How China’s desperate petitioners are blocked from seeking justice
- Investigative report reveals illegal business of stopping petitioners from taking their grievances to Beijing
- Newspaper looked into case of Chen Yuxian, who was intercepted and beaten to death last year
A rare exposé by a Chinese newspaper has revealed the inner workings of an illegal business aimed at stopping petitioners from across the country seeking justice in Beijing.
The practice of petitioning dates back to ancient times and is often the last resort for hundreds of thousands of Chinese each year to bring their grievances – often involving local officials – to the State Bureau for Letters and Calls in Beijing, which then channels their complaints to the relevant authorities.
The investigative report in The Beijing News on Wednesday looked into the death last year of Chen Yuxian, a petitioner from Shangyou county in Jiangxi province.
Chen went to Beijing to seek justice after being wrongly accused of selling fake paddy seeds in 2007. His case had been in limbo since he was released on bail.
The newspaper tracked a complex web of local officials, informers and the “petition blockers” themselves, who can make more than 800,000 yuan (US$115,000) a month by preventing citizens from reaching Beijing.
