During the period of annual meetings in Beidaihe from July to August, the Chinese Communist authorities are always on high alert. This week, in addition to the extensive inspections by the National Bureau of Letters and Calls, petitioners arriving at Beijing station are being intercepted and blocked by Beijing police and local stability maintenance personnel, leaving many of them out of contact.
On the morning of July 23 at around 5:30 a.m., petitioner Zhang Zhi Fa from Fengjie County, Chongqing, was intercepted by Wang Xianjun, a police officer from the Fengjie County Public Security Bureau, along with two social idlers in the waiting room at Beijing West Railway Station.
According to some petitioners, Zhang Zhi Fa was heading to Beijing this time to report petition issues to the National Bureau of Letters and Calls and exercise her legal rights as a citizen to petition. However, law enforcement officers obstructed her and prevented her from going to the National Bureau of Letters and Calls. Zhang Zhi Fa’s current whereabouts are unknown.
On the same day, petitioners Wang Yanping, Wang Yanwei, and Wang Zhongwei from Xianju County, Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, all lost contact in Beijing. Wang Yanping and Wang Yanwei went missing after being abducted by unknown individuals after leaving the reception at the National Bureau of Letters and Calls. Wang Zhongwei, who went to the post office on Fuyou Street in Xicheng District, had his ID checked by Beijing police and was detained, leading to his disappearance.
Around 9 a.m. on July 21, Zhang Qiuping from Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, was kidnapped near the Supreme People’s Court of Beijing by several unidentified individuals, forcibly pushed into a vehicle, had her phone and ID seized, rendering her unable to report to the police or seek help.
The next day, Zhang Qiuping was taken back to Xi’an and got her phone back. She urgently sent out a message stating she was being held in a certain location within the jurisdiction of Daimao Street Office, Lintong District, Xi’an. “My personal freedom is restricted, phone communication is controlled, and I am in extreme danger! I am a law-abiding citizen, petitioning for rights in accordance with the law, but encountered illegal violence, abduction, and coercion, which seriously violate the law and have crossed the legal bottom line. I earnestly request assistance from all sectors to call the relevant departments to file complaints.”
Petitioner Wang Jie from Ningxia was also reported missing on July 21. Wang Jie’s wife, Li Mei Wang, told Epoch Times, “Wang Jie went to Beijing on June 28 to report issues and went missing on the night of July 21. I have been calling the Beijing citizen hotline and Beijing 110 to help find Wang Jie. On the morning of July 22, Wang Jie called me via video, saying he was forcefully taken to Zhongning City, Ningxia, and faces a 15-day detention.”
Wang Jie is detained, and so far, his family has not received any written notification from the police.
Additionally, the Central Inspection Team had been stationed across the country as of July 20. On July 23, retired professor Chunshu from Guizhou posted a message on a WeChat group: “The central inspection team is in Guizhou. It’s said they set up an office on the second floor of the provincial bureau of letters and calls and will work for two and a half months.” On July 24, national security agents visited her home and warned her not to go.
Chunshu said, “They are watching me closely and not allowing me to go, so I can’t do anything. People from Sichuan are resourceful; is there anyone who can help me?”
According to a petitioner from Shanghai, Chen Tinglan, who was intercepted by the local government at the end of June when traveling, escaped from the secret prison on Chongming Island on July 10 to report petition issues to the inspection team. Concerns about her safety are growing among petitioners.
The Central Inspection Team entered Fuzhou, Fujian Province, where many petitioners from Fujian were confined at home and not allowed to go out. Chen Guang, a petitioner from Fuqing, was warned not to go to Fuzhou, so he had to opt for mailing his petition materials to the inspection team.
During sensitive times, traveling may lead to interception or restriction of personal freedom. However, even mailing cannot guarantee safety from accidents. Chen Guang told Epoch Times, “On July 24, the tracking information of the letter I sent from Ningde, Fujian, showed that the delivery location on the 24th and 25th was different. After filing a complaint with postal customer service, it was only marked as delivered around 6 p.m. on the 25th. Based on the postal tracking and timing, I suspect that the material may not have been delivered smoothly or intact.”