Human rights activists jointly call for the truth about Mao Lihui's "self-immolation"

After being taken away by police in February, Chinese petitioner Mao Lihui from Jiangsu Province had "self-immolated" and died in a detained hotel in early March. Because the cause of death was too bizarre, human rights activists from many places in China recently launched a joint campaign to demand that the truth of Mao Lihui's death be investigated and justice be done.

According to the website of the Chinese civil rights protection organization "Minsheng Watch" on March 29, 21 petitioners and rights defenders from all over the country initiated a joint signature, demanding that the true cause of death of Jiangsu petitioner Mao Lihui be investigated, and that relevant personnel be held criminally responsible .

Mao Lihui died in custody, petitioners asked the police to explain

They said in a joint statement that the official hastily identified the cause of Mao Lihui's death without an independent and rigorous investigation, and cremated and buried it, and no unit or individual is responsible for it. This is a trampling on the rule of law and contempt for people's lives. It is completely unacceptable.

Wu Lijuan, a petitioner from Hubei who participated in the joint signing, said in an interview with a reporter from this station that Mao Lihui's interception was an illegal act of the relevant agency: "Why did the police illegally intercept petitioners? This is the biggest mistake and illegal behavior. Why. Don't go to investigate? Besides, she didn't do anything illegal, and she didn't go to Beijing. Why did she put her under house arrest in the hotel when she came back? How could she suddenly die in the hotel? This (police) didn't explain it!"

According to reports, Mao Lihui, a native of Shenxi Village, Shengang Street, Jiangyin City, Jiangsu Province, has angered local interest groups by repeatedly accusing the local government of using false information to defraud approval documents, illegally forcibly expropriating local basic farmland, and attempting to forcibly demolish his house, which has angered local interest groups and has been repeatedly accused by the local government. Beatings, black jails and other retaliation.

On February 16 this year, she lost contact after being kidnapped by police from the Shengang Police Station in Jiangyin City at Shijiazhuang Dingzhou Railway Station. On March 3, the police suddenly notified her family that she "self-immolated" and died in the hotel where she was being held.

Wu Lijuan, a petitioner from Hubei who has nearly 20 years of experience in rights protection, believes that the theory of "self-immolation" is completely unreliable: "During the detention period, there are people who work in shifts 24 hours a day and sleep with them, and it is impossible to give you There is a chance of suicide."

Mao Lihui once said "never commit suicide", the hotel does not look like there has been a fire 

According to petitioners, Mao Lihui has a strong civic awareness and is very active in WeChat groups. She once posted that she would never commit suicide even if she suffered various unfair treatment: "If one day..., a notice is issued saying that Mao Lihui was arrested and committed suicide, it must be that Mao Lihui was killed and silenced... Mao Lihui will never commit suicide, I want to Fight the underworld organization to the end!"

In response to Mao Lihui's death, the Jiangyin Municipal Government adopted a high level of vigilance, which was also considered by the people to cover up the truth. The petitioners' joint statement disclosed that Mao Lihui's body was required to be cremated on the day of his death. Shen Aibin, a citizen of Wuxi , was also suddenly summoned by the police on March 5 because he was concerned about the cause of Mao Lihui's death, and was later detained on suspicion of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble"; another fourteen petitioners from Jiangyin were taken away by the authorities for eight hours for visiting Mao Lihui's father. . So far, more than 100 people have been summoned locally, and the authorities have also asked them to delete all information about Mao Lihui posted online.

The statement quoted Tao Hong, a citizen of Jiangsu, as saying that the hotel "fired in a very small area, and the photos showed no damage to the hotel's facade at all, so it did not seem like a fire had ever occurred. And according to the information, it was set on fire after killing people. "

Guo Yinqi, a petitioner from Jilin Province who participated in the joint signing, also expressed high suspicion about Mao Lihui's "self-immolation" death, because his son was framed for reporting corrupt officials and was executed in prison; his daughter and wife were also implicated and sentenced: "This kind of Too many people have been beaten to death and disabled. This is the situation in our family! Interceptions, black jails, and detentions are all commonplace! I am very angry in this society, it is too corrupt and too dark!"

Petitioner: To pay attention to Mao Lihui is to pay attention to ourselves

The bizarre death of Mao Lihui has aroused great repercussions among petitioners, and the government has strictly controlled the dissemination of information. Many petitioners who participated in the joint signing told this station that if the Mao Lihui incident cannot be withdrawn, the same situation is likely to happen to them. To pay attention to Mao Lihui is to pay attention to yourself.

Yang Xiumei, a petitioner from Tieling City, Liaoning Province, who had petitioned many times because of her father's death at work, said that the Mao Lihui incident made her even more worried about her future petition: "If she is like this (death), what will we do next? Can I not Are you worried? I have also been deported many times and detained countless times."

Rights activist Wu Lijuan also told this station: "I have also been secretly detained countless times, so I also face the possibility of this sudden death. Therefore, to pay attention to Mao Lihui is to pay attention to myself."

Civil rights cannot be guaranteed as long as the corrupt system remains

Many of the petitioners who participated in the Mao Lihui incident had unsuccessfully petitioned for many years, and suffered retaliation from the authorities. They are not optimistic about how effective such a joint signature can be , but believe that at least it can highlight the existence of the problem.

Mr. Gu, a citizen of Jiangsu who is concerned about the incident, said to this station: "To put it a bit harsher, our group of leeks are just holding a group here and cannot solve any problems. But this is also an expression of our will."

Mr. Gu believes that under the current Chinese system, petitioning is like falling into the industrial chain of the authorities. "If you are willing to petition, they will intercept the petition, forming something like an industrial chain." He believes that even after petitioning for individual issues It may be taken seriously temporarily, but the authorities can still deprive citizens of their rights at any time as long as this corrupt system remains.