On November 1st, human rights lawyer Wang Yu was released after being unlawfully detained for 9 days in the Weixian County Detention Center in Handan, Hebei Province. During her detention, she had been on a hunger strike to protest, resulting in severe dehydration and extreme physical weakness. By the time she was released, she was unable to walk or speak, and her husband Bao Longjun and others had to urgently take her to receive medical treatment.
Bao Longjun told Radio Free Asia that on the morning of that day, he, along with lawyer Shi Yu and other relatives, arrived at the detention center in Weixian County, and only saw Wang Yu being assisted out around 8 am.
At that time, Wang Yu was “hunched over and clearly unable to walk,” so he had to carry her on his back. He described it as feeling like carrying a ball of cotton, very light, possibly only about 70 pounds. Wang Yu also told him that she had coughed up some blood in the early hours of the day. Bao Longjun immediately called for a car to take Wang Yu to the hospital for treatment.
According to Bao Longjun, the conditions at the Weixian County Detention Center were extremely poor. They were given only a bowl of rice soup, a steamed bun, and a little pickled vegetables each day. There was no drinking water provided, only tap water. Baths could only be taken with cold water, and on a scheduled basis. Wang Yu initially started the hunger strike but requested hot water due to her stomach issues. The detention center refused to provide hot water, leading to her not having any water to drink, which significantly contributed to her weakened state.
Bao Longjun mentioned that the next plan is to take Wang Yu to hospitals in Beijing and Tianjin for further medical examinations and to legally challenge the unlawful restriction of personal freedom by the Weixian County police. He emphasized the importance of taking some legal actions despite the lack of rule of law in the country, as a way to speak out on their behalf.
Prior to this incident, Wang Yu and other lawyers like Jiang Tianyong went to Weixian County on October 23 to represent the case of Liu Meixiang. When Liu Meixiang’s husband, Qiu Bin, took photos with his phone, special police officers forcibly took his phone, leading to a confrontation and Wang Yu being taken away after she called the police.
Bao Longjun informed NTD Television that Wang Yu was quietly sitting outside the door at that time, and suddenly over a dozen police officers and auxiliary officers dragged her violently and put her in a cage. She was then taken to the Weicheng Town Police Station, where she refused a physical examination and was physically assaulted by the police officer in charge, Cao Ran, resulting in a left arm injury. She was not allowed to sleep and had to sit in the police station all night.
He expressed that Wang Yu’s refusal to comply with the unlawful summons by the police led to her being retaliated against with a 9-day unlawful detention. Wang Yu was outraged by the illegal actions of the Weixian County police in enforcing the law, leading her to protest against the unjust restriction of personal freedom and the treatment in the detention center through a hunger strike.
As of now, after a day of emergency treatment, Wang Yu is out of danger. Bao Longjun’s message on X platform on the 1st mentioned, “Wang Yu has shown some improvement after eating.”
In response to this, Chinese human rights lawyer residing in the United States, Yu Pinjian, stated, “The way human rights lawyers protest should have been in the courtroom using facts, evidence, and law to defend the rights of the parties involved. However, now human rights lawyers are being forced to resort to hunger strikes to defend their basic rights, which is truly a sign of the times’ sorrow. This indicates that the legal system human rights lawyers rely on has collapsed, and their hopes of using the legal system to safeguard rights and achieve their legal goals have become very difficult, almost impossible.”
Former professor at the Central Party School of the CCP, Cai Xia, also expressed on X platform, “In the walled-off country, brave lawyers are risking their lives to uphold the dignity of their profession and promote social justice. Since 2015, Wang Yu has faced severe persecution by the authorities on multiple occasions, and one day, this account will be settled. Salute to Lawyer Wang Yu!”