Amidst the Chinese Communist Party’s vigilant preparation for the September 3rd military parade, local governments are intensifying surveillance of dissidents. Huang Chun, a retired professor from Guizhou National University, who has been exposing local corruption and criticizing government policies for years, has once again become a “key target.” According to sources, the number of personnel monitoring her residence has increased from 5 to 7, with round-the-clock surveillance.
A resident in the same community as Huang Chun, Ms. Liu, told Epoch Times on the 21st that Huang Chun could lose contact with the outside world at any time, and the situation is urgent: “There used to be 5 people downstairs in her house every day, but now it has increased to 7. For the sake of her life, she is afraid to contact the central inspectorate, but the situation of Professor Huang must be made known to the outside world.”
Ms. Liu also mentioned that on August 15th, Huang Chun had a whistleblower letter sent by a Hubei visitor to the central inspectorate. However, the letter subsequently fell into the hands of local public security. The next day, the state security personnel in Huaxi District, Guiyang City, brought this letter to warn Hubei rights defender Peng Feng not to contact Huang Chun. She said, “On August 18 and 19, the heads of the security office and the retirees office of Guizhou National University also visited, directly stating that if Huang Chun continues to report to the central discipline inspection committee, she may be demoted or even have her pension reduced.”
For over seven years, Huang Chun has been under close surveillance, unable to go out freely, and often prohibited from contacting the media, students, and rights activist groups.
Mr. Zhang told Epoch Times that although he is worried about retaliation from the state security, he believes that Huang Chun’s situation must be made known to the public. Huang Chun has been abducted, had her home raided, subjected to torture interrogations, and placed under house arrest multiple times for exposing the corruption of local public security and officials. “She was stripped and humiliated during administrative detention and learned from fellow female prisoners about public security engaging in prostitution without paying. She also exposed that the Guizhou Public Security Office in Beijing set up gambling dens and took bribes, making her a key target for the entire province’s public security crackdown.”
Years ago, Huang Chun told reporters that she had long been blacklisted from entering and leaving the country, unable to visit her only child living overseas. The judicial system in Guizhou also repeatedly rejected her lawsuits and petitions, preventing her from petitioning in Beijing.
In October 2019, Huang Chun was administratively detained for 15 days on charges of “disturbing social order” for reposting images related to Hong Kong protests and “June 4th” on WeChat and Twitter. During this period, she was held in a military base in Guiyang instead of a regular detention center. She later told Radio Free Asia, “I was stripped and subjected to body searches. The detention site was heavily guarded, and it was said to have held tens of thousands of people.”
A rights activist from Hubei who knows Huang Chun, Mr. Zeng, told reporters that the September 3rd military parade in Beijing is considered one of the most sensitive periods by the authorities. “From the actions against Huang Chun in Guizhou, we can see that they do not allow her to engage with society or friends, so as not to cause trouble for the central government. Their ‘stability maintenance first’ mindset actually treats elderly people like Professor Huang as a threat.”
He believes that this governance model not only violates basic human rights but also has the potential to escalate social conflicts. “The harsher the suppression, the greater the backlash might be. Movements like the Blank Paper Movement in Shanghai or protests in Jiangyou, Sichuan, are all pushed to the surface.”
Multiple sources indicate that as the September 3rd military parade approaches, rights activists and dissidents across China are being summoned by state security. Starting from August 24th, more people will face travel restrictions and may even be forcibly removed from their residences.
In her seventies, Huang Chun has been continuously suppressed for exposing government corruption and criticizing policies. Informants describe that her life has been almost deprived of freedom, “even going out to see friends poses a risk, and she is likely to disappear soon.”
An observer concerned about human rights in mainland China told reporters, “They have resorted to such harsh measures against a retired female professor in her seventies, showing how insecure they are. While it may seem that Xi is hosting a grand military parade with columns of military vehicles, in reality, people are being silenced. True stability won’t be maintained through these methods but by caring for vulnerable groups and having an open attitude towards free speech.”