In Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, Ms. Wu Yuanxiu has been fighting for her rights in Beijing due to a long-standing contractual dispute. Three years ago, Beijing public security personnel falsely claimed that she had a written response to a case and asked her to come in person to collect it. However, when she left the public security bureau and turned into an alley 50 meters away, she was kidnapped by six local government officials. Subsequently, she was imprisoned for three years and was finally released on October 18th of this year.
During her time in prison, Ms. Wu Yuanxiu was physically abused and maltreated, requiring her to stay in the hospital for over a month. After her release, she took some time to recuperate before gathering the courage to speak out about the years of oppression and persecution she faced at the hands of Beijing public security.
On January 19, 2021, Ms. Wu Yuanxiu was kidnapped at Beijing Station. Despite multiple reports to the police, no case was registered, and the authorities did not provide any explanation for their inaction.
On the afternoon of October 27, 2021, a police officer named Gao Fang from the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Dongcheng District Public Security Sub-bureau in Beijing called Ms. Wu Yuanxiu, informing her that there was a written response to her case of non-registration, and asked her to come over on October 28 to collect it.
The next morning, Gao Fang called Ms. Wu Yuanxiu several times to urge her to come over. When she arrived at the Criminal Investigation Brigade, Gao Fang was already waiting at the door and handed her a notice of non-registration without providing any explanation or legal basis.
Ms. Wu Yuanxiu recounted, “At that moment, Gao Fang looked very pleased. As I was leaving the Criminal Investigation Brigade and approached an alley about 50 meters away, I was abducted by two women and four men who took away my phone and forced me into a police car belonging to the Yuyang District Public Security Sub-bureau in Yulin City, Shaanxi Province. A police officer said, ‘If we didn’t use this method, we wouldn’t be able to locate her.’ This clearly indicates that they are an organized criminal gang. Subsequently, I was charged with ‘provoking troubles’ and sentenced to three years.”
“On the seventh day in custody, they tortured me for a confession, breaking a rib in my left collarbone and sternum, with a foot on my head, asking, ‘Wu Yuanxiu, are you still going to petition?'”
“During my imprisonment, I was subjected to various forms of abuse and pressure. By August 4 of the following year, I fell ill and spent 34 days in the hospital.”
After being discharged, Ms. Wu Yuanxiu was transferred to the Yulin City Drug Enforcement Detachment, where the deputy head of the detachment punched her left ear until it bled, resulting in a severe loss of hearing.
Within four months at the drug enforcement unit, she was transferred to a women’s prison in Shaanxi, where she was physically attacked by an inmate named Li Dong (homophonic) causing lingering pain in her nose and mouth until now. Despite reporting the assaults to the prison guards multiple times, the response she received was, “Everyone in the cell said they didn’t hit you.” She added, “In reality, this was orchestrated by the prison guards.”
In April of this year, Ms. Wu Yuanxiu was put under strict control. Her hands were shackled (both hands in handcuffs, suspended in the air), causing ongoing pain and numbness.
Ms. Wu Yuanxiu, a native of Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, has been fighting for her rights in Beijing due to a contractual dispute. In late January 2012, Zheng Hao, the captain of the Fourth Squadron of the Serious Crime Support Team of the Beijing Criminal Police Detachment, forcibly entered Ms. Wu Yuanxiu’s rented room and took away essential evidence for her case. This prevented her from pursuing her debtors in court, leading to significant financial losses.
Afterward, when Ms. Wu Yuanxiu went to the Fengtai District Criminal Police Brigade to retrieve her materials and evidence, Captain Zheng Hao initially denied the incident. However, with the testimony of the landlord, he returned her materials after several days. Despite this, critical evidence was missing.
She expressed, “The leadership of the Criminal Police Brigade repeatedly evaded responsibility. Would the police handle a case so carelessly? Do they not understand the importance of evidence? Would someone who meticulously follows every clue discard vital evidence? Clearly, they destroyed evidence under the pretext of handling the case, displaying detestable behavior.”
“During my previous time in prison, the case handled by the Yuyang District Public Security Sub-bureau was left unresolved, preventing me from recovering a million yuan in debt and penalty fees. My legitimate rights have been severely violated.”
Despite these challenges, Ms. Wu Yuanxiu remains determined not to give up and continues to fight for her rights in Beijing, even though she has been abducted multiple times.
She emphasized, “No organization or individual should have privileges that surpass the Constitution and the law. However, among us rights-seeking petitioners, there are too many cases where individuals have been sent to prison through the abuse of power, fabrication of facts, false accusations, and retaliatory actions by the public prosecutors and law enforcement officers. I can name individuals such as Wang Yucui, Ji Chengfu’s wife, Guan Xiaoyan, Li Yanxiang, Wang Shou’an, Zhang Lanying, and many others who have been wronged.”