Recently, a “crime of speech” case in Yunnan, China has sparked widespread attention. A local parent was detained for four days for commenting on the dismissal of the education bureau director on WeChat Moments, but the situation took a turn under public pressure.
On the afternoon of September 20, the Yuanjiang County Public Security Bureau voluntarily revoked the previous administrative penalty decision, deeming it “procedurally unlawful and inappropriate.” The deputy director of the Public Security Bureau apologized to the party involved, Gao Guanghua, in person and paid a compensation of 1902.08 yuan.
The incident can be traced back to July of this year. Gao Guanghua, a parent of a student, questioned the practice of requiring parents to check in twice a day during the summer vacation as being formalistic. After multiple reports to various departments, it attracted media attention.
On September 1, after learning of the dismissal of County Education Bureau Director Li Wengang, Gao Guanghua commented on WeChat Moments: “Because of the check-in incident causing a major public outcry, Director Li was dismissed. I didn’t mean to, but I hope Deputy County Governor Yang, who is in charge of education and culture, will also be dismissed.”
That evening, Li Wengang chose to report to the police. The Yuanjiang County Public Security Bureau deemed Gao Guanghua as having “fabricated facts without verification, causing harm to the personality rights and reputation of others,” and imposed a four-day administrative detention on him.
However, the Yuanjiang County Organization Department later clarified that Li Wengang’s job adjustment was a normal lateral transfer, not a dismissal, and he had been in the same position for 3 years and 9 months.
Gao Guanghua did not accept the penalty decision and applied for administrative reconsideration to the Yuanjiang County Government on September 17, requesting confirmation that the Public Security Bureau’s penalty decision was unlawful, and applying for 1902.08 yuan in state compensation and 1 yuan in mental distress compensation.
Under public scrutiny, the Yuanjiang County Public Security Bureau eventually revoked the penalty decision on its own initiative. Gao Guanghua stated that he had experienced significant psychological pressure during this period, which had severely impacted his work and life.
This case has sparked widespread discussion on the internet, with the public questioning law enforcement standards and the limits of freedom of speech.
Many netizens commented, “Who is responsible for issuing the penalty decision? How should law enforcement officers involved in the false case created by the abuse of power be dealt with? Since it is a loss caused by law enforcement officers’ intentional misconduct, why use state compensation?”
“Taxpayers’ money is wasted like this – arbitrary penalties, and then using taxpayers’ money for compensation. Law enforcement officers who do not understand the law have no right to enforce it arbitrarily. If their professional capabilities are insufficient, they should be removed from their positions to avoid further harm to the public interest.”
“The criminal responsibility of the relevant law enforcement officers for ‘abuse of power’ should be pursued. Public power should not be entrusted to those who only mechanically execute orders!”
“Who can restrain the illegal behavior of certain law enforcement officers? They treat the law as a child’s play, which is truly worrying!”
“The abuse of power has reached an alarming level! Can it be so lightly resolved? The issue of the deputy county governor should also be investigated together.”