Society
Petitioners demand apology from county govt
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-11-09 07:28
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XI'AN - Two women in Northwest China's Shaanxi province are demanding an apology from the local government for publicly humiliating them after they lodged complaints to authorities in Beijing.
Qiao, 47, lodged a complaint with the Supreme People's Court in Beijing in March, saying the local court in her home county of Fuping, in Weinan city, made an unfair ruling in her lawsuit concerning a financial dispute.
Duan Dingmei, a 42-year-old peasant woman also from Fuping, was also in Beijing to lodge a complaint of improper land seizure by village officials. Duan and Qiao were escorted back to Weinan city by police after they submitted documents on March 4.
On March 5, the two women faced public "prosecution" at a square in the county seat.
"They said we had made petitions in an illegal manner and disrupted social order," said Qiao.
She said they were treated like criminals. "Our arms were held tightly by policemen on both sides and we were forced to face an audience of up to 10,000, and then a public security officer stated our 'offences'."
After the public humiliation, Duan was released with a warning and Qiao was detained for 10 days.
Their humiliation was widely covered by the local media and broadcast repeatedly on TV for at least four days.
On the Fuping county court website, however, the two women's nightmarish experience was referred to as an effective way to "penalize illegal petitioners and publicize policies, laws and regulations regarding how individuals should voice their complaints properly".
"We have rallied support of the Party and county government for such public prosecution sessions, which will be held from time to time," it said.
Zhou Ze, a lawyer in Beijing, said the local government had violated the women's rights.
"They can sue the government for rights infringement," he said.
Though Chinese civilians are free to make petitions, local government officials often hold them back, fearing that the petitions could make them look incompetent.
Earlier this year, a security guard company was reported to be running secret detention centers in Beijing where petitioners were forcibly held and sometimes beaten to prevent them from lodging formal complaints with the central government.
Both Qiao and Duan have struggled to overcome what happened to them.
"I haven't visited any friends or relatives since then," said Duan, who has even given up mahjong - her favorite pastime.
Her 15-year-old son quit school shortly after the incident and became a migrant worker away from home. "I know he, too, felt humiliated."
Qiao's son, who studies in the provincial capital Xi'an, feels embarrassed every time his friends ask "what did your mom do after all?"
Qiao said she just hoped the government would make an open apology.
"They should hold another meeting, attended by thousands and broadcast on TV, too."
