Students hold up placards including blank white sheets of paper on the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, in solidarity with protests held on the mainland over Beijing’s Covid-19 restrictions, in Hong Kong on November 28, 2022. AFP file photo
Beijing: It has been months since China abandoned its zero-Covid policy following widespread protests, but the people who took part in the demonstrations still don’t have any respite.
Ever since the protests, authorities have begun retaliation against a number of people who demonstrated against the government’s policy.
According to a Chinese website that tracks human rights issues in the country called Weiquanwang, at least 32 people have been detained by the police since December.
Although many of those who were arrested have been released on probation, lately, more and more people have been taken into custody. Among those who are still detained include six young people who were part of the protests in Beijing last year in November.
Protestors question arrest
The group of arrested protestors includes a journalist working with state-controlled Beijing News named Yang Liu, Cao Zhixin who is an editor at a publishing house, a bar owner, an artist and another journalist from Caixin.
On 16 January, Cao released a video where she questioned the police over the arrests.
“Was arresting us a task that someone has to accomplish? What is the purpose of this retaliation? Why do you have to use the lives of normal young people like us as the cost?” she asked.
“We don’t want to be forced into disappearance and we want to know why we are being convicted,” Cao added.
Authorities checking protestors’ phones
Sources familiar with the developments told DW that they think their phones might have been examined during interrogation to determine and track down those who took part in the protests.
A woman who wanted to be identified as Alice said, “The first few protesters arrested by police didn’t have time to remove the records of communication on their phones, so when police summoned more people afterward, they already had the records they need.”
Alice further revealed that after learning that police would examine phone records by reviewing chat histories with protestors on WeChat – the Chinese equivalent of WhatsApp – she tried to hide her phone for a few days.
“After I learned that one of my former colleagues was arrested, I became really scared. “I went to find a lawyer the following Monday, and I signed all the documents, including the paperwork I need, in case I was forced into disappearance like some protesters,” she said.
Protestors kicked, punched in jail
Teng Biao, a Chinese legal scholar, said that the crackdown launched by authorities is intended to send chilling effects across society.
“Even though some protesters have reportedly been released, authorities are still arresting more people,” he told DW.
Teng added, “For those that are still in detention, it’s difficult for the lawyers or family members to meet them or receive information about their status. Additionally, some protesters who were arrested have said that they have experienced or witnessed people being tortured while in detention. This is consistent with the Chinese Communist Party’s way of responding to protests.”
Some protestors have also complained of getting kicked and punched and experiencing a lack of sleep and food while in detention. Teng said that the family members of those detained are also being threatened.
While those who are freed from detention, have been warned not to “reveal any information to the public.”
Some of the freed protestors have also been “sent back to their hometowns”.
Teng, however, believes that following the arrests of protestors, some citizens may evolve stronger and fear less about speaking out against the government.
“Some people may think they will face five to 10 years in prison, but after being released for spending only a few weeks in detention, the chilling effect that authorities intend to create may not work for them,” he said.
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