Shaanxi Petitioners Renew Corruption Claims After Appeal to Beijing Goes Unanswered

More than 250 petitioners in northwestern China’s Shaanxi province are renewing calls for an investigation into alleged judicial corruption and retaliation by local officials, after an earlier appeal submitted during China’s annual political meetings went unanswered.In a joint letter first filed in March during the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) high-profile “Two Sessions” meetings, 256 petitioners appealed to top CCP officials, including National People’s Congress Standing Committee Chairman Zhao Leji and senior anti-corruption official Li Xi, urging intervention in a series of unresolved grievances. Weeks later, they say they have received no response.In China, there is an administrative petitioning system for hearing public complaints and grievances. In practice, it is widely reported by witnesses and human rights groups that the regime routinely dismisses petitioners and often persecutes those who openly criticize or express dissatisfaction with the CCP.Now, the petitioner group has gone public with their demands, calling for a comprehensive probe into what they describe as systemic abuses within the provincial law enforcement and judicial system.“[We made this] public because we were afraid the letters would once again disappear without a trace,” Li Ming, a rights advocate familiar with the case, told The Epoch Times. He said many of the signatories have been persecuted by the regime.Treatment of PetitionersThe petitioners outlined three main demands: regime authorities to accept and investigate their complaints against the provincial procuratorate; hold officials who obstruct the petitioning system or retaliate against complainants accountable; and release detained petitioner Guo Shiyuan and his wife.Guo was detained in August 2025 after years of reporting alleged misconduct by a senior provincial prosecutor. He and his wife were taken into custody by police in Xi’an, China, and have remained in detention since, according to the petition.Several petitioners told The Epoch Times their efforts to seek redress were repeatedly blocked, even during an inspection tour last year by the regime’s disciplinary team assigned to Shaanxi.Thousands of residents attempted to submit complaints during the inspection, they said, but faced significant obstacles. In some cases, even basic channels for petitioning were disrupted.One petitioner, identified as Zhang Yi, said postal workers refused to allow senders to address complaints directly to the head of the inspection team, citing unspecified orders from superiors. “Normal petitioning channels were artificially cut off,” Zhang said.Among the cases cited was that of Wang Xiaogang, who died in detention in July 2024. His sister, Wang Xiaoqin, told The Epoch Times that he was subjected to prolonged abuse at a detention center.She said surveillance footage showed her brother losing consciousness multiple times, sometimes for hours, without receiving medical attention. She also accused detention center staff of encouraging other inmates to assault him.Systemic InjusticeSeveral petitioners criticized China’s “local responsibility” system, under which complaints are typically handled by local authorities in the same jurisdiction being accused of wrongdoing.“My complaints are always sent back to the very people I’m accusing,” Wang Xiaoqin said. “This system has turned Shaanxi into a place beyond the law.”Another petitioner, Shi Xiuju, told The Epoch Times the structure creates an inherent conflict of interest. “The same authorities act as both defendant and enforcer. Without changing this, wrongful cases will only continue to pile up,” she said.For some, the grievances stretch back years. Li Qihong, a petitioner from Shaanxi Province, told The Epoch Times her family has faced sustained pressure from local authorities after seeking accountability for her father’s death in a mining accident.She alleged that her mother died during the prolonged campaign for justice, and that her sister was abducted and assaulted by individuals linked to local criminal groups.Li said she filed complaints with the regime’s central authorities against multiple local officials and alleged organized crime figures, but instead faced retaliation.“The system is deeply broken, and the justice system is corrupt,” she said. “But we will keep going. We just hope to see daylight one day.”So far, the Chinese regime has not publicly responded to the petitioners’ allegations, and Chinese state-controlled media have remained silent on the case.Hong Ning contributed to this report.