The activist who helped Taishi residents in their failed attempt to have their village chief removed for alleged corruption says they continue to live in fear.
But the latest spate of intimidation had led some to swear they would fight on, using violence if necessary, he said.
Yang Maodong , better known as Guo Feixiong , said he was against violence because it would harm the image of Taishi, but added he would not intervene in their struggle because he felt responsible for police beatings of villagers last year.
'We are deliberately stepping aside from Taishi to let them defend themselves,' he said. 'We hope they will grow independently. That is a higher degree of [human] rights defence.
'Taishi is not over ... I will not volunteer advice but they know what they should do.'
Mr Yang said a climate of fear persisted in the village of 2,000 people as the hired thugs who beat up Zhijiang People's Congress representative Lu Banglie in October were still in the village.