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Subscribe to RSSBEIJING - A Beijing court has sentenced 10 people to up to 18 months in jail for illegally detaining petitioners from another city, state media reported on Sunday, in a rare case of the judiciary taking on the shadowy men who operate on the margins of the law.
Those convicted were hired by authorities from Changge city in central Henan province to stop petitioners airing their grievances in Beijing, the People's Daily said on its website, citing a Beijing newspaper.
They held them in rented houses in a Beijing suburb where the petitioners said they were beaten, the report said.
Alexander F. Yuan / AP
A petitioner from southern China's Hunan province rests on a bed of a rental room that was raided by unidentified men a week ago, on the outskirts of Beijing on Nov. 6. The woman has been petitioning to draw central government attention to get back her compensation from local government after a forced home relocation.
The men wore badges identifying them as employees of the Beijing representative office of the Changge government, it added.
Petitioning officials has deep roots in China, where courts are seen as beyond the reach of ordinary people, who often try to take local disputes ranging from land grabs to corruption to higher levels in the country's capital Beijing.
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But studies show only small numbers are ever able to resolve their cases through petitioning.
In many cases, petitioners are rounded up in Beijing by men hired by provincial authorities to prevent the central government from learning of problems in China's outlying regions.
Read more stories from China on NBC's Behind The Wall
They are often forced home, or held in "black jails" in Beijing.
Despite international criticism, China has continued to run these so-called black jails -- unlawful secret detention facilities used to hold critics and petitioners, where detainees are often subjected to beatings, sleep and food deprivation, as well as psychological abuse.
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John Steinbeck, in the Grapes of Wrath, said, "repression works only to strengthen and knit the repressed.” I really believe we're going to see some extreme changes in China over the coming years. Given the size of its population, it's a wonder these people aren't already screaming, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore."
It's anyone's guess as to what's going to happen over in China. The only thing that's for sure is this is the direction we're headed in as our federal government continues to relentlessly expand and usurp more power in the US.
You're confused... the republicans lost. At the moment, it's still a free country.
You need to read Confuscus instad of Steinbeck to learn about Chinese.
I agree with Annie. We've been seeing these stories of petitioners trying to bypass local governing officials in order to get justice for months now. If the world is watching, China will respond. It may take a very long time, but the wheels are in motion.
They are. China is simmering on high with the lid on. The officials are horribly corrupt and exploit the poor at every chance. It may be only a matter of time for that lid to blow.
Nothing happened in China when CCP killed 40 million in a "policy error", and another 40 million in "class struggles". Why would it be different this time ? Chinese love the CCP, and nothing will change that. Not even desperate starving and death. All CCP needs to do to refocus the anger and hatred away from the CCP is to blame the US and Japan for something, anything.
You're confused, the libtards and neocons are two sides of the same coin. Let's not forget that Obama and company extended the Patriot act, is having the NSA monitor virtually all electronic communications in the country without a warrent, and is spending trillions of dollars which we don't have and saddling future generations with a mountain of debt.
This is a show trial, the sentences a joke. These thugs work for the horribly corrupted officials, which are virtually all of them. The beatings, torture and murder are commonplace. The party officials run their empires like gangsters. Things are getting better for all but for the country people-which are over 700 million-life is still a struggle and not easy. If their lot doesn't improve China may have another bloody revolution in the foreseeable future.
That's it? Just nine short sentences/paragraphs! What was the point of writing this story if that's all you have. Where's the rest of the story?
Rest of the story was not released by the Chinese authorities. And no one is allowed to interview anyone involved. BTW, Chinese media outside of Beijing are ordered not to carry the story, by relevant government departments.
Love the whole repression thing, and the rampant corruption.
Sounds great.
Lest send them more money and allow them to buy our country with it.
Sounds just like those CIA facilities in other countries.
CIA should learn from the Chinese, and establish these facilities in US, not just in other countries.
So, maybe the whole WalMart model isn't working out so well?
"Those convicted were hired by authorities from Changge city in central Henan province to stop petitioners airing their grievances in Beijing"
I am so glad that the PRC authorities did not arrest and prosecute those hired these convicts and ordered them to stop petitioners, and those harboring those hiring and ordering, and those who harbor those harboring...
lacompa cida --- did you misspell your newsvine name? Did you mean la compadecida ??
What the Chinese government is not revealing is the official positions held by these 'shadowy men who operate in the margins of the law'. They are all 'government officials' to some extent. The entire government of China from the top all the way to the bottom is corrupt and unlikely to become otherwise until the "Chinese spring' happens.
China may one day come to truly serve its people....if they dont mess things up elsewhere.
Keep up the good work and focus on your systemic problems first....then, once China has a truly willing population, not operating under duress and threat...they can surely become number one...
But as for the moment....a bit more "medication" and refocusing are still very necessary....
The beatings will continue until morale improves.