Missing Chinese student activist accuses police of abusing him in detention
- Testimony from Qiu Zhanxuan in which he details ‘torment’ at hands of police was released after he went missing again last week
- Marxist activist says he was strip-searched and forced to listen to a marathon speech by President Xi Jinping at high volume
A missing student labour activist has accused Chinese police of abusing him over several days, including by forcing him to listen to a three-hour speech by President Xi Jinping, amid a crackdown on campus activism.
In a video and written testimony published after he disappeared last week, Peking University student Qiu Zhanxuan said local police “tormented” him over a five-day period in late February.
Intimidation tactics included a forced strip-search and listening to Xi’s marathon speech from the Communist Party’s five-yearly congress in 2017 on high volume.
“They also wanted to force me to write a pledge to voluntarily give up all educational opportunities,” Qiu said in his video statement, which was published by the Jasic Workers Solidarity Group, a labour rights movement in southern China.
His statements appear to have been pre-recorded and released following his disappearance.
“Dear comrades, friends, by the time you read this article, I am already behind bars and have lost my freedom,” Qiu said.