Police in Beijing have been raiding suburban neighborhoods where out-of-town petitioners stay while they lodge lengthy complaints against their local governments, petitioners told Radio Free Asia. The raids appear to be part of “stability maintenance” measures ahead of the annual parliamentary sessions.
As delegates get ready to attend the annual sessions of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference advisory body, which opens on March 4, and the National People’s Congress, police and local officials across China are targeting people they think might cause some kind of trouble for the authorities, and take steps to silence or control them. It’s called “stability maintenance,” and petitioners who use the official complaints system are a key target.