Thousands of petitioners paraded from Beijing Southern Railway station towards Tiananmen Square chanting slogans on the morning of June 4, demanding that authorities indentify perpetrators who brutally beat a petitioner. Police followed the petitioners every step of the route but did not interrupt them until 11:00 a.m.
Shanghai petitioner Jin Yuehua told Sound of Hope Radio (SOH) that the protest parade was triggered after Shanghai petitioner Shao Zhenqing was severely flogged via iron chains by police at Beijing Southern Railway station. When facing grievances, people from across China often come to Beijing to make appeals to high-level offices of the Chinese regime.
“While one of our Shanghai petitioners, Shao Zhenqing, was asleep at Beijing Southern Railway station, he was severely flogged by police using iron chains. His entire face was covered with blood and his injuries are so bad that he can’t even drink water without help. Now, we and other petitioners from all over the country are bringing him with us on a bicycle,” Ms. Yuehua said.
During the parade the petitioners repeatedly chanted slogans demanding that the perpetrators be found, shouting “Down with corruption! Severely punish the perpetrators! Down with the corruption! Severely punish the perpetrators!”
At noon, SOH was told that the injured petitioner was sent to a hospital, while all the rest of the petitioners were forcibly taken to Jiujing Village, which acts as a Beijing reception center for petitioners. Tens of thousands of petitioners are held in the village, which consists of small rooms and sheds, each holding up to 500 people.
Petitioners register at the center, but no petition materials are accepted there. Petitioners are often put under house arrest at the center. Once in, petitioners are not allowed to leave until they are taken back to their hometowns by their respective local officials.
Read original Chinese article.
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