in the canteen. Liu was the head of the Municipal Administration Section at that time. She recounted, “Liu knocked me down, strangled my neck, hit my head against the wall, then the ground. I passed out with blood all over my face.”
During the scuffle, a distress call was made over the street’s public broadcast system, and security personnel intervened, escorting her to another area of the office at 54 Politburo Road. She reported the incident to the police, and personnel from Wujiaochang and Huandao police stations arrived for handling. Qin mentioned that she requested to preserve the surveillance footage at the scene and gave her statement at the police station.
However, it was later discovered that “all surveillance and incident report data were missing.” Her lawyer’s application for an investigation order to access the information also yielded no results.
“I have the hospital’s injury assessment report and the security guard’s testimony from that time. But all incident data and surveillance videos were nowhere to be found within the police station,” Qin recounted.
According to Qin Yirong’s account, she had been assaulted by Liu six times, resulting in injuries such as losing teeth, severe visual impairment, three head stitches, fractured spine, and cigarette burns on her hands. Qin called the police four times, but she claimed that “all evidence was destroyed by the police station and the street office.”
On June 24, 2024, the Hongkou Court issued a verdict ordering Liu to compensate her a total of 2,010 yuan (1,010 yuan for losses, 1,000 yuan for legal fees).
“My legal fees amounted to ten thousand yuan, but I only received one thousand in compensation,” Qin expressed.
During the 2024 trial, some witness testimonies were not included in the court records, such as the current head of the Community Safety Office testifying in court that Liu had fraudulently used a seal to forge a certificate, and the security team leader attesting to witnessing Liu “lying on top of her choking her neck.”
“He had a change of heart and couldn’t bear to see it continued, so he testified on my behalf, but he was scolded by Liu afterwards,” she explained.
The Shanghai Second Intermediate People’s Court had initially scheduled a retrial for March 26, 2025, but the hearing was subsequently canceled, and a new date set for April 23 to be held in Courtroom C204. However, the court limited the number of observers to three, leading to dissatisfaction from the parties involved.
“There were nineteen people observing during the first trial, but now only three are allowed,” Qin questioned. “My case does not involve state secrets or personal privacy, so why can’t it be publicly observed?”
Due to her long-term spinal and visual impairments making it difficult for her to move, Qin Yirong continues to pursue her rights through legal channels. She remarked that Liu still holds a position in Wujiaochang Street without facing legal consequences.
“They protect each other because they are all covering up these crimes, and they collude with each other to persecute you,” she concluded.
Qin Yirong emphasized that she had never uttered a false word and hoped that the public would pay attention to the development of the case. Her contact number is 13817659721, with the same WeChat ID.