For the past period, Chinese people who have participated in protests against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) outside the consulate in Los Angeles have reflected that their relatives in China have been threatened by CCP national security agents, police, or other personnel trying to silence them abroad. This has caused great concern among their families. Zhang Ren, a former Chinese human rights lawyer living in the western United States, pointed out that the actions of these police are completely illegal.
In recent years, following the outbreak of the CCP virus pandemic, a large number of Chinese people have come to the United States through means such as travel, studying abroad, or other avenues to escape human rights persecution in China. As they learn more about the dark truths of the CCP’s tyranny, they actively participate in anti-CCP demonstrations. The CCP authorities then collect information on their activities and proceed to threaten their family members in China.
Hailing from Huaihua, Hunan, Xiang Guiyuan was censored on Weibo before leaving the country for sharing the truth about the Iron Chain Girl and Tangshan Barbecue Shop assault incidents. Police visited her hometown, but as she no longer resided there, her whereabouts were not disclosed.
After participating in the June 4th commemorative activities in Los Angeles last year and this year, CCP police called her parents to intimidate them. Xiang expressed her worries for her parents, saying they accused her of engaging in illegal activities overseas, tears streaming down her face.
However, Xiang Guiyuan stated that the long arm of the CCP’s jurisdiction does not affect her. “Since I came to the United States, I am not afraid of their tactics. America upholds human rights, and I have the freedom of speech. If they think this can threaten me, they are wrong,” she said.
Before coming to the U.S. from Hefei, Anhui at the end of 2022, Yang Zhi was taken away by the police for “tea drinking” that same evening after expressing his views on WeChat moments during the pandemic lockdown period. Around the time of this year’s June 4th anniversary, after participating in a memorial event outside the Los Angeles consulate, three police officers and community personnel visited his parents to intimidate them, demanding his return to China.
To date, his parents have been threatened three times. Yang Zhi said, “My mother is very frightened. They even said, ‘The State Security Bureau is looking for your son, make your son return to China voluntarily!” The group accused his parents of not properly supervising and educating their son, and his illiterate mother was very scared, thinking he had committed a serious crime.
Authorities resort to threatening parents in order to control their children, which Yang Zhi finds absurd. “If officials who are corrupt and take bribes also should arrest their parents and ask how they educated their children? I am simply peacefully protesting and have not done anything unreasonable. The Communist Party is ‘allowing officials to set fires but not allowing the people to light lamps.'”
After participating in the June 4th commemorative event outside the consulate, Li Jicheng from Shandong had his parents in Tai’an threatened by the police: “On June 7th, the police came to my house and threatened my parents, asking me to return to China voluntarily, saying that I could be sentenced and advising me to behave better here and not do anything that affects the regime. My father is very frightened.”
Li Jicheng said he was “very angry.” “What I do overseas is what a normal person should do, in line with human rights.”
CCP police claim “parents failed to educate properly, leading their children to protest against the CCP,” to which Zhang Ren, a former Beijing human rights lawyer familiar with mainland Chinese law, believes it is quite the contrary. “The child is capable of distinguishing between right and wrong, exhibiting independent thinking and void of the lure of benefits, which signifies a successful form of education.”
Zhang Ren emphasized that the act of police threatening the parents of citizens is entirely illegal. “Once a child reaches 18 years old, they are legally independent individuals responsible for their actions, and parents should not be involved nor hold any liability. According to the CCP’s Civil Code, every individual possesses an independent personality and human dignity that should not be interfered with. The police’s accusations against parents lack legal basis.”
Zhang Ren stressed that the legality of an action should be judged according to the laws of the jurisdiction where it occurs, and protesting outside the Chinese consulate in the U.S. is beyond the CCP’s authority.
Witnessing more and more young Chinese people speaking out against the CCP, he stated, “They should be encouraged. If more young people in China can resist brainwashing and genuinely stand up against the regime, then there is hope for China.”
Last Saturday (15th), during the “CCP Centennial Atrocities Photo Exhibition” organized by the China Democratic Party’s full committee at Ding Pangzi Democratic Square, it was advised that overseas Chinese should preserve evidence of harassment and threats by CCP police against their family members in China and report it to the FBI, as grounds for future visa restrictions and accountability.