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Chinese police beat official's wife by mistake

BEIJING (Reuters) – Plainclothes police severely beat the wife of a provincial official, mistaking her for one of many Chinese who petition government offices in the hope of redressing wrongs, the China Daily reported on Wednesday.

The case of mistaken identity has become a hot topic among Chinese Internet users, highlighting the abuse that China's armies of petitioners routinely suffer at the hands of police and hired thugs who wish to silence them.

Six public security officers set on Chen Yulian, the wife of a provincial law enforcement officer, last month when she tried to enter her husband's office building, which houses the Hubei provincial party headquarters, the China Daily said.

"This incident is a total misunderstanding," the Communist Party chief of the district bureau explained, according the newspaper. "Our police officers never realized that they beat the wife of a senior leader." China's leaders are obsessed with maintaining social stability and "building a harmonious society" has been their chief concern in the recent years.

Full article here

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Outrage as ‘Wrong-Beating-Gate’ Scandal Breaks

After beating an elderly woman in broad daylight for 16 minutes, the six plainclothes policemen realized they had made a serious mistake — on video.


The assault took place when Chen Yulian tried to enter the main gate of Hubei provincial government office buildings in Wuhan. Chen, 58, is the wife of a Hubei provincial committee official.

“It was a mistake, a complete mistake. We were not aware that we had beaten the wife of an important official,” the policemen said.

This bizarre apology, suggesting that such beatings are OK if they aren’t administered to VIPs, triggered an avalanche of public denunciation. Chinese news articles, blogs and forums voiced their disapproval at what is being called “Wrong Beating–Gate” (打错门).

“So as long as it’s no one important, beating is acceptable behavior?” asked one Internet user, commenting on photos of a bruised Chen lying in a hospital bed. “Is this democracy? Is this rule of law? Is this justice?” another comment reads.

This is a “harmonious society,” a sarcastic poster notes, playing off of President Hu Jintao’s famous slogan.

Some critics see broad social implications. “Just punishing a few policemen will not be enough,” one Chinese news headline declares. In a Shanghai Daily editorial, columnist Wang Yong agrees, saying: “Instead of tossing out these bad apples [the police] one by one, it would be better to ask: Who hired them and enabled them to work against the people?”

http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2010/07/22/outrage-as-wrong-beating-gate-scandal-breaks/

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ORIGINAL: vincentML

Ah, those Chinese police. Graduates of the Bull Conner school of law enforcement. Something like that could never happen in America...... Oh, wait ....

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ORIGINAL: Sanity

Reuters didn't mention the fact that the victim was elderly:

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ORIGINAL: Sanity


My thoughts too, Steven. Theres supposed to be widespread outrage over it among the Chinese, on many different levels.

Think this has legs? Will there be long term implications for Democracy over there because of this?

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ORIGINAL: Sanity.

Think this has legs? Will there be long term implications for Democracy over there because of this?

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ORIGINAL: Sanity


The moral to this story? The definition of peace is by no means the absence of war.

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ORIGINAL: Sanity


What an asshole that guy is, actually having grievances against his government.

What do you think they should do to him 0?

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ORIGINAL: DarkSteven
I hope so but have doubts. Remember Tianenmin Square?