(Beijing) Years after the infamous crackdown on human rights lawyers and activists, landlords persecuted their pro-democracy tenants. One landlord shut off the gas and electricity for Beijing lawyer Wang Quanzhang’s home. Meanwhile, lawyer Li Heping was forcibly evicted.
709 Crackdown
On July 9, 2015, the Ministry of Public Security of China launched a large-scale arrest and crackdown on lawyers and human rights defenders. Over 300 rights activists were arrested overnight, known as the “709 Case.” More than 7 years have passed, and the suppression against human rights lawyers has not been eliminated.
Wang Quanzhang
Lawyer Wang Quanzhang was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison in 2019. On the morning of April 26, he and his wife, Li Wenzu, were forced to move out of their rented home in Beijing after their landlord cut off their electricity.
Forced to leave
Wang disclosed the situation on Twitter. According to him, the landlord, last name Li, led an electrician from the power supply company to cut off the power to their rented house and forced them to move. On the 27th, while Li Wenzu was cooking, she realized the landlord also shut off their gas.
Renewing the lease
Three months ago, the regular lease expired and turned into a cancelable lease. After Li Wenzu announced her candidacy for the National People’s Congress, the landlord suddenly changed her mind and said she would not rent to them anymore. Some back-and-forth communication ensued, and she was willing to renew the lease again.
Change of mind
In April, the authorities stepped up on the surveillance of Wang Quanzhang, and the landlord changed her mind again. On April 20, they were suddenly given notice to move out in a week. Otherwise, the water, electricity, and gas would be cut off. On the 25th, the landlord first asked the residential property management to help cut off the power, but they refused. The landlord then asked workers from the power supply company to help.
Illegal eviction
Wang Quanzhang tweeted that the eviction violated the “Housing Leasing Regulation of Beijing. He especially stressed the new article which came into effect last year: “(the lessor) shall not resort to power cuts, water cuts, heat supply cuts, and other such methods and shall not use threats of violence to force the lessee to change or terminate the lease contract.”
Power outage
Li Wenzu said in a Twitter video that the landlord removed the electricity meter and caused a power outage, leaving Wang’s house in darkness. The couple relied on candles and rechargeable lamps to maintain the light. “I never thought that in today’s civilized society, in Beijing, we would still live this kind of life using lit candles,” she said helplessly.
The real culprit
Wang Quanzhang revealed that there was no actual conflict between them and the landlord; it was just a simple landlord-tenant relationship. There is someone who instigated behind the scenes, and the landlord helped the evildoer. “Wherever we move,” he said, “we face the problem of being forced to move out, and everyone can see who is the instigator behind the scenes.”
Li Heping evicted
Wang Qiaoling, the wife of Beijing human rights lawyer Li Heping, has a similar experience of being forced to relocate. She tweeted on April 26 that they were forced to leave Shunyi, Beijing. “We would like to live and work in peace and contentment, but there are always people who are unwilling and unhappy.”
Li’s statement
Lawyer Li Heping released a statement on the 25th:
After July 9, 2015, we were forced to move out of our residence seven times by the police. This recent time, in order to force us to move out of the district we are currently living in, the chief of the police station called a meeting of the real estate agent, demanding that the real estate agent not rent a place to my family, and not let us live in it even after signing the contract. My current residence was signed through a real estate agent. They threatened to revoke the agent’s business license and forced the agent to come to the house several times to force us to move out. They keep cornering us; they’re going to force us all the way to the moon!
German Foreign Minister’s visit
The Foreign Minister of Germany came to visit China earlier in April. During his visit, plainclothes officers blocked the front doors of Wang Quanzhang, Li Heping, Wang Yu, Bao Longjun, and others.
Yu Wensheng
Human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and his wife, Xu Yan, were intercepted on their way to the German embassy after receiving an invitation to visit. The couple were both charged with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” without having committed any illegal acts. Authorities then forced the couple to relocate.
Arrested
They had just found a house and settled down when police arrested the couple on April 14. Their son was kept under surveillance at home.
~Gao Zhensai, Special Correspondent of ChinaAid
