More details are emerging about the treatment of activists whom officials feared would respond to calls to join protests as part of the so-called Jasmine Revolution, including this account in the Guardian from lawyer Liu Shihui in Guangzhou:
Human rights campaigners report that scores of activists across China were questioned or detained following an online call for “jasmine revolution” demonstrations in 13 cities on Sunday, including Guangzhou.
“A man came to me and dragged me to the side of the street. Then four other guys jumped out of a van parked by the roadside and rushed over to me. They put a rice bag over my head and started beating me up,” said Liu.
“It lasted for about five minutes … I was so scared. I thought they were just going to beat me to death.”
Liu, who spoke to the Guardian via a friend’s phone because his mobile service was cut off on Sunday, said the men did not identify themselves. He believed they were domestic security police because of an incident in December, when he was snatched on the night of the Nobel peace prize ceremony. Many dissidents were detained or harassed owing to the authorities’ anger that the jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo was being honoured.
His abductors, who that time identified themselves as domestic security, dumped him in a remote town, where he spent a freezing night on the roadside. “Back then they told me that I’d better watch my behaviour, otherwise they would get serious with me. This time they are getting serious,” he said.
