As the “9.3 Parade” approaches, Beijing’s security measures can be described as airtight. Around Tiananmen Square, security personnel are stationed every three steps, and there is a police officer with a dog stationed at every entrance and exit gate in subway cars. In order to prevent petitioners from entering Beijing, most petitioners from various places are strictly controlled.
To intensify interception efforts, local authorities in Beijing recently openly recruited a large number of temporary security personnel. A recruitment notice appeared at a university in Hebei, inviting students to work as temporary auxiliary police in Beijing, responsible for catching petitioners, with a daily wage of 150 yuan including meals and accommodation. There are also dozens of people responsible for taking photos with their phones to inspect utility poles, male and female security guards, etc., who started working on August 22 for a 15-day period.
According to a friend in Beijing, all natural gas supplies along Chang’an Street have been cut off, and residents in various neighborhoods are required to eat together or receive boxed meals. Windows are strictly prohibited from being opened in street-facing houses, and residents are monitoring each other. All household items such as cars, kitchen knives, hammers, sharp objects, must be registered, especially ensuring that gasoline in the tanks of vehicles is completely discharged. Outsiders are not allowed to stay overnight, and local police stations and neighborhood committees must organize personnel to patrol day and night. The Beijing authorities are truly on high alert.
On August 26, a petitioner from Shanxi, Yang Suiquan, traveled from Xi’an to Beijing by high-speed train. After the train passed Gaobeidian, he was followed by unidentified personnel. Upon reaching Fengtai Station in Beijing, the Weibin Public Security Sub-bureau in Weibin was waiting to intercept him. Yang Suiquan said, “I strongly opposed it. Now that I have left, I am free.”
On the night of August 24, a petitioner arrived in Beijing by plane and was intercepted at the Capital Airport. In the early hours of August 25, he sent a message saying, “I am still at the airport,” along with a photo of himself with the interception team and airport police.
Additionally, in a high-speed train carriage, three or four unidentified individuals were seen dragging a female petitioner, who was crying and refusing to comply. Bystanders attempting to intervene were threatened by the interceptors: “No photos allowed, it’s none of your business.”
This video circulated among human rights groups, sparking discussions among petitioners: “They do not solve issues during normal times but intercept aggressively during sensitive periods.” “Several plainclothes lawless individuals are deliberately provoking troubles and disrupting social order, illegally detaining citizens.” “Where is the law? Without an arrest warrant or out-of-area enforcement permit, this is against the law. The railway public security is in charge of this area, and at the very least, it should be approved by the onboard police officers. Moreover, it is explicitly stated that the police should not participate in interceptions, these police officers are becoming notorious.” The video was banned a day later.
On August 23, a petitioner from Nanan District of Chongqing, Jiang Jiayu, was taken to Jujingzhuang Relief Station by Beijing police after her identity was checked at the Beijing South Station. She said, “If I am out of contact, please report to Beijing’s emergency hotline 110 and 12345, guaranteeing my personal safety and property.”
On August 22, Tian Qihua, a petitioner from Hubei with the online alias “Seeking Common Ground while Respecting Differences”, was intercepted and illegally abducted while riding his electric bike through Henan. He was detained for 15 days upon being brought back to Wuhan.
Jiang Jiawen, a petitioner from Liaoning, stayed at his sister’s house in Shenyang for two nights on August 19. On August 21, a friend from Shenyang named Zhang Guanku came to pick him up, planning to drive to Beijing with a few friends. However, as soon as they descended the stairs of his sister’s house, they were intercepted by Liu Yunpeng, the director of the Qidao Police Station of Yuanbao, Dandong City, and two other criminal police officers. They were taken back to Dandong and stabilized under strict control at Donghe Guesthouse. The four were kept together under close surveillance 24 hours a day.
Jiang Jiawen told a reporter from Da Ji Yuan, “It seems like we have to wait until after September 3 to be released from strict surveillance, but freedom will not be restored.”
Wu Lijuan, an unemployed worker from Qianjiang Industrial and Commercial Bank in Hubei, was coerced by maintenance personnel from the bank to get off the high-speed train at Xuchang Station on August 20. Although she has returned home, there are people monitoring outside her door. A surveillance camera is pointed directly at her front door from an electric pole near her house, leaving her with no privacy or freedom.