Shanghai resident Shen Yongmei and her brother’s home were secretly demolished by the local government 22 years ago, leading her brother to take his own life in frustration. Shen Yongmei faced severe repression during her efforts to defend her rights. She criticized the Chinese Communist authorities as a dark government and vowed to continue her fight for justice.
Shen Yongmei used to live on Zizhong Road in the Luwan District of Shanghai (Note: In 2011, the original Huangpu District and Luwan District were abolished and merged to form the new Huangpu District). During the urban renewal and relocation process, they did not receive proper compensation. On the evening of January 9, 2003, government officials tricked her out of her home and locked her up in a black prison, not allowing her to leave, and then secretly demolished their house in the middle of the night. Her parents’ ashes, money, gold jewelry, and other belongings disappeared. The incident also frightened her 14-year-old disabled nephew.
Speaking to The Epoch Times, Shen Yongmei said that she didn’t know at the time that her home had been demolished. Upon her release, she returned to find everything gone, and neighbors informed her that it was the Luwan District government who led the forced demolition. There were district heads, secretaries, police, street officials, and neighborhood committee members present. During the demolition, neighbors were chased away from the scene and not allowed to take photos. “Stealing from the people, robbing the people, this is what a bandit government does,” she said.
When a reporter called the Huangpu District government, there was no answer.
Over the past twenty years, Shen Yongmei tried every possible means to seek justice, only to be met with repeated criminal detentions, administrative detentions, re-education through labor, and residential surveillance. She spent a total of over 900 days in black prisons, and her brother was driven to his death. While detained at the Shanghai Qingpu Women’s Re-education through Labor Camp, she endured physical abuse, confinement, and isolation for 135 days. She often went hungry, sometimes experiencing food poisoning symptoms after meals, suspecting the food was poisoned. Her eyes bled, her vision worsened, her hair fell out in bunches, and she lost 21 kilograms in weight.
“The government sent thugs to beat me, knocking out over twenty teeth, leaving me with only a few. The police, Xu Zhiyi (phonetic), kicked me in the lower body with his leather shoes,” she said.
Now 67 years old, Shen Yongmei is still wandering without a home to return to. She said, “Today, they ask me if I love the Party, love the country? Saying yes would be a lie, saying no would be honest. Why? For over twenty years, I have either been beaten, detained, or subjected to forced labor. Police and patrol cars stationed outside my house, restricting my freedom, not allowing me to go out.”
Shen Yongmei denounced the corrupt and dark nature of the Chinese Communist Party, but stated she will not give up on seeking justice. “I won’t seek death, if they force me to die, I will expose it to the world. The court supports the government, not the poor. Under the CCP system, the judiciary, prosecution, and government are all corrupt.”
Shen Yongmei’s experiences exemplify the long-term systematic oppression faced by the community of Shanghai petitioners. The use of “black prisons” is a primary method of persecution against petitioners by the authorities and continues to escalate. Many black prisons have been established in the outskirts of Shanghai, leading to several deaths inside.
Recently, petitioners have launched a petition campaign calling for the abolition of black prisons, with hundreds of signatures gathered. They hope to gain international attention and support.