Chinese Petitioners Blocked From Lodging Complaints During CCPs Annual Political Meetings

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has detained, monitored, and intercepted petitioners seeking to bring grievances to Beijing during the country’s annual political meetings, according to petitioners and rights advocates. Several individuals have been reported missing after being taken into custody.China’s annual parliamentary gathering, known as the “Two Sessions,” began in Beijing on March 4 and is expected to last a week. During this time, local governments typically intensify “stability maintenance” operations aimed at preventing petitioners from traveling to the capital to present complaints about official misconduct, land disputes, or court rulings.In China, petitioning is an administrative system for hearing public complaints and grievances. Many petitioners travel to Beijing to seek justice for their grievances. In practice, it is widely reported by human rights groups that the regime routinely dismisses petitioners and often persecutes those who are dissatisfied with the CCP’s authoritarian rule.Recent cases reported by petitioners suggest that controls have tightened nationwide, with some individuals being confined in hotels under guard, returned to their home provinces, or held in informal detention facilities often referred to by activists as “black jails.”Petitioners Detained in BeijingSeveral petitioners from Shanghai were detained or forced back to their home city after attempting to petition in Beijing.Liu Dongbao, a petitioner from Shanghai, traveled to Beijing after evading police surveillance. On March 8, Beijing police checked his identification near the Zhongnanhai leadership compound and sent him to Jiujingzhuang, a facility in Beijing commonly used to hold petitioners before they are returned to their home regions.Other petitioners from the southwestern city of Chongqing have also been detained or lost contact with friends and relatives after traveling to Beijing.On March 8, siblings Zhang Cuiying and Zhang Shiyin, who were once petitioners, arrived at Beijing People’s Hospital seeking medical treatment but were stopped by police shortly after exiting their vehicle and taken to a police station. Their current situation remains unclear.Two other petitioners, Wei Wenyuan and Zou Maoshu, said they were intercepted on March 6 inside the compound of China’s National Petition Bureau by unidentified personnel who checked their identification against what they described as a blacklist.They said they were then taken to a small holding room where multiple petitioners from different regions were confined and were not allowed to use their mobile phones.In another case, three Chongqing petitioners—Jiang Kaibi, Liu Guangfen, and Zhao Weizhi—were confined by state security personnel at a building in Beijing on March 4. Liu and Zhao are both disabled.Liu had previously alleged corruption involving local officials and had reported that she faced retaliation in 2020. Before losing contact, she issued a statement saying that if she disappeared, it would likely be due to reprisals by local officials.A petitioner from the southeastern province of Fujian was hospitalized after allegedly being held for two days by local officials in Beijing.Zhang Nijun, from Xiamen, registered a complaint at the National Petition Bureau on March 4 but was later persuaded by local government personnel to get into a vehicle and was then held for nearly two days, according to other petitioners.During that time, she was denied water and access to a restroom. Another petitioner familiar with Zhang’s case told The Epoch Times that Zhang experienced numbness in her limbs and repeatedly requested emergency medical assistance, which was refused. She was eventually abandoned on a sidewalk, where passersby called an ambulance.Another petitioner from Fujian, Wang Xiuying, traveled to Beijing for the first time in late February after pursuing a land dispute for more than two decades. However, she was stopped by personnel from her home region.Wang had long accused local authorities of improperly transferring more than 400 acres of village land to a private party in 2000.Another petitioner familiar with her case told The Epoch Times that Wang had repeatedly sought legal review from courts and regime agencies but was met with disregard. The courts and agencies kept referring the matter back and forth without reaching a definitive resolution.Petitioners Restricted NationwideRegime officials in other provinces have also intensified monitoring of petitioners during political meetings, even before petitioners attempted to travel to Beijing.In Liaoning province, petitioner Jiang Jiawen told The Epoch Times that local police entered his hotel room on March 8 and beat him before threatening detention. Jiang said he has been under close surveillance for more than four years and is not allowed to travel outside the city.In Gansu province, petitioner Sun Jinxiu told The Epoch Times that she has been confined in a hotel room for more than a week. She said the door handle inside the room had been removed, so it could only be opened from the outside. Sun said she was stopped by police on Feb. 28 while visiting a friend and later placed under round-the-clock guard.Li Xi contributed to this report.