Escalation of Li Yixue Incident: Authorities Crack Down, Public Continues Fearless Support

December 24, 2024 Epoch Times News —

The mental illness incident involving Li Yixue from Jiangxi continues to escalate. Authorities have issued a second notice stating that Li Yixue has been diagnosed with mental issues and has been sent for treatment. Following the backlash from online public opinion after the notice was released, authorities have completely blocked any content related to Li Yixue and even arrested lawyers who were advocating for her in live streams.

On December 22, the Nanchang Police Department in Jiangxi issued a notice, stating that the Beijing Anding Hospital, commissioned by the local Kuai Zi Alley Police Station, conducted an assessment at Li Yixue’s home on December 13 at midnight (from 11:45 pm to 12:55 am), claiming that the entire process was “recorded audio-visually according to law and regulations.”

From the distress call video posted by Li Yixue on the Douyin platform at the time, she accused over a dozen people from the Kuai Zi Alley Police Station of forcibly entering her home, damaging the surveillance camera at the entrance. Subsequently, Li disappeared from the internet, leading to a widespread search for her.

The official notice also stated that according to the assessment conducted by Beijing Anding Hospital on the 21st, Li Yixue was diagnosed with “compulsive disorders, personality disorders, and was deemed fully responsible for identification and control when implementing illegal behaviors.” On the 22nd, the community street office “legally and appropriately sent her for treatment.”

The latest notice from the authorities has angered those who were originally searching for the missing Li Yixue online. Netizens expressed that their bottom line of understanding has been further shattered. A netizen from Jiangsu even protested on the 24th using the argument of not procreating, “With this situation, do you still want us to give birth, or hope that our children become part of the reproductive army? I will not encourage or urge my children to marry and have children because in this kind of environment, we cannot protect the next generation. So why bring them into this world?”

Using the screen name “Not Annoying Lawyer,” a lawyer from Liaoning on the 24th raised various questions about the Li Yixue case, such as whether the “Mental Health Law” was strictly followed, the existence of being “diagnosed with mental illness,” the necessity of compulsory treatment for compulsive and personality disorders, whether violent behavior occurred, if the admission process complied with legal procedures, whether she needs to respond directly, whether there was a forced medical treatment situation regarding mental illness, and where the societal public safety boundary lies.

A lawyer from Beijing questioned whether the second notice from the authorities involved compulsory medical treatment issues. The 23rd, Lawyer Fang Jian, who was live-streaming the latest news about Li Yixue by the roadside, was directly kidnapped by the police to the police station. At the time, there were thousands of people watching the live stream, and he was only released under public pressure.

A blogger named “Ah Yun Chatting” from Jiangxi on the 23rd also questioned the Nanchang Public Security Bureau, “Can the audio-video recording process be made public following the law and regulations?” He raised three more questions, “First, which hospital was she sent to for treatment? Second, since she is a patient, can we visit her? Third, can her treatment be made public?”

A netizen named “Amber” from Zhejiang on the 23rd also asked, “What does ‘sent for treatment according to the law’ mean? Is it compulsory treatment? Compulsive disorders and personality disorders are often not considered severe mental disorders requiring compulsory medical treatment. Patients with severe risks to their own safety or the safety of others are the only ones who can be subjected to compulsory medical treatment. Compulsory medical treatment needs to be determined by judicial authorities (such as the courts) rather than unilaterally decided by the police or hospitals.”

Netizens questioned, “It’s not even the police sending for treatment, but the street office. Since when did a street office have law enforcement authority?”

A netizen from Shenzhen, “Stammering Little Yu,” believed the notification was really shocking, stating, “The final sentence ‘sent for treatment,’ brief and cold, doesn’t clarify anything. Do personality disorders need treatment, how should it be treated? Clearly having full capacity for action, what is the basis for sending her for treatment, could it involve coercive and torturous treatment methods again, all these things make people anxious. Finally, this notice is avoiding the main issues, not mentioning a single word about the past incorrect diagnoses and forced treatments, maybe her current personality disorder was caused by the inhumane treatment in the past!”

After the latest notice from the authorities, videos of Li Yixue and all content supporting and advocating for her have been taken down, even a single comment in the social media comment section could be deleted at any moment. Li Yixue’s account on social media cannot be followed. Any videos related to Li Yixue have the sharing function restricted on social media platforms.

In response, the public is engaging in a battle of wits with the authorities on various platforms, anonymously quoting highlights from Li Yixue’s previous videos to counter the platform’s crackdown.

A Mr. Ye from Chengdu, Sichuan, on the 23rd quoted a prediction made by Li Yixue in a live stream that the Nanchang police might take action next, “If you don’t listen, they will send you to a mental hospital, make you disappear once, and then you can disappear twice.” He sarcastically commented, “Even when everyone thought it was a joke, it turned out to be true!”

On the same day, a netizen named “Bella” called out to Nanchang, “What’s happening in Nanchang today?” Comment section netizens followed up with the Li Yixue incident to keep the discussion lively. A netizen from Shandong replied, “All 1.4 billion people know what’s going on, hope the girl is safe.”

A netizen from Guangxi responded using Li Yixue’s words, “If they want you to kneel, you kneel, if you insist on standing up, that’s a compulsory mental disorder. In this case, they can forcibly place you in a mental hospital for various electroshock therapies.”

A netizen named “Momo” from Yunnan on the 24th also quoted Li Yixue, “If you dare report, whether or not you are sick, they will send you to a mental hospital and lock you up! If you dare speak out, they will send you in again!” The netizen warned, “You have no right to lock her up! Release that girl.”

Netizens further questioned, “What is a compulsory disorder and personality disorder, are they types of mental illnesses? Has psychiatric terminology been created to control people?”

A netizen named “Jin Lulu” from Hubei expressed, “Every day I will search for where there is snow, it will definitely leave traces. As long as you are willing to strive for snow, I don’t want the snow to disappear.”

A blogger named “Winter Long” from Guangdong said, “Being in Guangdong but my heart is in Nanchang! It’s getting darker and darker! What is light! Why is it so dark, can’t see any hope.”

On the 24th, a netizen named “Guangdong Little Sweet Potato” warned, “Based on this, in the future, the diagnosis of ‘mental illness’ has an unlimited expansion trend, and all aspects of society will not be spared… This should also include the ‘initiator of being diagnosed with mental illness’!”

Even a blogger from Guangdong is engaged in a tug-of-war with platforms, “Countless Li Yixues will stand up and speak out, but we will never give up on defending our legitimate rights. Li Yixue, you shine light for the people, inspiring us forever! If restricted, post again! If restricted a second time, post again! If completely restricted, post for the third time!”

Mr. Zhang from Tianjin, who is following Li Yixue’s news, told Epoch Times on the 24th that ubiquitous evil and atrocities are the inevitable products of the CCP’s dictatorship. “Such incidents are common in China, meaning that anyone who exposes the evil and atrocities of the CCP will be treated as hostile forces, ending up in a prison cell or being killed. I have experienced and witnessed too many evil deeds and atrocities of the CCP.”

He further stated, “The CCP will suppress folk reposts and opinions. Events like the Li Yixue incident are indicative of universality. The CCP fears people’s violent resistance and hence adopts various means, both online and offline, to monitor people’s speech.”

A wave of sketches with “mental illness” themes has emerged online to express support for Li Yixue and protest against the authorities.

The Jiangxi Provincial Mental Hospital (Jiangxi Mental Health Center), located at 43 Shangfang Road in Nanchang, is a publicly-funded institution under the Nanchang Health Commission.

Before being restrained, Li Yixue had exposed online many times that the Jiangxi Provincial Mental Hospital detained many people who were not mentally ill, sent in by the police for various inexplicable reasons.

A netizen from Jiangsu named “Zhong Ai” stated that admitting patients to the Nanchang Mental Hospital for treatment is lucrative, “Ignoring whether she (Li Yixue) is ill or not, the focus is that this place gathers more than 300 patients a year and can receive a fiscal subsidy of 900,000 Yuan. How long has this been going on? It’s time to start the ‘first shot’ in Nanchang.”

She emphasized, “Keep going, keep going, for the sake of all those carrying firewood, we cannot let them freeze to death in the snow! Not neutral, not silent, not giving up! The netizens strongly demand the safe return of Jiangxi’s Li Yixue.”

Upon investigation, reporters found that these claims were from a report in the “China News Weekly,” detailing the mandatory treatment of mentally ill patients, where the local regulations stipulate that the assessment fees and treatment costs for those sent for treatment are reimbursed by local finances. The Nanchang Municipal Finance Bureau publicly released financial aids for treating disruptive and harmful mentally ill patients, granting subsidies totaling 910,000 Yuan annually to about 300 patients a decade ago.

Moreover, the hospital that conducted the assessment for Li Yixue this time has been criticized by netizens for its dubious records, with at least 113 medical disputes found. However, after external attention, only five disputes are visible currently, with the rest quietly blocked by authorities, sparking dissatisfaction among the online populace.

When internet users searched for this hospital, they found it lacked qualifications, with the hospital’s legal person certificate expiring on October 31, 2024. After the exposure online, the hospital reapplied, now with an expiry date of 2029, raising doubts about the hospital’s credibility.

Lawyer Wu from mainland China analyzed for the Epoch Times on the 24th, “Being diagnosed with a mental illness has always been there, but it seems that it never gained significant attention and public opinion before. This time it’s gaining more attention; perhaps it’s been accumulating and finally exploding. Of course, being diagnosed with a mental illness is like the iron chain women, fundamentally related to everyone, it’s a societal pain point.”

“These actions break free from online speech and online spectators, and some people will take action to break free from just talking. This shows that after the economic downturn in 2023 and 2024 due to the pandemic, there have indeed been real changes in society.”

Dr. Zhang, a legal scholar from Beijing, also told the Epoch Times on the 24th that the CCP’s public security is increasingly abusing mental illnesses, arbitrarily sending citizens to mental hospitals, a phenomenon that is becoming more common and rampant. This is very similar to the practice before the collapse of the former Soviet Union and East Germany, where dissidents were routinely sent to mental hospitals. The CCP’s tyranny now is resorting to extreme measures, and there are no legitimate means left to sustain its oppression. The grassroots are beginning to awaken, no longer harboring any illusions about the government.