(Linfen, Shanxi Province – December 12, 2023) On December 1, Wen Huijuan, a Christian from Linfen Covenant House Church, was violently obstructed by the police at Yuncheng City Airport while traveling with her family. The police forcefully confiscated her and her family’s ID cards, plane tickets, and the child’s birth certificate, dragging Wen and her mother-in-law, causing injuries. In response, she openly accused police officer (police number: 006089) of violent law enforcement on Weibo, accused Yuncheng City Airport police of negligence, and accused Yuncheng Public Security Bureau of inaction. Despite filing a case, there has been no resolution to the case.
Wen Huijuan is the wife of Wang Qiang, a co-worker of Linfen Covenant House Church. Wang Qiang lost his freedom on November 1, 2022 due to his Christian faith, and was detained in Yaodu District Detention Center in Linfen. He was falsely accused of “fraud” but was, in reality, a victim of religious persecution. Over the past year, Wen Huijuan and her family have been busy with her husband’s case. At the end of last year, Wen Huijuan gave birth to a child, making life challenging for the entire family.
Recently, Wen wanted to take her family for a seaside trip to relax. On November 30, 2023, she planned to travel with her parents-in-law and her 10-month-old baby on the Xiamen Airlines MF8112 flight at noon. At around 10:44 AM, they arrived at the airport to check in and drop off their luggage. At 11:00 AM, they passed through the security checkpoint and reached the boarding gate. Around 11:15 AM, suddenly, four individuals in police uniforms and one in plainclothes appeared and asked them to show their ID cards. When Wen asked them to show their credentials first and inquired about the reason, police officer (police number: 006089) and another police officer violently dragged her out of the waiting hall. Later, officer 006089 told Wen that people from the Guojiazhuang community were looking for her. A group claiming to be from the Guojiazhuang community, dressed in plainclothes, approached Wen, whom she did not recognize. They insisted she should “go back home,” but Wen explained that she intended to go on a trip. She proceeded to the boarding gate with her son and mother-in-law. At this point, the four individuals from the community rushed forward, snatched the backpacks of Wen Huijuan and her mother-in-law, and took their IDs, tickets, and the son’s birth certificate from the airport staff at the check-in counter. They continuously pulled and dragged Wen and her mother-in-law, the latter holding her 10-month-old grandson. The situation was chaotic, and her mother-in-law’s hands were injured, showing bruises, while Wen experienced pain from being dragged.
Wen Huijuan’s mother-in-law asked a tall man with glasses who was grabbing their belongings, “Who are you?” The man replied, “A civilian.” Wen Huijuan loudly shouted, “Police, quickly catch this person, someone is stealing our things.” Subsequently, the man responded, “From Guojiazhuang community.” Despite this, there was no response from the numerous police officers in the airport. The standoff continued until around 3 pm. At that time, Wen’s son had a fever of 39.2°C, and her mother-in-law’s blood pressure soared, measuring 161/102 with a heart rate of 128 in the airport emergency room. Wen Huijuan called the police, but there was still no response. With the 10-month-old child persistently having a high fever, they had no choice but to temporarily set aside concerns about their ID cards, take a taxi to the hospital for the child’s medical attention, and then return to Linfen.
Early the next morning, Wen Huijuan called Guojiazhuang community to confirm the incident and request their IDs. The response was that they had no knowledge of the matter. Wen couldn’t help but suspect that the group of people from the previous day had impersonated Guojiazhuang community staff.
Wen Huijuan believes that regardless of whether they are Guojiazhuang community staff or not, the illegal confiscation of citizens’ ID cards is suspected to violate Article 16 of Chapter 4 of the “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Resident Identity Cards ” which states: “Anyone who conducts any of the following acts shall be given a warning by the public security organ, and shall be imposed upon a fine of less than 200 yuan; if there are illegal gains, the illegal gains shall be confiscated:
- Using false evidential materials to obtain an identity card;
- Leasing, lending and transferring an identity card;
- Detaining the identity card of others.
Wen called 110 to report the incident. The person who answered the call instructed her to contact Yuncheng police at 0359110 regarding the case that occurred at Yuncheng Airport. After making the call, Yuncheng police responded, stating that they had verified the previous day’s alarm records and received feedback indicating that the person who reported the incident was summoned by Beicheng Police Station in the Economic Development Zone of Linfen City. However, Wen insisted that she had never seen any Linfen police throughout the entire incident because none of them had presented any credentials.
In response to her experience, Wen Huijuan publicly accused:
- I accuse police officer 006089 of violent law enforcement. Without presenting any credentials, he forcibly dragged me from the waiting hall to the airport lobby, causing pain and visible bruising.
- I accuse Yuncheng Airport police of negligence and suspected misconduct. In a public incident at the airport, they failed to intervene or inquire, and they cooperated with unidentified individuals (self-claimed members of the Guojiazhuang community), resulting in the disappearance of mine and my mother-in-law’s ID cards.
- I accuse Yuncheng Public Security Bureau of inaction. Despite filing a report, there has been no resolution to the case.
Wen Huijuan is requesting on Weibo that government department Weibo accounts, such as Ping An Yuncheng, Charming Yuncheng, Shanxi Yuncheng News Network, Yuncheng Tourism, Ping An Linfen, Shanxi Provincial Department of Transportation, Shanxi Public Security, and others, pay attention to and investigate this matter. She seeks to safeguard the personal rights of citizens and hopes that authorities will set an example, fostering a positive and secure travel environment and avoiding damage to the image of the police force.
