HRIC Bulletin

Human Rights in China has learned that Ms. Zhang Yuhong (张玉红) was stopped and detained by police when she attempted to visit the hometown of “Sitong Bridge warrior” Peng Lifa. She was released after being unreachable for more than 24 hours.

On October 13, 2022, when the whole of China was still under strict pandemic restrictions, Peng Lifa hung two long banners on the Sitong Bridge in Beijing. The banners read "We don't want nucleic acid testing, we want food to eat; we don't want lockdowns, we want freedom; we don't want lies, we want dignity; we don't want Cultural Revolution, we want reform; we don't want leaders, we want elections; we don't want to be slaves, we want to be citizens” and “Go on strike at school and work, remove dictator and national traitor Xi Jinping!” Peng’s whereabouts are still unknown.

On the morning of August 18, Ms. Zhang, a Jilin netizen, took a taxi from Baicheng to Ningjiang Mongolian Township of Tailai County in Heilongjiang Province.

At around 9.00am, while the taxi had just entered the boundary of Ningjiang Township, it was blocked by an unidentified man in a white shirt who claimed to lead the way for the vehicle. At least six people participated in the blockage, and only one of them showed Ms. Zhang a police officer card which showed that he was Bian Zhipeng from Tailai County Public Security Bureau (police number 036060). Bian's excuse was that he had "secret special police work to check vehicles." According to information online, in 2021 Bian Zhipeng was the deputy superintendent of Tailai County No. 1 Police Station.

At around 10.00am, Ms. Zhang was taken to Ningjiang Police Station of Tailai County Public Security Bureau by Bian and others, and then could not be reached via her mobile phone.

It was only on August 20 that Ms. Zhang was reported to have left safely. The fact that the authorities are still doing this to an ordinary citizen like Ms. Zhang ten months after the Sitong Bridge incident proves that the CPC is still fearful of what happened and is on the lookout for any similar incidents. In addition, it also proves that Peng Lifa's hometown is Qinjian Village, Ningjiang Township, Tailai County, Heilongjiang Province.