The upcoming third plenary session of the Chinese Communist Party will be held on July 15th, with authorities in Shanghai already starting “stability maintenance” measures targeting petitioners since June. One of the petitioners, Yu Zhonghuan, who fled to another city due to illness to evade the “stability maintenance,” recently received notice from a foster home that his daughter, who suffers from mental illness, has not eaten for six days. Despite seeking help from the city committee secretary Chen Jinning multiple times without response, he has turned to the media, hoping to draw attention to his human rights issues.
Yu Zhonghuan, a resident of Jinqiao Town in Dongxin District, Shanghai, has been a key target for local government stability control due to his appeals over uncompensated housing demolition and relocation. Prior to major conferences, he is often placed in black jails where he has been subjected to physical abuse and mistreatment, leading to a decline in his health. In recent years during sensitive periods designated by the Chinese Communist Party, he has been evading stability maintenance by staying in another city.
The Chinese Communist Party announced the convening of the third plenary session on July 15th last month. Originally planning on hospitalization for medical checks, Yu Zhonghuan decided to evade the “stability maintenance” by fleeing due to fears of being sent to a black jail. He has received multiple calls from the foster home recently, reporting his daughter’s refusal to eat for six days and urging him to return to take her to see a doctor.
Yu Zhonghuan disclosed to reporters, “My daughter has relapsed, not eating for six days, causing disturbances day and night, aggravating her conditions, and even endangering her life, affecting the peace of our neighbors. However, I am currently in hiding, unable to take my daughter home for medical treatment.”
“I am extremely anxious, but I know that if I return to Shanghai, I may be abducted by stability maintenance personnel and thrown into a black jail, preventing my daughter from receiving medical care. I have been seeking help from the city committee secretary Chen Jinning and the government’s letters and visits office, but to no avail.”
In recent days, Yu Zhonghuan has been posting in various human rights groups seeking attention and has garnered support and concern from fellow petitioners.
Ms. Xie from Shanghai commented, “The authorities fail to resolve long-standing issues of illegal forced demolitions while resorting to illegal surveillance and restrictions on personal freedom to persecute rights defenders. Where is the justice in this?”
Mr. Ding from Shanghai stated, “Our relentless resistance as petitioners effectively restrains the arrogance of corrupt officials. Without petitioners’ protests against social injustices, society would be even darker.”
In 2022, during the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party and the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, Yu Zhonghuan was detained in a black jail for nearly two months due to “stability maintenance,” preventing him from taking his daughter for medical treatment, resulting in severe lasting effects on his daughter’s health.
In early February last year, Yu Zhonghuan had made arrangements with a top-tier hospital in Shanghai, but on the eve of taking his daughter for medical treatment, despite his assurances that he would not go to Beijing, that his daughter was home alone, and that they were seeking medical care, the letters and visits office forcibly kidnapped him to Chongming Island’s black jail, confiscated his keys, forcibly sent his daughter to a disabled foster home.
During his detention in the black jail, Yu Zhonghuan suffered physical injuries from beatings and various forms of abuse, consuming rotten and spoiled food. Despite sustaining injuries and a fever, he was denied proper medical care. After his release, he went to the hospital for treatment, where his blood pressure spiked to 228mmHg and issues with his liver, heart, and kidneys emerged.
Due to multiple incidents of illegal abduction, detention, physical abuse, mistreatment, poisoning, Yu Zhonghuan has developed several severe illnesses which have been exacerbated by the interference from the stability maintenance, hindering his access to proper medical care.