On June 25, the Ministry for State Security launched a "100-day campaign" aimed primarily at crimes against defenseless children, the elderly, and those in need of help. The campaign was apparently triggered by an attack on 4 women in Hebei Province on June 10, which sparked widespread public outrage. According to an analysis by ICT, however, this campaign appears to be serving more and more political goals such as maintaining "stability" in the run-up to the Communist Party Congress.
In the name of "fighting crime," politically motivated arrests have been made across China, especially in Xinjiang and Tibet. The government of the PRC changed its choice of words away from explicit terms such as "Dalai clique", "separatists" or "anti-Chinese forces in the West" to innocuous formulations such as "resolutely adhering to the principle of 'no trouble, no chaos for the central government' ', 'strictly monitor and control', 'keep an eye on key areas', 'discover hidden problems in good time and fix them immediately' and 'ensure implementation with iron discipline'. Arbitrary arrests can be justified with these diffuse formulations without giving the impression of encroaching on civil liberties.
Tibet Times reported at least 13 arrests in Tibet as early as August. Those affected are said to have shown pictures of the Dalai Lama in their homes or in their cars or exchanged information with other countries. Assemblies have also been held in Lhasa and banners have been hung admonishing "digital security," which essentially means warnings against sending messages to family members or business associates abroad.
This campaign is reminiscent of a previous campaign "Sweep away the black and eliminate evil" from 2018 to 2021. As a "malicious force" in this campaign, anti-corruption activist Anya Sengdra was sentenced to 2019 years in prison in 7.
In Xinjiang, too, the focus of this new campaign is apparently not on crime, but on "disloyal Uyghurs". The police chief of the city of Hotan explained that "thieves" were of only marginal interest, and that "disloyal people" were being targeted.
Tibet Times, August 3, 2022 // International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), October 12, 2022 // Dr. Uwe Meya
Photo: Arrested; Screenshot Tibet Times
