Henan rural bank depositors have once again launched a rights protection movement in recent days. Depositors from Shanghai, Zhejiang, and other places went to Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, to demand a meeting with the central inspection team, but were violently beaten by Henan police and stability maintenance personnel.
On the scene, a rights protection activist Xiao Mei (pseudonym) told a reporter from Dajiyuan that around 10 a.m. on May 28, Xia Shuyun, Liu Xiaoxuan, and the couple Ba Zhongjun and his wife were preparing to go to the Henan Banking Regulatory Bureau to demand justice when they were surrounded and beaten by black-clad security guards and stability maintenance personnel on the road in Jinshui District.
Ba Zhongjun’s wife and another woman were surrounded by more than ten men, beaten and their phones snatched, causing chaos at the scene. Ba Zhongjun’s wife was injured in the arm.
An informant, Yu Ming (pseudonym), revealed to Dajiyuan that after the above incident, on May 30, Ba Zhongjun and his wife, along with their 6-year-old son and mother-in-law, were resting in a hotel room. Plainclothes police and stability maintenance personnel were shouting outside and violently rammed the door open. They first took Ba Zhongjun’s phone, twisted his arms, and forced him into a car, escorting him back to Shanghai. Ba Zhongjun’s mother-in-law was violently pushed onto the bed and her arms twisted, while Ba Zhongjun’s wife and child were dragged into the car and returned to Shanghai.
Yu Ming said that the police officers at the police station did not wear uniforms for fear of being recognized. “The child has been terrified and dare not speak.”
In April 2022, a financial crisis erupted in Henan rural bank, causing panic among depositors who have engaged in several large-scale rights protection and protest activities. It was reported that the involved funds amounted to at least several billion yuan, affecting around 400,000 depositors.
Yu Ming introduced the plight of Ba Zhongjun’s family. The four elderly people in their family have been frugal for decades, saving 2 million yuan by selling grains overnight, which was frozen overnight. Ba Zhongjun’s mother is seriously ill and needs medical treatment; their son who has just started primary school also needs money, and the couple are all unemployed, and the whole family is struggling to put food on the table. Not long ago, his wife became pregnant again, but due to lack of money for support, she was forced to have an abortion. Yu Ming said, “The family is broken and in despair, forced into a corner.”
According to depositors, the authorities have repeatedly asked them to sign settlement agreements. However, professional lawyers say that such “settlement agreements” are a trap set by the authorities and should not be signed. Signing implies admitting guilt and will have serious consequences. After receiving a very small portion of the payment, if they later want to sue the bank, there is a great risk. Therefore, most depositors have not signed.
Yu Ming said, “The agreement stipulates that rights cannot be protected on the grounds of the Contract Law, defending rights, etc. Ordinary people, ordinary citizens cannot understand this settlement agreement, which contains many unfavorable terms for depositors.”
The authorities have also used various means, such as detention, sentencing, increasing the length of imprisonment, to threaten and force rights activists and their families to compromise. Yu Ming said, “They let the family members watch videos of their loved ones suffering and being tortured in the detention center. Wives and mothers cannot bear to watch and endure it, crying and persuading their husbands to sign. It’s too cruel!”
Yu Ming stated that Henan rural bank depositors are a very strong group advocating for their rights, unwavering and resilient. For over three years, depositors have only wanted to get back the hard-earned money to support their families. If they cannot get repayment, they will continue to fight for their rights until the end.