In Guizhou Province, a deputy director of the Public Security Bureau was reported and imprisoned by a prosecutor from the local procuratorate. The whistleblower revealed that the mastermind behind their persecution was the former Vice Chairman of the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Zhou Jiankun.
In a public video exposing the report, Shen Chenggang, former Deputy Director of the Qixingguan Sub-bureau of the Bijie Public Security Bureau in Guizhou Province, admitted that after working in the public security system for decades, he never expected to be wronged and held criminally responsible. He stated that he was arrested based on two false testimonies and was convicted of abuse of power and judicial corruption, resulting in a sentence of two and a half years in prison.
Shen Chenggang believed that his wrongful imprisonment was related to Zhou Jiankun, the former secretary of the Bijie Municipal Party Committee and vice chairman of the Guizhou Provincial CPPCC. He disclosed that Zhou Jiankun intervened in the case and instructed Shen Chenggang to release a suspect involved in intentional injury, illegal detention, and embezzlement of company finances. When Shen Chenggang refused, Zhou Jiankun retaliated against him.
The prosecutor from the Qixingguan District Procuratorate in Bijie City who reported Shen Chenggang, Cao Xuanxiang, also testified in the video. Cao Xuanxiang revealed in the video that he falsely accused Shen Chenggang because he was subjected to more than twenty days of continuous interrogation and coercion by senior investigators.
According to a criminal judgment issued by the Hezhang County Court in Bijie City in 2020, Shen Chenggang was sentenced to two years and six months in prison for abuse of power and judicial corruption. The evidence that convicted Shen Chenggang mainly came from multiple witnesses testifying about Shen’s “collusion”. Two of these testimonies explicitly mentioned phone calls, one of which was provided by Cao Xuanxiang.
Shen Chenggang, after finishing his sentence, but both are seeking multiple avenues for appeal.
There are indications from local authorities that due to the inquiries made by the then Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, Zhou Jiankun, the case became known as the “No. 1 case in Bijie.” Shen Chenggang said, “Later I realized that I had become a ‘protective umbrella’.”
Shen Chenggang told the media that he was taken away by investigators while attending a meeting at the Qixingguan District Government. He believed that his case was influenced by the statements of Zhou Jiankun, the then Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee in Bijie, who reportedly sought to ensure that Shen Chenggang’s case would be ironclad.
Zhou Jiankun served as the Vice Chairman of the Guizhou Provincial CPPCC and Secretary of the Bijie Municipal Party Committee from 2016 to 2022. In November 2022, Zhou Jiankun was officially under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law.” In March of this year, Zhou Jiankun was sentenced to life imprisonment for bribery.
Regarding the ordeals of Shen Chenggang and Cao Xuanxiang, some netizens sympathize, while others believe they do not deserve sympathy. Many netizens commented on the situation, alluding to the challenges individuals face within the Chinese system, especially those in positions of authority.
In the absence of a constitutional framework in China, political figures like Liu Shaoqi failed to protect themselves. The precarious nature of bureaucratic power dynamics underscores the vulnerability of officials within the system.
The stories of Shen Chenggang and Cao Xuanxiang shed light on the complexities and brutal realities of China’s legal and political landscapes, where individuals can easily become entrapped in a system sans constitutional safeguards or institutional protection.