Since the Wu Qiang case broke, the local authorities in Lianyungang seem to be making every effort to continuously and uninterruptedly clear relevant posts from the internet. This tight control over public opinion inevitably leads one to ask: what are they so afraid of?
Yesterday, the Lianyungang Intermediate People’s Court held a pre-trial conference for the second instance of the Wu Qiang case.
According to reports, plainclothes personnel were deployed around the Intermediate Court on the day of the meeting. Not only were two police cars stationed at the entrance of his residence, but police forces were also deployed at the entrance of the market where his residence is located and on the north and south road sections; police cars were also parked outside the Bin Yue Boutique Hotel where observers Wang Shihan and Hu Laoshi were staying.
To prevent journalists from intervening, the local police station restricted him from seeing anyone and forced him to take a police car to the court. This was exactly the same situation as during the first trial – the court entrance was heavily guarded at that time, and lawyers and family members were followed by the police wherever they went.
Wu Qiang believes that this display of force stems from the fear of those involved that their misdeeds will be exposed. They are afraid that the act of framing him will be made public, afraid that Wang Hanzhi, the disciplinary officer at the detention center, will be held accountable, afraid that the inaction of the prosecutor will be exposed, and even more afraid that the detention center director’s statement, “Wu Qiang will die in cell 806 even if he has to die,” will be made public.
Furthermore, he suspects that someone instigated others to arrest him for career advancement. At the same time, he also suspects that the Secretary of the Ganyu District Committee had previously asked him through intermediaries to delete a video showing pollution of the Xinghai River caused by chemical pollution, and that he was retaliated against for refusing to delete it.
He was firm in his stance and refused to delete the relevant content. Currently, the three mobile phones involved in the case are still under seizure, and they contain audio evidence of multiple people contacting him at the time demanding the deletion of posts.
The Xinghai River site polluted by Wu Qiang previously, provided by Wu Qiang himself
Now, his name has become a sensitive keyword online, and he sarcastically wonders what merit he has to warrant the joint efforts of the public security, procuratorate, court, and detention center against him.
During his detention (from April 11, 2025, to April 10, 2026), Wu Qiang claims he was subjected to inhumane treatment. Disciplinary officer Wang Hanzhi forced him to confess, not only depriving him of sleep at night but also arranging for inmates in the same cell to push him every 10 minutes, and restricting his use of funds deposited by his family to purchase daily necessities.
More than a month has passed since Wu Qiang’s release, and he remains under surveillance, guarded by police cars and with police officers taking fixed-point photos daily.
Industry insiders estimate that Lianyungang has a team of at least 100 people dedicated to monitoring public opinion related to “Wu Qiang,” and all information about him has been completely erased from the internet.
In response, Wu Qiang’s defense lawyer, Fan Chen, stated bluntly: “How much power is needed for such extensive deletion of posts? How much of taxpayers’ money is wasted on such surveillance? Such evil deeds are destined to be nailed to the pillar of historical shame!”
During yesterday’s pre-trial conference, numerous “cases within cases” were unexpectedly revealed.
Wu Qiang stated that since he was taken away by the Haizhou Public Security Bureau on April 10, 2025, on suspicion of provoking trouble, his relatives have been subjected to comprehensive investigations, with one relative being interviewed nearly 20 times. His paternal uncle was previously sentenced to one year and ten months in prison for illegal possession of firearms after purchasing toy guns on Taobao.
The reason for Wu Qiang’s current case being filed was his forwarding of private photos of Liu Jia, an employee of the Mobile Branch Company, to a WeChat group for whistleblowing in 2023. The case was filed two years later, and he believes this action was clearly an act of retaliation.
Regarding the case procedure, lawyer Fan Chen pointed out in court that the crime of provoking trouble infringes upon social public order and has no real victim. Protecting the legitimate privacy of victims could be a valid reason for an non-public trial. However, the first-instance court’s secret trial based on the illegitimate grounds of “personal privacy” is absurd.
The so-called “personal privacy” in this case actually refers to an improper male-female relationship between the defendant in another case and a witness, which violates the marital fidelity obligation stipulated in the Civil Code and the socialist core values, and is not protected by law at all.
Lawyer Fan Chen emphasized that the Lianyungang Intermediate Court should conduct a neutral, independent, and fair trial, and the urgent task is to send the case back for retrial on the grounds of serious procedural violations in the first instance.
It is reported that the collegiate panel deliberated three times yesterday afternoon, with the meeting lasting approximately four hours. The court finally decided to announce its decision on the re-examination of the criminal compulsory measures of residential surveillance next Monday.
Subsequent developments of the case will be truthfully announced to the public!
(The above content is compiled from information provided by Wu Qiang and lawyer Fan Chen)
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