**Shanghai Retired Teacher and Rights Activists Sent Back from Beijing After Attempt to Petition**
Shanghai University retired teacher and rights activists Gu Guoping, along with Shanghai petitioner Liang Xiuying and Liu Jiemei, went to Beijing to petition. On the afternoon of September 10th, they went to the post office opposite Zhongnanhai to mail their petition materials but were intercepted by police from the Fuyou Street police station and later taken to Jiujing Zhuang. That same evening, they were sent back by the Shanghai office in Beijing. Gu Guoping, who is suffering from a serious illness, urgently needed to go to the hospital for treatment but was informed that he was suspected of “provoking trouble” and might be detained.
On the morning of September 11th, Gu Guoping received a call from the Zhoujiaqiao Street office in Changning District, Shanghai, stating that he was engaged in an illegal petition in Beijing and would face criminal detention upon his return to Shanghai. Gu Guoping, suffering from cancer, severe diabetes, heart disease, and consistently high blood pressure around 200, has been repeatedly detained by the authorities in violation of regulations, putting his life in jeopardy multiple times.
Gu Guoping told a reporter from Epoch Times, “We went to the State Council petition office at 6 o’clock on September 10th and waited in line until 4 o’clock in the afternoon but still couldn’t get a number. I couldn’t endure the physical strain anymore. We had no place to register by card, so in helplessness, we could only go to the nearest place (the post office opposite Zhongnanhai) to mail our petition materials.”
They were intercepted by police at the Fuyou Street in Zhongnanhai West Gate. The police asked, “Are you here to mail letters or to raise issues? If you’re here to mail letters, then just go ahead. There’s no need to go to the Fuyou Street police station. If you’re here to raise issues, then get on the police car and go to the Fuyou Street police station to register.”
Gu Guoping said they were there to appeal for problem resolution and was then taken to the Fuyou Street police station. Liang Xiuying said she was there to mail letters and was let go, but shortly after leaving, she was intercepted by other police officers from different police stations. Subsequently, all three individuals were taken to Jiujing Zhuang and later transferred to the Beijing Aid Center located near the Beijing South Railway Station run by the Shanghai office in Beijing.
At 8 o’clock in the morning of September 11th at the Beijing Aid Center, due to lack of good sleep the previous night, Gu Guoping felt very dizzy and couldn’t eat, so he checked his blood pressure, which spiked to 196 mmHg.
Gu Guoping said, “I am seriously ill. I went for a check-up at the tumor hospital two days ago, and the doctor said the cancer cells may have spread. We had arranged to return to Shanghai for further examination and treatment.”
However, the Changning District Zhoujiaqiao Street office called stating that he was there for an illegal petition and was suspected of provocation, and upon return, he would face criminal detention. Gu Guoping is concerned that upon his return, he may face retaliation and there’s a possibility of being thrown into detention without receiving necessary treatment.
Gu Guoping said, “The Changning District government and the police believe that my act of mailing letters at Zhongnanhai was provocation, which I deny. I went to the leadership because I trust them. If I didn’t, why would I go to them? I came to solve problems. If they send me to prison upon my return, it proves that the leadership at Zhongnanhai is not good. So, if the people I seek help from are good, and you throw me into detention, then it means you are the ones provoking trouble. Now, I want to see if the Changning District government will show humanitarianism and send me to the hospital for treatment after I return to Shanghai.”
He further added, “I am seriously ill, and after nearly 25 years of petitioning, my issues have not been resolved. My parents were forced to death in a nursing home. I was injured during a petition and have had no results yet. So, I want to take this opportunity to call on netizens nationwide, relevant leaders, and friends overseas to pay attention to my situation.”
Accompanying petitioner Liu Jiemei, whose house was illegally demolished in 1999 without proper resettlement, and her daughter’s hukou was moved without notice, depriving her daughter of her rights and leading to her daughter’s mental illness. In 2000, her husband also committed suicide due to pressure from petitioning for rights.
Liu Jiemei said, “I am homeless now without a place to live. The case of my 26-year petition submitted to the Supreme Court has not been resolved. Instead, I have been repeatedly beaten and injured in court. Two decades of petitioning pressure has led to my heart disease, cancer, and overall illness. I hope to receive proper resettlement and compensation for my daughter’s medical expenses.”