Global Voices translates Twitter reaction to news that a private security company is being investigated for throwing petitioners in “black jails“:
So what exactly does An Yuan Ding（安元鼎）do for its business? The company is one of the most famous stability contractors responsible for intercepting petition visits in Beijing. According to Southern Metropolis Weekly’s latest investigative report on September 24 , the contractor’s business is to put the petitioners in jail or escort them back to their home county. The staffs of An Yuan Ding are called a “special security force” and they could act like police officers in arresting the petitioners. In fact, An Yuan Ding runs a large number of “black jails” in Beijing and invoices the local government for petitioners’ daily expenses and escort fees during detention. In 2007 the business’ annual turnover was RMB 8.6 million (about USD 1.2 million). The company was listed in the top ten security service brands by the Beijing city government and, in 2008, the business turnover reached RMB 21 million (USD 3 million).
The series of reports about An Yuan Ding has received a lot of echoes online. It quickly became the hottest topic in micro-blogs such as Sina on September 25. Under public pressure, the Beijing police decided to take action against the “illegal detention” and “black jail” business. However, at the same time, the police also raided the Financial Magazine and interrogated the editor about the report. In addition, the propaganda department decided to harmonize all the news related with An Yuan Ding on September 26. The political implications of the case can be aggregated through a Twitter search.
