Recently, in the Chenghua community of Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, Ms. Xu Xinrui, a citizen, was allegedly locked up in a mental hospital for 8 years after reporting officials for gambling. The official investigation report of the case was recently released, sparking strong doubts among the public, demanding a third-party investigation and full participation of lawyers.
A research article titled “Female College Student Xu Xinrui Locked in Mental Hospital for 8 Years for Reporting Community Secretary’s Gambling” by mainland public welfare worker and independent investigator Wu Huaijun has garnered widespread attention. Concerned citizens formed a rescue group, human rights lawyers got involved, and the media followed up with articles, putting pressure on the authorities.
Under public pressure, the Chenghua community formed a joint investigation team and published the investigation report on December 2nd. The report largely refuted the independent investigation by Wu Huaijun. However, the official report has been widely questioned by netizens, with some suggesting that Xu Xinrui should do a live stream to tell the truth.
The investigation report stated that Xu Xinrui, a 2003 university graduate, was unemployed at home due to health reasons. Her parents passed away in 2003 and 2012, with no close relatives (only distant ones). In January 2017, she started living alone in the house inherited from her parents and later received care and treatment at the De Kang Hospital in Chengdu, the only municipal mental health welfare institution.
The report denied that Xu Xinrui ever worked in a library and that the Chenghua District Commission for Discipline Inspection has never received any report from Xu Xinrui herself or under her name accusing the community secretary of gambling in the library. It also found no evidence of gambling involving certain individuals at the community workplace.
Regarding the circulating claim that “Xu Xinrui was struck and labeled as ‘mentally ill’ as retaliation,” the report mentioned that after Xu’s mother’s death in 2012, she exhibited unusual behaviors such as dressing oddly, talking to herself for extended periods, and crying inexplicably. She was diagnosed with “schizophrenia” at Chengdu Fourth People’s Hospital on March 16, 2016, and assessed as “Level 2 mental disability” by the Chenghua District Federation of the Disabled.
The report further stated that on January 4, 2017, with the accompaniment of her distant relatives and community workers, Xu Xinrui was sent to De Kang Hospital for centralized care (including living assistance and rehabilitation). The report denied the claims of Xu Xinrui being “struck and labeled as mentally ill” as retaliation and dismissed the accusations of her being “restrained and shocked by electricity” in the hospital.
Experts assessed that Xu Xinrui currently lacks self-awareness and requires long-term monitoring and treatment to avoid fluctuations in her condition due to irregular medication, which could lead to impulsive behavior and self-harm risks, recommending continued hospitalization for treatment.
Wu Huaijun’s investigation was based on information provided by Ms. He, a fellow patient confined in the same ward at De Kang Mental Hospital, where Xu Xinrui was held. He had conversations with Xu Xinrui via the hospital phone under supervision, during which she pleaded softly before being forbidden from further calls.
Wu Huaijun stated that he also spoke with a hospital director about Xu Xinrui’s situation (with a recording). His investigation report was based on facts obtained from the parties involved and the hospital director, all of which were contradicted by the official investigation report.
The authenticity of this official investigation report has raised significant doubts among netizens. Some people expressed disbelief in every punctuation mark in the report; others called for Xu Xinrui to go live and explain the situation herself. There are demands for the Chenghua community to provide relevant audiovisual evidence of the investigation, have the investigation team members stamp and leave contact information, and have superiors confirm the investigation report with their stamp.
Questions have been raised about the community investigating itself. Some are requesting submission of documents proving distant relatives, pre-admission medical reports, and an evaluation of her current mental state by a third-party psychiatric hospital.
Some argue that local governments should not conduct the investigation themselves and that only a third party with full legal involvement can provide the most authentic investigative results, as it is the basic requirement of a rule of law society. Investigating oneself is a mere show!
The Xu Xinrui incident has sparked widespread attention from netizens and concerned citizens, yet authorities continue to delete relevant articles and shut down accounts. Netizens express concerns, saying, “The brutality of power makes people tremble!”
Despite official denials of all allegations, grassroots efforts to rescue Xu Xinrui persist. Activists from Wuxi, Jiangsu, including Ding Hongfen, Li Xufang, and Jiang Jianying, specially recorded videos in support, holding up banners saying, “Release Xu Xinrui.” They stated, “She has been locked in a mental hospital for 8 years for reporting the community secretary. If we choose to remain silent, when it eventually falls on us, who can we turn to? Even though she has no family, we are all her family. Caring for her means caring for ourselves!”