On December 10th, which marked International Human Rights Day, many petitioners in Shanghai gathered at People’s Park in Shanghai and later moved to the nearby Peninsula Hotel for a meal together. They held banners prepared for the occasion with messages like “International Human Rights Day” and “Concern for Deteriorating Human Rights” to take photos in commemoration of the day.
This day, Wednesday, also served as a day for receiving petitions, with a particularly high number of petitioners from various districts of Shanghai converging at the northeast corner park opposite the reception office.
Guo Guoping, a retired professor from Shanghai University and a human rights activist, told a reporter, “Today I met many foreigners, including a group from Belgium who were touring China. Because today is International Human Rights Day, I told them about the many injustices faced by us petitioners. I explained that our grievances have gone unresolved for decades. He gave me a thumbs-up in support.”
Around noon, the petitioners moved to the Peninsula Hotel near People’s Park for a meal, continuing to discuss human rights activism. Guo Guoping emphasized, “Today is International Human Rights Day, and we urge overseas justice advocates and media to pay attention to the deteriorating human rights situation in China.”
They then displayed the prepared banners and took photos in batches to memorialize the occasion. Guo Guoping expressed, “These petitioners in Shanghai have been fighting for their rights for decades without proper channels for redress, only facing consistent government suppression. We deeply empathize with their plight! Despite China having a permanent seat on the UN Human Rights Council, the human rights situation remains dire and oppressive. Many of us have been imprisoned, oppressed, poisoned, or even killed. We hope this opportunity can attract attention from international media.”
Song Jiahong, the person who published the list of black prisons in Shanghai, also shared his views on the state of human rights in China on International Human Rights Day. He remarked, “Present-day China faces four major crises: judicial chaos, distribution chaos, food safety chaos, and healthcare chaos. It also employs three deceits: the ability for citizens to petition officials, the use of the petition system to address problems, and financial management. Further, there are two negative forces: urban management officials and black security guards. All under the dominance of one party: the Communist Party. Yet the general public finds themselves in a state of anxiety, worry, and fear!”