China Calls in its Citizens for Celebrating Taiwan President’s Inauguration, Arrests Human Rights Activist
Chinese authorities in Chongqing, a city in southwestern China, summoned over 20 citizens who gathered at a restaurant near a petition office on May 20 to celebrate the inauguration of Taiwan’s 16th democratically elected president, Lai Ching-te. Attendees were subsequently interrogated by the police, and one rights advocate was detained on criminal charges, as reported by their family.
According to one of the attendees, Mr. Xin (pseudonym), who spoke to The Epoch Times in Chinese, “Police called in more than 20 attendees from the banquet for questioning. I was also questioned outside the restaurant.”
Rights advocate Li Xuezhi was reportedly detained, confirmed by his family. Mr. Li’s sister shared a message on WeChat stating, “Around 12:30 a.m. on May 26, a person claiming to be a police officer took Li Xuezhi away. We brought him food at the Longxing Police Station on the 27th, where we were informed that he had been criminally detained that afternoon. We are unaware of the specific charges against him.”
Ms. Li, Mr. Li’s sister, confirmed his detention, saying, “On the 27th, when I realized Li Xuezhi was missing, I went to the Longxing Police Station to search for him. The officer on duty told me he didn’t have details as it wasn’t his case.”
The family has not received an official detention notice from the police yet.
Efforts to contact the Longxing Police Station in Yubei District by The Epoch Times were unsuccessful, as none of the station’s phone numbers were reachable.
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Mr. Li, a 53-year-old farmer from Longxing Town, had previously faced detention by local authorities. His troubles began in 2013 after his complaints went unresolved regarding the alleged forced occupation of his farmland and the demolition of his home.
After multiple unsuccessful complaints, he turned to defending his rights and petitioned Beijing authorities. This led him to understand the importance of collective advocacy and he joined others in Chongqing who were victims of human rights abuses. Consequently, Chongqing authorities targeted him to “maintain social stability.”
On May 12, 2021, Mr. Li and 15 fellow petitioners from Chongqing returned to Beijing to voice grievances and were subsequently detained that evening in the Jiujingzhuang black jail in Beijing’s Fengtai District.
On Feb. 17, 2022, Mr. Li posted a video on Weibo showing petitioners questioning a local disciplinary committee secretary, to which he responded candidly, “We simply do not care about the lives of ordinary people. What can you do about it?”
On Feb. 23, 2022, police officers, government personnel, and security guards raided Mr. Li’s residence in Yubei District, arresting him on suspicion of intentional injury on March 29.
Li Xi contributed to this report.
