On October 18th, news spread through a WeChat group that a petitioner had died in a black jail in the Huangpu District of Shanghai. This comes after the death of petitioner Gui Shanhong in a black jail in the Huangpu District just three days after being detained in May of this year, marking another case of a petitioner dying in a black jail in less than five months.
Shanghai has seen a large number of petitioners due to forced relocations. The deceased petitioner in question is said to be an elderly male petitioner from the Bansa Yuan Road Street in the Huangpu District, who was held in a black jail located by the sea in the Fengxian District and was reported dead in the black jail on October 17th.
With two petitioners dying in black jails in the Huangpu District within less than five months, authorities seem to be taking action. It is reported that petitioners currently being held in black jails in the outskirts of Shanghai are being prepared to be sent back to Shanghai.
Petitioner Yu Zhonghuan from Shanghai told a reporter, “Due to petitioners dying from stability maintenance measures in black jails, not only are the petitioners being released from black jails, but also two black security guards at the back door of my house left this afternoon.”
Song Jiahong, a spokesperson for Shanghai black jails and a human rights activist, told a reporter, “The fact that petitioners have died in black jails is true. If it were a rumor, the government would have debunked it long ago. Particularly in the Huangpu District, which is a central area in Shanghai, the district leader is the successor to the mayor, and the district leaders need to show more courage. Therefore, their suppression of petitioners is particularly severe, and ‘zero petitioning’ is their dream.”
“It is said that the deceased was elderly, showing that even elderly individuals are not spared by the petition staff. In May, petitioner Gui Shanhong died in a black jail, and now another death has occurred in less than five months. The key point is that the leaders in the Huangpu District do not treat petitioners as human beings, and the petition office officials are more interested in intercepting petitioners in Beijing for extra income,” he said.
Gui Shanhong died three days after being detained in a black jail
On May 20th, petitioner Gui Shanhong from the Ruijin Street in the Huangpu District of Shanghai went to Beijing to petition, but upon arrival at the Beijing South Railway Station, she was forcibly taken away by petition reception personnel from the Huangpu District. She was later handed over to the Ruijin Street Police Station in the Huangpu District, and then transferred to a relocation company. Subsequently, Gui Shanhong’s phone became unreachable.
On the morning of May 22nd, Gui Shanhong’s husband received a call from the Ruijin Street saying that Gui Shanhong was being treated at the Ninth People’s Hospital in Shanghai. When he rushed to the hospital, he was informed that Gui Shanhong had been pronounced dead after rescue efforts proved futile. The entire incident took place within just three days.