Account of police raids targeted at LGBT in Beijing
Wan Yanhai
First instance: in the second half of January 2008, the police in Chaoyang District visited the residence of a LGBT activist. They enquired about her ex-roommate residence permit, asked for her picture, and enquired about the nature of her job. The police made an appointment with the landlord and acted as if they were investigating the residence. They enquired about issues not exclusively related to her residence permit. At the same time, another LGBT activist received a phone call regarding a matter related to his residence permit. In the afternoon of 21 March 2008, the day after releasing the news about the signature exhibition of supporting homosexual marriage , the police paid another visit to this residence and enquired about the nature of her job, a LGBT website etc.
Second instance: on 9 March 2008, a popular LGBT night club in Beijing, called Destination, was visited by the police. The police said the club was too crowded. As a result, people’s access to the club was restricted and the music stopped. The club was shut down and resumed business only a few days after.
Third instance: in the afternoon of 17 March 2008, a number of police officers visited Dongdan Park, in the East District of Beijing. Public security officers and armed police carried out the interrogation at the park, taking away the gay people in park to the police station inside the parkㄛwhere more than 40 people were waiting to be enquired. The people taken away by the police were all requested to show their ID, and their details were checked on the computer. They were all requested to write their name on a white paper, and hold the paper with their names before their chest to be photographed. Some people refused to be photographed and released without being photographed. Some others, as a result of refusing to be photographed, and because their details were not found in the computer records, were taken to the police station for further interrogation. A gay volunteer of Aizhixing Institute was taken to the police station because police said that his name was not found in the computer records, and released after the lawyer of Aizhixing showed up at the police station. When the individuals were taken away, the police reported that a person was killed inside the park a day before, and everyone had to cooperate in the investigation. But after being walked to the police station, the individuals were not asked any question related to a criminal case.
In the following days, many people in the park were asked to show their ID. Every evening after 7, a police car drove into the park to inspect the surroundings. For a small imprudence, people would be taken away by the police. Later in the evening, the police would clear out the park. In the afternoon of 22 Marchㄛ 2 young people were taken away by police officers as soon as they walked into the park.
Fourth instance: in the afternoon of 20 March 2008, more than 10 police cars visited “Oasis” club, the most popular gay bath house in Beijing. More than 70 people, including all the members of staff and clients were taken away. After more than 30 hours, in the early morning of 22 March, the clients of the house were released. But the members of staff were kept detained. In the early morning of 21 March, the police visited another Oasis bath house near Dongsishitiao Bridge, and took away all members of staff, but not the clients. At present, these two bath houses have been shut down. It was reported that at the same time, in another part of the city, another gay bath house was also shut down.
Fifth instance: one evening around mid March 2008, in one of the alleys of a gay park in Haidian District, the police conducted an interrogation among people strolling in the area.
Sixth instance: according to information from Beijing Tongzhi (LGBT) chat rooms, the police have detained over 80 male sex workers via those chat rooms in Beijing. A chat room announcement reads as follows: “these days, Beijjing is clearing out the city and carrying out a crackdown on sex work, the police has currently detained more than 80 sex workers, this website does not welcome people with illegal intentions, and hopes everyone works together to fight illegal behavior, thanks for your cooperation!”
Finally, in recent days, a gay bath house in Shanghai has been shut down. Evidence shows that this time, crackdowns are being carried out at national level.
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壽衾控儔華眈壽劑舷渀勤肮俶蟋氪俴雄腔佽隴
勀晊漆
錶珨ㄩ2008爛1堎狟悎ㄛ控儔庈陳栠議巖堤垀溼恀珨靡肮祩祔魂雄尪腔懈垀ㄛ戙恀婃蛂痐脹岈皊ㄛ甜埮獗賸滇陲ㄛ抶趕囀祥癹衾婃蛂痐﹝肮奀ㄛ鍚珨靡肮祩祔魂雄尪諉善萇趕ㄛ脤戙婃蛂痐岈皊﹝2008爛3堎21狟敁ㄛ巖堤垀婬棒溼恀蜆懈垀ㄛ戙恀眈壽尪睿厙桴脹﹝
錶媼ㄩ2008爛3堎9ㄛ控儔翍靡肮俶蟋嬴勘”醴腔華”婈郣劑舷善溼﹝劑舷硌備嬴勘怮嗣﹝呴綴ㄛ嬴勘輦砦陓囀ㄛ嬴勘秞氈礿砦﹝嬴勘礿珛撓毞綴珋婓樟哿茠珛﹝
錶ㄩ2008爛3堎17狟敁ㄛ杅謙劑舷羲輛控儔陲傑牮囀腔陲等鼠埶ㄛ呴綴杅坋靡鼠假睿挕蚾劑舷羲宎婓埶脤戙ㄛ湍軗40嗣善鼠埶囀腔笥假域鼠弅﹝掩湍軗腔ㄛ藩跺掩猁堤尨旯爺痐璃ㄛ呴綴岆劑舷萇齟脤戙藩跺腔訧蹋﹝藩跺呴綴掩猁婓祧奻迡狟赻撩腔靡趼ㄛ忒撼迡衄赻撩靡趼腔啞祧婓倠ㄛ諉忳淏醱鼴桽﹝珨虳擇橈鼴桽ㄛ笢衄帤掩鼴桽奧掩庋溫ㄛ衄秪蕨擇鼴桽奧掩硌備萇齟笢脤祥善跺旯爺陓洘奧掩湍善巖堤垀酕輛珨祭脤戙﹝乾眭俴旃噶垀珨靡祩堋氪秪掩硌備萇齟笢脤祥善跺旯爺陓洘奧掩湍善巖堤垀酕輛珨祭脤戙ㄛ綴乾眭俴旃噶垀薺呇善湛巖堤垀綴ㄛ蜆祩堋氪鳳庋﹝
擂洃ㄛ劑舷湍腔奀緊桶尨ㄛ珨毞鼠埶爵堤珋韜偶璃ㄛ猁湮模饜磁覃脤﹝筍絞涴虳善湛笥假域鼠弅綴ㄛ帤掩恀摯睿韜偶眈壽腔陓洘﹝
呴綴撓毞ㄛ陲等鼠埶爵奀都堤珋劑舷脤桄旯爺陓洘腔錶﹝藩毞俀奻ㄛ珨啜婓7萸綴ㄛ劑陬憩頗羲輛鼠埶ㄛ杅靡劑舷羲宎潰脤鼠埶﹝珨祥苤陑ㄛ憩褫夔掩湍軗﹝載俀虳奀緊ㄛ劑舷憩頗埶﹝
3堎22狟敁ㄛ2靡爛ㄛ試試輛陲等鼠埶ㄛ憩掩劑舷恀趕綴湍軗﹝
錶侐ㄩ2008爛3堎20狟敁ㄛ10嗣謙劑舷懂善控儔昹傑牮囀腔翍靡肮俶蟋唌喀”韁捚昹佴”ㄛ絞部湍軗垀衄馱釬埜睿唌喀諦ㄛ杅婓70嗣﹝30嗣跺苤奀綴ㄛ婓22錘鹵ㄛ唌喀諦掩庋溫ㄛ筍馱釬埜甡掩壽挹﹝3堎21錘鹵ㄛ劑舷懂善弇衾陲侐坋沭蜇輪腔鍚珨模”韁捚昹佴”唌喀ㄛ湍軗垀衄馱釬埜ㄛ筍帤湍軗諦﹝醴ㄛ涴謗跺唌喀掩壽敕ㄛ湮藷掩脤猾﹝擂洃ㄛ肮珨奀潔ㄛ控儔鍚珨模唌喀ㄛ羲宎礿珛﹝
錶拻ㄩ2008爛3堎笢狟悎腔珨跺俀奻ㄛ婓控儔漆蛭牮囀腔議跺誰陑豪埶ㄛ劑舷婓笚峓脤戙婓絞華蚔俙腔蠅﹝
錶鞠ㄩ跦擂控儔肮祩謐毞弅腔籵豢ㄛ郔輪眕綴ㄛ控儔劑舷籵徹厙釐謐毞弅ㄛ蚰眸賸80嗣靡鹹俶俶馱釬氪﹝籵豢狟ㄩ控儔輪羲桯禸酴湖準馱釬ㄛ醴鼠假窒藷眒冪婓謐毞弅笢蠶眸80嗣弇闖窋埜ㄛ
掛桴祥辣茩衄準楊砩芞腔懂森謐毞ㄛ洷咡湮模乾誘謐毞弅ㄛ珨萋秶峊楊俴峈﹝郅郅磁釬ㄐ
郔綴ㄛ輪ㄛ奻漆珨模唌喀掩壽敕﹝衄慫砓桶隴ㄛ掛棒湖僻俴雄岆弊俶腔.
Many thanks to Mr. Jeremy of PT Foundation for the story.
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