Fuzhou migrants come forward to speak out, sharing their experiences of being diagnosed with mental illness.

Recently, over ten petitioners from Fuqing City, Fujian Province, have come forward to speak out about their experiences of being arrested and imprisoned in psychiatric hospitals by local governments and police stations throughout Fuqing City. They detailed the persecution they endured, including beatings, blood draws, injections, forced medication, and more. They mentioned the case of Wang Aiying, 73, who died just a few months after returning home from a psychiatric hospital.

Fuqing human rights activist Xiao Li revealed to Epoch Times, “Some of these petitioners were taken from their homes, some intercepted on their way to Beijing, and some abducted while traveling and then directly sent to psychiatric hospitals across various locations. However, the hospitals claim not to know who brought them in. These incidents frequently occur in Fuqing.”

He said, “Wang Aiying was a petitioner from Xue Village in Longtian Town, Fuqing City. On September 18, 2023, after petitioning in Beijing, she was intercepted by the local government and directly sent to a psychiatric hospital where she was illegally detained for 11 days. During her detention, she was subjected to blood draws, injections, and forced medication, leading to her death a few months after returning home.”

Several petitioners from Fuqing City who had been jointly sent to psychiatric hospitals by local governments and police, shared their experiences in a video, recounting how they were admitted to the hospitals and the persecution they faced inside.

Ling Jinying, 78, a petitioner from Longtian Town, Fuqing City, who usually works on the farm and takes care of her grandchildren, said, “I was taken away from my doorstep by the local government eight times, and imprisoned in four psychiatric hospitals for a total of 396 days.”

During her time in the psychiatric hospitals, she endured beatings, forced medication, and stated, “I asked the nursing staff what medicine I was taking, and she said it was a sleeping pill. I said, if I take so many pills, will I be able to speak tomorrow? I struggled desperately, spat out the pills on the ground, as if I spat them on the bed, they would force them back in. Once, I was pushed into a room by the security guards and beaten, breaking six ribs.”

Chen Daocai, 48, from Shapu Town in Fuqing City, was unlawfully detained by the local government from June 16 to 26, 2021, for 10 days, and was detained for another 17 days in a psychiatric hospital without leaving the detention.

Chen Yilong, 78, from Jiangyin Town in Fuqing City, was unlawfully detained in a psychiatric hospital by the local government for 131 days starting from September 5, 2022.

Weng Shuifa, 88, from Jiangyin Town in Fuqing City, was sent to a psychiatric hospital twice by the town government in October 2022, each time for a day. He stated that he was beaten by the hospital staff.

Wang Aiping, 46, a petitioner from Gangtou Town in Fuqing City, was taken from his home by the Gangtou Town government on January 31, 2022, and illegally detained in a psychiatric hospital for more than three years. He was tied to the hospital bed for 200 days, frequently beaten, and personnel from the town government told him, “If you die in the hospital, don’t come out.”

Liu Jinyun from Longshan Street in Fuqing City was abducted and illegally detained in a psychiatric hospital for over 100 days while working in the fields.

Yan Chuanqiang, 58, from Jiangyin Town in Fuqing City, was deceived by the police station at home on August 24, 2022, and sent to a psychiatric hospital, where he was detained for 9 days when he refused to sign a statement to stop petitioning.

Lin Duozhun, 74, a petitioner from Jiangyin Town in Fuqing City, was abducted to a psychiatric hospital by the authorities on October 2, 2024, at the Nanping Service Area on the highway to Beijing, where he was illegally detained for 14 days.

Yu Aiming, 70, from Longtian Town in Fuqing City, was unlawfully detained in a psychiatric hospital twice by the local government. The first time was on August 4, 2022, when she was abducted at the entrance of a hotel in Fuzhou and unlawfully detained for 9 days. The second time was on October 17, 2022, at a train station in Zhejiang, where she was unlawfully detained for 8 days.

She said, “I was beaten, tortured, and forced medication in the hospital. When I asked the hospital who brought me in, they refused to answer.”

Zhuang Ruifa, 63, from Jiangyin Town in Fuqing City, was unlawfully detained for 7 days at the Gushan Psychiatric Hospital in Fuzhou in May and June 2006 while working on the farm at home.

Wei Xiangping from Donghan Town in Fuqing City was unlawfully detained for 7 days at the Longshan Neurology Hospital in 1997 while working on a mountain by the authorities.

In addition, petitioners from Fuqing City including Zhang Xianying, Mo Yikui, Huang Jinlong, Xue Baozhu, and Wei Ying have also been illegally detained in psychiatric hospitals.