Zhou Yongkang’s son arrested for illegal business operations

Zhou Yongkang, former security czar and retired senior Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader, is now under investigation and prosecution. Reports have confirmed that the Yichang city procuratorate in Hubei province has also arrested Zhou’s son, Zhou Bin, on charges of involvement in illegal business operations. According to sources quoted by U.S.-based media, Zhou Bin recently submitted evidence against his father, and thus, only until now has the CCP decided to announce the investigation and prosecution of Zhou Yongkang.

China Announces Arrest of Zhou Yongkang, Former Security Tsar

On Tuesday the Chinese regime’s news agency, Xinhua, announced that former domestic security tsar Zhou Yongkang has been arrested. According to the official announcement, Zhou is being charged with “grave violations of discipline,” although the official charges are not expected to name Zhou’s gravest crimes.

Zhou Yongkang Used Oil Executive Jiang Built a Network of Allies

BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Oil executive Jiang Jiemin rose to power in Communist China in time-honored fashion: by hitching his star to a mighty mentor.

In Jiang’s case, that patron was another oil man, Zhou Yongkang, who went on to become the chief of China’s internal security apparatus and one of the country’s most powerful men.

Is China’s Xi Jinping Targeting to Take Down Zhou Yongkang?

Sichuan’s former deputy Party Chief Li Chuncheng was one of the first senior officials to go, after Chinese leader Xi Jinping announced his intentions against corruption last November.

That move may be in preparations to take down another man—former security chief, Zhou Yongkang.

New Confessions: Will Zhou Yongkang be Arrested?

Recently, inside sources informed Chinese websites abroad, that former Sichuan vice secretary Li Chengcheng confessed a lot of criminal facts about Zhou Yongkang. Zhou is a former secretary of the central Political and Legislative Affairs Committee (PLAC.) These facts provided direct evidences for arresting Zhou. The new party leader Xi Jinping has also decided to go after Zhou. Evidences show Zhou can’t escape legal actions.

Li Chengcheng is one of Zhou’s political cronies.

Chinese lawyer hit out openly at former security chief Zhou Yongkang: “a traitor to the people”

Prominent Beijing-based human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang has hit out openly at China’s former security chief Zhou Yongkang, calling him “a traitor to the people.”

In a post made to his verified accounts on Twitter-like services run by Sina, Tencent and Sohu, Pu said the domestic security system masterminded by Zhou had brought tragedy to many, directly or indirectly.

Chinese Lawyer Pu Zhiqiang Denounced Zhou Yongkang on Top 3 Micro-blog

On February 6th Pu Zhiqiang (real-name),  renowned human rights lawyer, denounced Zhou Yongkang using the top three micro-blog services in China. Lawyer Pu called for reevaluation of China’s stability preservation existing in the last decade. In his blog post, he indicated that Zhou Yongkang brought disasters upon China and the people.

Lawyer Pu wrote, that for China wants to walk out of shadow of stability maintenance, it has to purge the Zhou-dominated pattern of social order maintenance. He said that Zhou Yongkang has, directly or indirectly, created countless tragedies in China. He is a real enemy of the people!

China’s Bo Xilai Removal May Bring Down Politburo Member Zhou Yongkang, Analyst Says

I spoke earlier with NTD Senior China Analyst Dr. Zhang Tianliang, who’s been following Bo Xilai’s situation closely. He said that Bo’s removal was not a surprise…especially after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao criticized Chongqing’s leadership on Wednesday. Dr. Zhang said that Wen’s remarks were highly unusual.

[Dr. Zhang Tianliang, NTD Senior China Analyst]:

“In front of the whole world’s media, the Communist Party now shows people that they are divided. This is very, very rare…It’s never happened after the Cultural Revolution that one Chinese official openly accused another Chinese official of faults or mistakes or crimes.”

Wikileaks- Who led Google China hacking? Two Politburo Members, Li Changchun and Zhou Yongkang

(Reuters) – The hacking of Google Inc that led the Internet company to briefly pull out of China was orchestrated by two members of China’s top ruling body, according to U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks and cited by The New York Times on Saturday.

Citing the cables, the Times said China made repeated and often successful hacking attacks on the U.S. government, private enterprises and Western allies as far back as 2002.

Canada’s Liberal Party Leader to meet with China’s ‘Human Rights Killer’

By Jason Loftus & Matthew Little, Epoch Times Staff, July 8, 2010 –

TORONTO— Zhou Yongkang is not a name often in the news, unless your news diet includes a regular helping of Chinese state-run press. But on Monday, Mr. Zhou, who holds authority in the Chinese Communist Party for politics and law, managed to gain two separate mentions in the western media.

First was news in the New York Times and Forbes that under Mr. Zhou’s purview a U.S. citizen had been sentenced to eight years in a Chinese prison for purchasing a database of Chinese oil wells on behalf of the American consulting company that employed him.

Jon Huntsman, the U.S. ambassador to China, called for the release of Dr. Xue Feng, who was charged under a vague state secrets law and has reportedly been tortured during the two-and-a-half years since his arrest. Critics called the ruling “baffling” and politically motivated.

Second was a news release from the Liberal Party of Canada saying that as part of his trip to China this week Canadian opposition leader Michael Ignatieff would be sitting down with Mr. Zhou for a chat Tuesday morning in Beijing.

That prompted Epoch Times journalists to ask what exactly the Liberal leader planned to discuss with Mr. Zhou, who currently holds no position in the Chinese government itself but has earned a remarkable reputation as the heavy hand of the communist party.

As the minister of public security between 2002 and 2007, Mr. Zhou was responsible for the controversial security measures that included rounding up suspected dissidents and detaining them in the lead-up to the 17th Party Congress and Beijing Olympic Games.

“We must strike hard at hostile forces at home and abroad, such as ethnic separatists, religious extremists, violent terrorists, and ‘heretical organizations’ like the Falun Gong who carry out destabilizing activities,” Mr. Zhou was quoted during preparations for the Olympics. An excerpt of his speech appears on the top of an Amnesty International appeal.

Similar tactics are said to have been employed again ahead of the Shanghai World Expo that is now underway.

What’s more, Mr. Zhou advocates “striking hard” at these groups not only “at home,” but “abroad” too. Mr. Zhou was accused of having been behind a pro-Beijing mob that accosted and in some cases assaulted Falun Gong protesters in New York’s Flushing Chinatown for weeks in 2008.

The Epoch Times pointed this out to Mr. Ignatieff’s office, noting that he was preparing to meet Mr. Zhou just 10 hours after CSIS head Richard Fadden had testified in Ottawa on the topic of foreign interference in Canada.

Ignatieff’s office did not directly address questions sent via email this week both before and after his meeting with Zhou. Tibetan exiles in Canada are among those looking for answers.

As the communist party secretary for Sichuan Province between 1999 and 2002, Mr. Zhou earned the nickname “human rights killer.”

Exiled Tibetans have gathered 40,000 signatures on petitions bearing Mr. Zhou’s name, calling for the release of Tenzin Delek, a Tibetan community leader arrested under Mr. Zhou’s watch in Sichuan and given a heavy sentence eight years ago.

Mr. Delek is said to be in ill health while serving a life sentence handed down for “conspiring to cause explosions,” a charge his supporters say is without evidence and that he confessed to under torture.

Mr. Ignatieff’s riding is home to the Tibetan Canadian Cultural Centre, which is the heart of Toronto’s Tibetan diaspora, the largest in the world outside of India according to Tenzin Lobsang, national director for Students for a Free Tibet Canada……. (more details from The Epochtimes)

(photos) New York: Communist China Directs “Cultural Revolution” for 4 Continuous Days

By Ben Kaminsky, Katy Mantyk, and Evan Mantyk, Epoch Times Staff, May 21, 2008-

FLUSHING, N.Y.— With supporters of the Chinese regime spitting, throwing eggs, beating people, and shouting propaganda, the scene this week in New York City’s Flushing Chinatown looked like something from China’s Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s, according to Edmund Erh, a Queens resident who has faced the brunt of the attacks.

“After I took their picture, they asked why I took their picture. They wanted to take my camera, so I protected my camera and they started attacking me. Five or four of them surrounded me and wanted to take my camera,” said Erh, a computer engineer.

(photo at right: Flushing resident Edmond Erh ( tan jacket, dark collar) was assaulted in New York City on Tuesday. Erh was supporting a booth for quitting the Chinese Communist Party/ Dayin Chen/The Epoch Times)

Erh was part of a group of Falun Gong practitioners who for the past three years have set up a booth on the sidewalk outside the Flushing Library and organized peaceful rallies to encourage Chinese people to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that has ruled China for the past 60 years. Falun Gong is a spiritual practice that was banned in China in 1999.

Erh’s peaceful “quit the CCP” group was the target of the aggressive protest.

Groups of hundreds of Chinese people have gathered each day ( started from may 17th to 20th) across from Erh and dozens of others who have stayed their ground despite ridicule and assault.

These protests are believed by Erh and his colleagues to be paid for by the Chinese regime. When the protests began on Saturday, a Chinese man was heard to yell into his cell phone “Hurry! Bring more people over here. Each person will be paid 90 dollars.”

(photos below: Chinese mobs attack Quit CCP site)

In the background of the protests is the Sichuan earthquake, the powerful feelings it has aroused in Chinese, and the way in which the Chinese regime has tried to manipulate those feelings.

Simon Chiu says that he is an artist. Asked why he is taking part in the protests, he said, “These people

are against the Chinese government and against the Chinese, you know. So we are here supporting Chinese government, supporting Chinese people. That’s why we’re here.”

Chinese-language media known to be owned or influenced by the Chinese regime have covered these protests heavily.

Those media have carried stories whose themes are that the Falun Gong practitioners at the Quit the CCP Service Center “do not care about the victims of the Sichuan earthquake” and “do not love China.”

Asked about the members of the Quit the CCP group who were attacked, Chiu responded, “They should have been killed, you know. Yeah, that’s good, they should be killed.”

“The way it is happening right now, it’s a very hostile situation,” said New York Police Department Detective Kisso Kim of Community Affairs. “We are requesting more officers for the location, the crowds are growing larger.”

Two of the violent protesters were arrested on Tuesday, according to the NYPD.

Non-Chinese Flushing resident Eric Adrianzen said that he didn’t like the rowdy protests.

“I don’t like it, it feels like China’s controlling my country over here,” said Adrianzen. “Everybody’s got the right to say what they have to say.”

Adrianzen pointed out how ironic it was that the protests were going on outside of the Flushing Library, where there is an exhibit of the Flushing Remonstrance—often considered a precursor to the Bill of Rights’ provision on religious freedom.

“It’s a document put out by the early settlers here because they were being persecuted for their religion, so it’s ironic because these people [Falun Gong] are being persecuted for what they want to say,” said Adrianzen.

The protests in Flushing are part of a pattern of counter-protests, sometimes violent, organized by the CCP as the Olympics became a lightning rod for protests against it.

When the Olympic torch relay began encountering protests from Tibetans and others, the CCP prepared large counter-protests, sometimes busing Chinese students hundreds of miles to take part in an attempt to disrupt the protests.

In Flushing’s Chinatown, Chinese official Zhou Yongkang is believed to have been the mastermind behind the overseas counter-protests.

Zhou, head of the Central Political and Legislative Committee of the CCP, has been sued several times outside China for crimes against humanity and torture in connection with the leading role he has played in persecuting Falun Gong.

In the recent string of counter-protests, Zhou has been accused of using Chinese spies, the Chinese Student and Scholar Organizations, Chinese community organizations, and thugs to disrupt activities that all bring attention to the Chinese regime’s human rights record.

– Original from the Epochtimes: Chinese Regime Tries to Quash Dissent in New York’s Chinatown, Say Activists

Rally attacked, event staff beaten in New York for support Chinese quit Communist Party

By Gong Ping, Epoch Times Staff, May 19, 2008-

FLUSHING, New York—Participants in a rally urging Chinese to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) were attacked and a 70-year-old retired engineer was beaten on Saturday afternoon on the streets of Flushing in New York City.

According to participants in the rally, the attack was not spontaneous. One of the attackers shouted in Chinese into his cell phone “Hurry! Bring more people over here. Each person will be paid 90 dollars.”

(Photo: Hundreds of members of the Chinese community group shout slogans bad-mouthing the people manning the Quit CCP booth. The disruption, organized by the Communist Party leaders, required police to barricade them. The disrupters later threw glass bottles at the people at the Quit CCP booth and attacked people, injuring them/Nick Rostrin/Epoch Times)

The rally took place on the street outside the main library in Flushing. It was organized by the Service Center for Quitting the Chinese Communist Party based in Flushing and called for support for the 36 million Chinese who have signed declarations quitting the CCP.

The attack on the rally seems to have been coordinated with Chinese-language media that are controlled or influenced by the CCP. These media outlets, such as CCTV, ordinarily do not cover rallies held to urge people to quit the CCP.

On Saturday, these media outlets were present in force. Immediately after the event ended, they published and broadcast stories whose themes were that the participants in this rally “do not care about the victims of the Sichuan earthquake” and “do not love China.”

Witnesses at the scene saw individuals providing drinks and Chinese flags to the crowd that gathered to oppose the rally for quitting the CCP. Other individuals worked to arrange the scene to provide CCTV with good opportunities for filming.

Part of a Pattern

The attack in Flushing is part of a pattern of counter-protests, sometimes violent, organized by the Chinese regime as the Olympics became a lightning rod for protests against it.

When the Olympic Torch Relay began encountering protests from Tibetans and others, the Chinese regime prepared large counter protests, sometimes bussing Chinese students hundreds of miles to take part in an attempt to disrupt the protests.

The Human Rights Torch Relay (HRTR) is holding rallies in 40 countries around the world devoted to the proposition that “The Olympics and crimes against humanity cannot coexist in China.”

These rallies have also often encountered organized efforts to disrupt them.

Ordered in Beijing

Zhou Yongkang is said by inside sources to be the individual behind the effort to organize Chinese protests meant to disrupt the rally in Flushing on Saturday, and other rallies held these past several months.

Zhou’s official position is head of the Central Political and Legislative Committee. He is known to be one of the principle figures behind the Chinese regime’s persecution of Falun Gong and has been sued in several countries for crimes against humanity and torture he is believed to have authorized in China.

Zhou is said to have used the regime’s espionage network, its influence over Chinese Student and Scholar Associations, local community organizations influenced by the CCP, and local thugs to disrupt events such as protests of the Olympic Torch Relay and the HRTR rallies.

The attack in Flushing, with the interpretation given it by regime-influenced Chinese-language media, appears to be an attempt to play on the strong feelings evoked by the disastrous earthquake in Sichuan in order to stigmatize opposition to the Chinese regime.

– Original report from The Epochtimes: Peaceful Rally Attacked in New York City’s Chinatown

China Politburo Lawsuit Dismissed Without Court Hearing

By Li Zhen,  the Epoch Times, Nov 12, 2007-

On November 5, Beijing Second Intermediate People’s Court dismissed the lawsuit against former Minister of Public Security Zhou Yongkang without proceedings in a court hearing.

(photo: Shanghai appellant Tong Guoqing)

The plaintiff’s attorney Zheng Enchong indicated the court’s decision violates the law, and could have possibly been made to avoid public and political pressure. The plaintiff Tong Guoqing plans to appeal.

This unprecedented politburo lawsuit was accepted on September 20, 2007, a year after it was filed with the court even though according to China’s Administrative Litigation Law, the court must respond within seven days to decide whether or not to accept a case. The acceptance of the case was considered encouraging to mainlanders, the attorney Zheng Enchong, a Shanghai lawyer and human rights defender, had stated previously that it was already a victory in the history of Chinese petitioners’ human rights litigation.

Defendant Replaced by the Court

The plaintiff, Tong Guoqing, indicated he received the official letter from the Second Intermediate People’s Court on November 7. It was stated that the dismissal was based on it being “Not consistent with the relevant provisions of the Administrative Review Law.” In the letter, the defendant had also been changed to the incumbent Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu from the former Minister of Public Security Zhou Yongkang.

Zheng was puzzled about the sudden change of the defendant by the court without a prior notification in accordance with regulations. In the administrative plea issued by the Ministry of Public Security on October 16, as the state’s formal response to Tong’s suing Zhou Yongkang’s failure to carry out his Ministerial duty to protect the appellants, the legal representative was then Minister, Zhou Yongkang. As for the dismissal of the lawsuit, Zheng expressed his disappointment. He said, “The court has violated the legal process at the beginning by delaying the acceptance of a case, and now is making a second even more serious mistake.” Zheng further mentioned, “The Second Intermediate Court is the court of first instance, the legal procedure requires a hearing. Dismissal of a case without a court hearing is a serious violation of the law.”

What’s Happening?

Zheng believed Zhou Yongkang as the Party Chief for the Central Political and Legal Committee has pressured the court to dismiss the case and replace the defendant with his authority in the regime’s law enforcement and justice system. Besides, the dismissal could be the consequence of a new compromise between the two factions inside the Chinese Communist Party (Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin).

He further analyzed, “Since it was publicized first internationally, this case has been watched closely by the media. It is expected to cause a wave of legal lawsuits filed by petitioners nationwide as a chain reaction, if Beijing Second Intermediate People’s Court initiated the case hearing. The Court did not dare take up this responsibility and chose to dismiss the case.”

As the legal representative of Tong’s case, the Shanghai human rights lawyer Zheng Enchong was summoned once again on November 8 by Shanghai Zhabei District Public Security.

The plaintiff Tong Guoqing was forced to defend his rights through petition after authorities illegally seized his private house in 1999, and forcibly relocated him. During this time, Tong was also pursued by police, beaten and even arrested.

– Original report from the Epochtimes

Related:

– Higher Power Involved in Unprecedented China Politburo Lawsuit

– Beijing Accepts Lawsuit Targeting China Politburo Member Zhou Yongkang

Higher Power Involved in Unprecedented China Politburo Lawsuit

By Xin Fei, The Epoch Times Staff, Nov 05, 2007-

CHINA—Recently The Epoch Times reported that the Beijing Second Intermediate People’s Court accepted a civilian’s lawsuit against a current standing member of the regime’s Political Bureau. This unprecedented lawsuit has gained great attention from the world.

One expert believes the lawsuit’s acceptance involves higher level authorities beyond the Politics and Legal Committee and reveals the in-fighting and division inside the core political body.

Zhou Yongkang, former Public Security Minister and currently Party Chief for the Central Political and Legal Committee, was the head of the regime’s law enforcement and justice system.

Tong Jingguo, a native from Shanghai, filed a case against Zhou that was registered on September 20 at the Beijing Second Intermediate People’s Court. On October 16, the second day of the Chinese Communist Party’s 17th National Congress, the Ministry of Public Securities sent Tong an official document setting forth the administrative proceedings.

Several analysts told The Epoch Times that this case is the key for current leader Hu Jintao to remove Zhou and crush former leader Jiang Zemin’s power. It is also the preparation work for Hu to stand clear from Jiang’s crimes and hold Zhou, Lo Gan, and Jiang responsible for their crimes in the persecution of Falun Gong.

High Level Authorities Back the Court

Hu Jia, a human right activist, said it is almost impossible to register a case like this in court and enter proceedings. “The Political and Legal Committee is the head of the evil force in China. Complaints from common people against high level officials will never be accepted and the plaintiffs are often punished. Zhou is the Party Chief of the Political and Legal Committee and former Minister of Public Security.

“According to the organizational setting, both the Directors of the People’s Supreme Procurate and the Supreme Court report to Zhou. Zhou should have total power to control this case in any way he wants.

“Hence, there is either a power independent of and higher than the Political and Legal Committee that backs the decision of the court; another force pursuing judicial independence competing with the Political and Legal Committee; or a high level force using this case as a means to combat Zhou.”

Strike Jiang by Combating Zhou

Dr. Li Tianxiao, who received his Ph.D. in politics from Columbia University, said that Hu’s biggest threat comes from Jiang’s faction. Jiang tried everything to hold on to the power because Hu will make him pay for his dues once he loses power within the party.

Li thinks Hu is attempting to combat Jiang from three aspects—higher level political struggle, local forces, and within the party system. “In higher level politics, Hu’s biggest threat is Zhou, the Party Chief of the Political and Legal Committee who holds control over the police and armed police.

“Jiang worked hard to keep Zhou in that position and that is why Hu has taken on Zhou. Zhou is one of the culprits who suppresses Falun Gong and has terribly inadequate governing records in every political position he has held. Zhou’s only supporter is Jiang. Hu taking on Zhou will gain support from within the party and further crush Jiang’s people,” said Li.

Li said this case was registered in late September directly targeting Zhou. Hu hit Jiang’s regime right on its face expecting to stop Zhou from entering the standing committee of the Political Bureau. At the same time, by stopping the current Minister of Public Security from entering the Political Bureau and the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Hu suppresses the Ministry of Public Security and hence weakens Zhou’s influence.

Publicizing the Split in High Level Politics

Wu Fan, a political critic, said registering the complaint against Zhou is an apparent sign that Hu and Jiang’s political battle has rolled into the public’s eye. It means Hu is consciously trying to separate from Jiang and his crimes in suppressing Falun Gong and preparing for his next attack.

Preparing to Make Jiang Pay His Dues

According to Li, it is unprecedented that a court registered a case in which a common person sues a high level party official and the Ministry of Public Security was forced to issue an administrative proceeding. This case sets a precedent that any guilty official, even a high level official or a law enforcement party, can be sued. This is preparation work for Hu to later charge Jiang and his other followers for their crimes, and a powerful threat to Jiang.

“It’s a sign Hu wants to utilize public opinion. In this case, both appellant and lawyer are from Shanghai. Hu’s strategy is to capture Jiang in his own power camp, Shanghai. Hu has plotted three other similar cases (Zhou Zhengyi, Chen Liangyu, and Wang Weigong’s cases) targeting Jiang and his son,” said Li.

Li thinks Jiang Mianheng (Jiang’s son) and Zhou Yongkang’s cases will very possibly cause future conflicts between Hu and Jiang, which may become as extreme as mobilizing armed police.

A Tidal Wave of Corruption Lawsuits

Hu Jia considers this case meaningful regardless of the result. He thinks there will be tens of thousands of these types of cases emerging because people and history won’t forgive the killers who trample on human rights. Wu Fan thinks politics in China will evolve faster and more shockingly, based on this recent series of events.

– Original report from the Epochtimes

Wang Zhaojun’s Open Letter Reveals the Current Political Situation in China

By Zhang Tianliang, The Epoch Times, Nov 04, 2007-

As reported by The Epoch Times on October 31, Wang Zhaojun’s open letter (in Chinese part 1, part 2),  is a bright spot on China’s political landscape after the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The political background from which this incredible event emerged is filled with intrigue.

The political restructuring during the CCP’s 17th National Congress has led many people to feel that Jiang’s group is still very strong. Zhou Yongkang, the target of a recent, unprecedented lawsuit, became a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau. Jia Qingling and Li Changchun also retained their positions on the committee. These moves, of course, represent Jiang Zemin’s final fight to extend the policy of persecuting Falun Gong and to protect himself and his family’s safety. As a consequence Jiang Zemin has also now pushed Hu Jintao into a corner.

Hu Jintao is strongly opposed to expressing support for the persecution of Falun Gong and this makes Jiang Zemin very worried. In order to protect himself, Jiang Zemin had to position his own people onto the Standing Committee to prevent Hu Jintao from consolidating power and redressing Falun Gong. There are even rumors of a Jiang Zemin led conspiracy to assassinate Hu Jintao.

Hu Jintao of course can hide his strength and bide his time but he has already been controlled for 15 years. Since 1992, the younger Hu has been waiting until Jiang Zemin and his people to step down so that he can have free reign of the government. However Jiang Zemin held on to the position of the President of Central Military Commission after the CCP’s 16th National Congress in 2002. Since stepping down from this position in 2004, he keeps a finger on Chinese politics through former and current Standing Committee members: Zeng Qinghong, Huang Ju, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Luo Gang and Chen Liangyu. The prolonged wait for power is leading Hu Jintao to the end of his forbearance.

Hu Jintao has always been very careful and steady. He doesn’t make a move until he is certain. Arresting Chen Liangyun was the first step in cleaning up Jiang’s group. Jiang’s group countered Hu immediately, as the personnel arrangements at the 17th National Congress represent Jiang’s last fight. At this point in time, if Hu lets Jia Qingling, Li Changchun and Zhou Yongkang control the balance of power on the Standing Committee, he will again be on a leash for the next five years of his term. Given all this, Hu has to move.

I talked about this exact trend on the 2nd day of the 17th National Congress. If Jiang Zemin successfully pushed Zhou Yongkang into the Standing Committee, it would force Hu Jintao to make his decision: to completely purge Jiang Zemin and his group from the government.

Wang Zhaojun’s open letter emerges from just such a background. There might be people saying that the CCP hasn’t yet decided how to handle Wang Zhaojun, so he remains temporarily untouched. But according to usual practice, the CCP would have threatened Wang Zhaojun right away or put him under house arrest. This is the treatment Gao Zhisheng received. However, Wang Zhaojun issued a statement to express that he is very safe and hasn’t encountered any trouble. It is similar to the case of Lu Jiaping remaining safe after revealing embarrassing details of Jiang Zemin—changing his resume and having a special relationship with Song Zuying. It shows that there must be people high up in the CCP who are protecting him.

We have noticed that after the 17th National Congress, Zhou Zhengyi had another hearing and Jiang Mianheng, Jiang Zemin’s son, was brought up from his case. It is no doubt the extension of the fight to destroy the Shanghai group by Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao. Another particularly notable incident is the Beijing Court accepting a lawsuit brought by a petitioner against Zhou Yongkang. In the history of the CCP, this is unprecedented. In the CCP’s internal legal system, the court belongs to the Politburo and Zhou Yongkang is the Head of the Political and Legislative Affairs Committee in the Politburo. We can be sure that this decision would amount to suicide if there were no permission—or at least tacit permission—from an authority higher than Zhou Yongkang.

Because Zhou Yongkang is the spokesman supporting the persecution of Falun Gong in the Standing Committee, the lawsuit against Zhou Yongkang’s has become a key incident in the power struggle between Hu and Jiang.

This isn’t all to say that we can only hope for this power struggle to bring positive change to China. In China today, abandoning the CCP is already a general trend. The opportunity for disintegrating the CCP has matured.

It is no longer a question of whether the CCP will be disintegrated, however, Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao can decide how the CCP will end. If they use the opportunity of clearing out Jiang Zemin to redress Falun Gong and lead China to freedom and a constitutional government, they will have chosen a path that causes Chinese society to pay the least price; this will certainly cement their names in history. This is the result that all people who love China want to see.

– Original report from the Epochtimes

Beijing Accepts Lawsuit Targeting China Politburo Member Zhou Yongkang

By Li Zhen, The Epoch Times Staff, Nov 01, 2007-

HONG KONG— On October 16, the second day of the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the Ministry of Public Security mailed the administrative plea of Shanghai petitioner Tong Guoqing, to the Second Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing. The document is the state’s formal response to Tong’s lawsuit against Zhou Yongkang, China’s former minister of Ministry of Public Security. According to Zheng Enchong—Tong’s prosecuting attorney— this case will lead to several tremendous changes in the country, the most immediate being a great wave of petitioners filing lawsuits in the near future.

The defendant, Zhou Yongkang, is considered by many to be a representative of Jiang Zemin (former Chinese leader who initiated the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999).

During a trip in late 2005 to Beijing where he was attempting to make an appeal, Tong was severely beaten by personnel from the Shanghai administrative office in Beijing. Although he filed a complaint of this abuse at the office of Beijing’s Public Security Bureau, his claim was rejected. Tong then took his case to the Second Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing. After a one-year delay in processing the claim, he finally received the administrative plea on September 20, 2007.

Brutally Beaten

During an interview with The Epoch Times, Tong spoke of his two-year appeal process. The lengthy procedure began in 2003 after his private house was illegally seized by authorities in 1999, later he was forcefully relocated. Soon after, Tong was pursued by police, beaten and even arrested. Tong fought back by studying law and learning about the right to defend himself.

On the evening of December 28, 2005, Tong was dining with a few petitioners from Shanghai in a restaurant near Tiananmen Square. Suddenly, a large group of Shanghai officials stormed the restaurant and began videotaping Tong and his dining companions. As he approached the officers to get them to stop, Tong was grabbed by his hair and his head was slammed against the wall. Tong lost consciousness and the other four petitioners with him were brutally beaten as well. Later, they called 110 (China’s 911) for help and asked the Beijing police station to issue an injury diagnosis certificate to document the crime. Only after repeated requests were they finally given a poorly printed certificate that clearly described their injuries. The next day, after personnel finished examining them for injury, the group was again brutally beaten because of their request for proper documentation.

Case Was Accepted After a Year

Tong filed three copies of an administrative reconsideration to the Beijing Public Security Bureau, including his injury diagnosis certificate, the assault and battery he endured, and the authority’s refusal to properly record the incident. Tong was armed with even greater evidence, but his case was rejected once again. Tong then brought his appeal to the Second Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing.

According to China’s Administrative Litigation Law, the court must respond within seven days to decide whether or not to accept a case. But Tong’s case did not receive an answer for a full year. During the year long wait, he went to the court eight times to file the lawsuit. Eventually on September 20, 2007, the court formally accepted his case—Case Number 585. Later, on October 16, the Police Security Bureau responded with a plea. Tong expects the court to have a hearing soon.

Initiating a Wave of Litigations

Zheng Enchong, a Shanghai lawyer and human rights defender, was encouraged that the Beijing court had accepted a case from a Shanghai appellant. He stated that it was already a victory in the history of Chinese petitioners’ human rights litigation.

“Every year hundreds of thousands of people go to Beijing to appeal, and just one person could be bringing materials for dozens of people,” said Zheng. “Unfortunately, appellants are usually forced to return to their home towns where they often face the very officials for whom they are filing a complaint. The law doesn’t protect them; several appellants from Shanghai were tortured to death. If Tong’s case receives a good deal of exposure, it won’t matter whether he wins or not. As long as a verdict is issued, it gives us more of a chance with future cases.”

He also emphasized that Zhou Yongkang— as the minister of Police Security Ministry— failed to carry out his duties. “He should be responsible for ensuring the safety of the appellants, said Zheng. “Plus, the funding for the Police Security Ministry comes from taxes. Citizens paid their taxes but Zhou did not serve them at all.”

Zheng said that he already accepted Tong’s request to become his legal representative, and is prepared to attend the court hearing for this lawsuit. He thinks whether he can make it to Beijing is a good test on whether the Party will implement its so-called “democratization” that they talked about during the recently concluded 17th National Congress.

Background of Zhou Yongkang

This Standing Committee member of the CCP Politburo is Jiang Zemin’s nephew-in-law. Currently the deputy secretary of the Committee of Political and Legislative Affairs, Zhou has long been involved in the CCP’s political and legal system, having held various positions in the past, including Minister of Police Security, the first Political commissar of the People’s Armed Police Force.

Under Zhou’s leadership at the Police Security Ministry, China’s security and public safety concerns continued to noticeably worsen. Criminal cases increased by 17 to 22 percent per year. Despite his poor record as a public servant, Zhou was extremely dedicated in introducing and implanting Jiang Zemin’s genocidal policy against Falun Gong in 1999. He made his intentions clear when he stated, “To forcefully strike at Falun Gong is the focus of China’s police force.”

Zhou was the secretary of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee for many years. During his tenure, he made Sichuan, a province of nearly 100 million people, one of the most brutal places in the persecution of Falun Gong.

– Original report from the Epochtimes: Beijing Accepts Lawsuit Targeting Politburo

Makeup of China’s 17th Politburo Standing Committee Reflects Power Struggle

By Zhang Tianliang, Special to The Epoch Times, Oct 23, 2007-

The first plenary session of the 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had planned to reveal the nine “elected” members of the 17th Standing Committee of the Political Bureau (or Politburo Standing Committee) at 11 a.m., Oct. 22, 2007, but the Central Committee didn’t reveal the news until 11:30 a.m.

The “election” result of the 16th Politburo Standing Committee was also delayed for 36 minutes. Back then, Jiang Zemin suddenly threw his political muscle behind an effort to sustain his position as the Chairman of the Military Committee and to squeeze his two lackeys, Luo Gan and Li Changchun, onto the Standing committee of the Politburo Bureau.

Whether the delay in announcing the 17th Standing Committee was also a result of a clash between different political factions is not clear. In any case, we are bound to know details about the cause of the delay soon.

The elected members of the 17th Central Committee were revealed yesterday. When I saw Zhou Yongkang’s name on the list of candidates, I felt it was very likely that he would be chosen as one of the standing members of the Political Bureau. Otherwise, it would be meaningless for him to be elected as one of the members of the Central Committee. He is already 65 years old, which means he would have to retire if he couldn’t get on the Politburo Standing Committee.

On the other hand, the fact that he was “elected” as one of the Central Committee members means that he would be arranged to step up to the ladder of the CCP. Similar to Luo Gan, Zhou Yongkang is favored by the CCP because of all the bloody work he has done. Similar to Luo Gan, Zhou was listed as the last standing member of the Political Bureau.

The ratio of Hu Jintao’s to Jiang Zemin’s factions in the 17th Politburo Standing Committee is basically 5:4. Hu has a slight advantage over Jiang. Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang are pro-Jiang. He Guoqiang used to head the CCP’s Organization Department, succeeding Zeng Qinghong. He Guoqiang and Jia Qinglin used to work together in Fujian Province. During He’s post as Mayor of Fujian Province, the internationally infamous smuggling ring in Xiamen that involved high-level CCP officials was most active.

He Guoqiang, who should have faced disciplinary punishment, was instead promoted by Jiang Zemin as the General Secretary of CCP in Chongqing City. He later entered the Political Bureau and became the Head of the Organization Department of the CCP.

It must have taken Jiang Zemin and Luo Gan a lot of effort to put Zhou Yongkang on the Standing Committee. After all, Zhou was infamous for the poor quality work he had done during his posts at China National Petroleum Corporation, Ministry of Land and Resources, and the Sichuan Province Committee. During his post as the Minister of Public Security, Zhou repeatedly swore to lower the crime rate.

However, the number of large police conflicts with protesters continued to rise while the public security bureaus teamed up with the mafia to bully Chinese civilians. Yet it appears Jiang Zemin and the CCP is very partial to an incompetent such as Zhou Yongkang. Jiang, Zeng Qinghong and Luo Gan need a scoundrel who has caused a lot of bloodshed,and who will be willing to stop Hu Jintao or Wen Jiabao’s potential attempts to make peace with the Chinese people.

For ten years, after Deng Xiaopeng had named him as the leader who would succeed Jiang, Hu Jintao had been a “crowned prince.” He finally became the Chairman of the CCP in 2002, but he hasn’t had the real power. The election of the 17th Politburo Committee goes to show that Jia Qinglin will not leave the standing committee, Li Changchun, despite of his cancer, will stay in the standing committee until he dies of cancer like Huang Ju and finally He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang, the two new pawns of Jiang Zemin, have just been squeezed onto the standing committee. Apparently, Jiang Zemin and Zeng Qinghong refuse to allow Hu Jintao any real power.

Zhou Yongkang might feel protected by getting onto the standing committee. Let’s not forget that in 1976 when Hua Guofeng teamed up with Ye Jianying and Wang Dongxing to destroy the “Gang of Four” (The Gang of Four consisted of Wang Hongwen, Zhang Chunqiao, Jiang Qing and Yao Wenyuan) Wang and Zhang were both standing members of the Political Bureau while Jiang and Yao were members of the Political Bureau. [1]

In my opinion, the main purpose of putting Zhou Yongkang on the Standing Committee is for Jiang Zemin and Zeng Qinghong to prevent Hu Jintao from ending the persecution of Falun Gong.

There are quick and slow ways to end the persecution of Falun Gong. The slowest approach would be cutting the funds required to sustain the persecution of Falun Gong. The CCP’s organization system is severely paralyzed. For this reason, it will be a nearly impossible challenge to do something good, but it also means that a lot of funds are required to do something bad. The corrupted government officials, after first lining their own pockets, then need enough money to entice their men to execute bad policies and orders.

Jin Renqing, former Minister of Finance, didn’t even make it to the Central Committee. It is alleged that Hu Jintao is investigating Jin, who secretly allocated a large amount of money to Jiang to suppress Falun Gong. In that case, even though Zhou Yongkang has become a standing committee member, the persecution of Falun Gong will end eventually due to insufficient funds to sustain it. However, history might not have enough time to wait for the persecution of Falun Gong to end this way, if Hu plans to end the persecution in this fashion.

If Hu is tired of his role as a “child emperor,” there is an easy solution for him. The CCP cannot possibly dissolve the debts of blood created by the CCP and Jiang Zemin, let alone Hu Jintao. With that in mind, why does Hu bother to carry these debts for the CCP or Jiang Zemin? Why doesn’t he just end the persecution of Falun Gong and withdraw from the CCP? By doing so, he will be free of carrying these debts of blood and of the restraints from Jiang’s faction. Moreover, Hu would become an important figure who would change history.

– Original article from the Epochtimes

China Launches Crackdown On Overseas and Domestic “Hostile forces” Ahead of CCP Congress

By Michael Bristow, BBC News, Beijing-

China has launched a crackdown on political dissidents and potential troublemakers ahead of the Communist Party’s 17th congress, which begins next month.

The congress, held every five years, is the party’s most important public political event.

At this year’s gathering, which will be held mostly behind closed doors, Chinese President Hu Jintao is expected to tighten his grip on power, and the authorities are keen that those with other ideas are kept well away.

Public Security Minister Zhou Yongkang, a member of the party’s politburo, identified a wide range of “hostile forces” that will be targeted.

“All police should…strike hard on overseas and domestic hostile forces, ethnic splittists, religious extremists, violent terrorists and the Falun Gong so as to safeguard national security and social stability,” he said.

Falun Gong is a spiritual movement that was banned in China after staging a massive demonstration in central Beijing in 1999.

Mr Zhou also referred to political dissidents, campaigners and people who advocate independence for the western regions of Xinjiang and Tibet.

He said efforts should also be made to step up control of the internet to create what he described as a “harmonious online environment”.

China already tries to prevent ordinary citizens logging on to certain websites.

News outlets are also being targeted in the run-up to the congress, which will be attended by more than 2,000 party delegates.

One editor of a Chinese newspaper told the BBC that the party’s central publicity department had issued two notices to editors telling them what stories they could and could not print.

The first notice was sent in July, and the second in mid-August.

“They told us there should be no negative reports before the party congress. We shouldn’t report stories about things such as land rights, petitioners and major incidents, such as accidents,” he said.

In what is perhaps an indication of just how worried newspaper editors are about making mistakes in the run-up to the congress, five of them recently managed to publish almost identical front pages.

There were striking similarities between the headlines, the placement of photographs and the articles selected for print…… (more details from BBC News: China tightens grip ahead of congress)