It said “the criminal gang” comprised Zhou, Wang Yu, Wang Quanzhang, Huang as well as Liu, Bao and high-profile activist Wu Gan, who masterminded many plots in the name of “rights defence, justice and public interest”. It accused them of “colluding with petitioners to disturb social order and to reach their goals with ulterior motives”.
Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, said the action showed the Ministry of Public Security’s interpretation of “disturbing public order” was ever-expanding. “That these lawyers are a ‘major criminal gang’ is a new and serious allegation, one that demonstrates the authorities’ willingness to warp the law beyond all recognition,” she said.
– From the South China Morning Post article: Chinese Police Detain More than 100 Lawyers and Activists in Weekend Sweep
Essentially, every single nation on earth today is run by a thieving, corrupt oligarchy wielding control through undemocratic and centralized means. These governments intentionally rig their economies in order to enrich a few “insiders,” and their bought and paid for politicians, at the expense of everyone else. Such systems ultimately reach a breaking point in which the respective economies start to implode under their own fraudulent weight, and the people get restless. Every single country on earth is dealing with this as we speak, albeit at different stages of the process.
When “the people” get a little too uppity, the status quo gets scared and then the velvet gloves come off. I touched on this earlier today in the post: The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves – Spain Officially Becomes a Police State. The same sort of thing is also happening in Greece, which is far and away the furtherest along amongst Western nations in this whole process. The Greeks actually went ahead and voted for one outcome in a referendum, only to be told by their masters in Brussels they will get something else. So the illusion of democracy is now dead and buried. The Greeks are now staring at a much more violent and dangerous outcome in the years ahead, coupled with a surge in popularity of truly radical political parties, if the latest “deal” is implemented. This would be a very sad and unnecessary outcome.
While China doesn’t have any illusion of democracy to begin with, that doesn’t make the situation any less significant. While media attention has been focused on the popping of China’s stock market bubble, what has been far more interesting is the government’s terrified response. It has simply put, entered full on panic mode. Freezing trading in a large percentage of listed equities, and even threatening to arrest so-called “malicious short sellers.”
I have long stated that the situation in China is much more fragile than anyone cares to recognize or admit. I continue to think revolution/regime change in China presents a real risk in the years ahead, and I think the Communist Party is well aware of it. This is precisely why the heavy hammer of government is coming down upon political (and economic) dissent with increased force. In the latest example of the troubling geopolitical risks facing China, we learn from the South China Morning Post that:
More than 100 people were swept up in an unprecedented police crackdown on mainland human rights advocates on the weekend, with six – including four lawyers – criminally detained in what state media said was a nationwide operation to smash a “criminal gang”.
In an article on Sunday headlined “Uncovering the dark story of ‘rights defence’.”, spanning two-thirds of its second page, People’s Daily said the Ministry of Public Security launched the operation to “smash a major criminal gang that had used the Beijing Fengrui law firm as a platform since July 2012 to draw attention to sensitive cases, seriously disturbing social order”.
The article said the firm’s director Zhou Shifeng, his assistant Liu Sixin, lawyers Wang Quanzhang, Huang Liqun, Wang Yu and her husband Bao Longjun were in criminal detention for “seriously violating the law”. It did not specify a charge. On the mainland, police can detain suspects for up to 37 days before prosecutors approve their formal arrests.
It said “the criminal gang” comprised Zhou, Wang Yu, Wang Quanzhang, Huang as well as Liu, Bao and high-profile activist Wu Gan, who masterminded many plots in the name of “rights defence, justice and public interest”. It accused them of “colluding with petitioners to disturb social order and to reach their goals with ulterior motives”.
Wu, an online activist nicknamed “Super Vulgar Butcher”, was formally arrested a week ago on charges of “inciting subversion” and “provoking trouble”. He also worked at Fengrui and Wang Yu was his defence lawyer.
People’s Daily said Wu was “a key player” in drawing a huge public outcry over the fatal shooting of an unarmed man, Xu Chunhe, by a policeman in Qingan, Heilongjiang , in May, offering 100,000 yuan (HK$126,000) for any footage showing the incident. Other rights lawyers were accused of involvement. “These lawyers publicly challenged the court … and mobilised troublemakers to rally petitioners … outside the court,” it said. “They are the direct pushers.”
The six people criminally detained were among over 100 lawyers and rights advocates taken away, summoned or detained by police over the weekend. At least three law firms were also searched. Many of the detainees had signed a statement condemning Wang Yu’s disappearance early on Thursday after her electricity was cut and her home broken into.
Late Saturday, lawyer Sui Muqing was put under “residential surveillance at a designated location” – a form of police detention that can last up to six months – for alleged “incitement to subvert state power”, according to a police document.
Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, said the action showed the Ministry of Public Security’s interpretation of “disturbing public order” was ever-expanding. “That these lawyers are a ‘major criminal gang’ is a new and serious allegation, one that demonstrates the authorities’ willingness to warp the law beyond all recognition,” she said.Taken together, recent actions by the Chinese government show an “elite” terrified of its people, and rightly so. Prepare for far more significant government authoritarianism in the years ahead.
In Liberty,
Michael Krieger
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