China: When a gang rape scandal turns into state secrets… · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Yesterday (July 16) in early morning, twitterer amoiist sent out a mobile message to twitter saying: “I have been arrested by Mawei police, SOS.” And the second message is: “Pls help me, I grasp the phone during police sleep”. Since then, there isn't any update in his twitter.
Netizens arrested
His arrest was believed to be related to a gang rape scandal which the Fujian authorities have been trying to cover up. The sex scandal, titled as “Yan Xiaoling （嚴曉玲）much more miserable than Deng Yujiao（鄧玉嬌）”, was first posted in Kaidi forum in late June in re-posted in many major online forums. It tells the story of 25-year-old Yan Xiaoling who had been gang raped and killed by local triad, owner of a KTV, in Feb this year. The post also said that the KTV owner was connected with local authorities in Minxin province.
The death of Yan Xiaoling
As the post caught the attention of millions of netizens, local authorities made a public statement explaining that Yan was died from hemorrhagic shock caused by pregnancy bleeding. However, her mother said that hospital staff told her that her daughter was probably gang-raped by at least five people. When her body was delivered to the hospital, her underwear was nowhere to be seen and her uterus was torn and mutilated.
On 24th of June, Fuzhou police called a press conference and claimed that all the news concerning Yan were rumors. Apart from Amoiist, 6 other netizens have been arrested for posting the news. Fuzhou city police claimed that they were under the suspicion of “defamation” but yet to identify who exactly they are defaming.
From defamation into state secrets
On 15th of July, three human right lawyers, Lin Zhong （林忠）, Lin Hungnan（林洪楠）, Liu Xiaoyuan（劉曉原） tried to visit three of the arrested netizen Fan Yinqiong, You Jingyou in Mawei district police station but rejected. The accusation of “suspected defamation” has bee alleviated to involving “state secrecy issue” (cn).
Amoiist's real name is Guo Bofeng or Peter Guo （郭寶峰）, a professional translator lives in Xiamen city, Fujian Province. His regular blog is amoiist.com. Recently he has uploaded the interview of Yan Xiaoling's mother who explained that her daughter was under threat by local triad and local authorities’ attempt in covering up the issue:
Last night, Mawei police contact Guo's supervisor and told he that Guo was under criminal detention. Many reporters had called up the police station to have fact check on the 6 arrest cases but the police replied: reporters don't have the rights to fact check this case! Guo twitter friends continue to update the news via twitter search: @amoiist and #amoiist.
Blogger's suggestion to the authorities
Lianyue gives a number of suggestions to local authorities:
1、给马尾警方的建议：1、案件进入公众视野，被带走调查者虽然不开心，警方也会受到更严厉的监督，双刃剑；2、如果过度或不当使用警力将会使警方骑虎难下；3、不要与舆论为敌，否则事态将滚雪球一样变大。
2、给马尾警方的上级机关的建议：1、赶快介入控制事态，以防被下属拖进不必要的困局；2、对网络传播的责任认定，与时俱进，从宽不从严，否则网络舆论同仇敌忾，权力此时反将被动；3、别激网民就此事开始发声，那舆论将会如台风一样生成。
3、监督一件具体的事，我喜欢这些原则：1、盯事实，千万别辱及不相干公务员，更别扯所谓的体制问题。2、给对方退路。3、做自己认为该做的事，不鼓动他人，不指望他人。4、当事人权利第一位，别牺牲他们以成就悲情及批判。
Cancer growing
Some people believe that the case reflects the corruption of local government and expects higher ranking government officials or central government to step in and intervene. However, blogger Ren Yunfei disagrees:
由于极权的实质，中央政府与地方政府始终是利益同构的，中央政府再强大也不可能在越来越多的群体事件中，对地方政府整肃得“干干净净”，那样反而会使中央政府陷入困境，因为你不能事必躬亲。就算你有能力有公正之心事必躬亲，也会因为时间、精力、财力、物力诸方面而有所不逮。何况官场的官官相护是因为强大的利益链所致，县一级官员可能没有能力直接上通中央，但他们有省、市级政府官员的桥梁在其中暗通款曲，人人都有自身的保护伞。中央政府了为了地方的安靖且怕涉及更多的高层官员，也会睁只眼闭只眼，除非民愤大到危及一地的安宁
福建马尾警方在威胁民众而干坏事的效率上是非常高的，也是非常有作战能力的。他们持续不断地抓捕六名曝严晓玲被害案真相的发帖者，大有一种有多少抓多少的气概，完全不理会民意里面的正义吁请。他们为何如此蛮横呢？那就是当地警方视当地政府、当地官员、直接领导为国家，调查他们所犯过错，便是侵害国家，便是事涉国家机密。这种可怕的逻辑，在如今的中国各级政府那里蔓延，和维稳时滥用警力一样，已成为基层政治的毒瘤。
A shorter version of this post is published at globalvoice advocacy .