Exiled Journalist Calls For Release of Man Tortured Over Posts About Chinese Leader’s Daughter

Niu Tengyu in an undated photo. (Provided to The Epoch Times)

A veteran Chinese journalist living in exile in the United States has written to a Chinese court, calling for justice for Niu Tengyu, a self-taught coder who was sentenced to 14 years and suffered torture for allegedly posting personal details about Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s close family.

Zhao Lanjian, who fled China over his investigation into the “Chained Woman,” posted his letter to the high court of China’s southern Guangdong Province and is waiting for it to be delivered.

Made Scapegoats by Officials

Mr. Niu’s supposed offense stemmed from posts dating to May 2019 that revealed photos, the identification number, and the passport photo of Xi’s Harvard-educated daughter, Xi Mingze, as well as details of Xi’s brother-in-law, Deng Jiagui. The forum, characterized by parodies of celebrities and nationalistic memes, has since been shut down.

Mr. Niu received the harshest punishment among 24 people arrested in connection with the case. All of them are students with administrative access to the forum, including nine under 18 years old.

In December 2020, the Maoming Maonan District People’s Court in Guangdong Province deemed him guilty of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” an umbrella offense the Chinese regime frequently applies to stifle dissent. In addition to a 14-year jail sentence, the court also imposed a 130,000 yuan fine (approximately $20,010).

Mr. Niu’s mother, who was shocked by her son’s heavy jail term, collapsed and broke her leg at the time. She insisted that her son had no involvement in the doxxing and kept appealing the court ruling.

Based on an open letter written by the parents of ten arrestees, the trove of information about Xi’s family first appeared on two other similar sites based overseas, with one called Zhina Wiki. They said their children were made scapegoats because the police couldn’t reach the culprits, who are based overseas.

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Mr. Li, an overseas-based Zhina Wiki editor, told Radio Free Asia in 2021 that he was the person who posted personal information relating to the Xi family.

Mr. Niu had been subject to various physical torture, including beating, being stripped naked, hung up and splashed with cold water, etc., by the police who wanted to extract a confession from him, his mother told The Epoch Times.

Officials from nine countries, including the United States, UK, France, Holland, Switzerland, and Canada, had condemned the alleged torture and met with Mr. Niu’s mother, who feared for her own safety later.

Calls for Grievances Redressed

In a letter to Zhang Haibo, the president of the Guangdong Provincial High Court, Mr. Zhao asked him to redress the wrongs done to the young man.

“I earnestly request that you do not reject the appeal of Niu Tengyu’s mother ... Please pay attention to the international influence of this case and the strong calls from the international community,” reads the Chinese letter seen by The Epoch Times.

“I personally benefited from the miscarriage of justice in the Niu Tengyu case, which is why I am writing to you. In 2022, I provided important evidence for the ‘Chained Woman’ case to the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, expecting recognition and commendation from the public security authorities, but instead, I faced a series of suppression.”

Fearing that he could be a victim of law enforcement officers’ falsification like Mr. Niu, Mr. Zhao chose to flee to the United States, where he met a large number of Chinese with similar experiences.

“There are almost daily protests about the Niu Tengyu case now, with large-scale support gatherings every week and month. Fearful Chinese people unite in supporting and focusing on Niu Tengyu at the United Nations and various locations in the United States, warning more Chinese youths to escape from human rights abuses manipulated by a minority of Chinese police officers,” he wrote.

Zhao Lanjian, a veteran Chinese journalist-in-exile, is recognized for his work in uncovering the identity of the “chained woman,” a mother of eight children and a victim of child trafficking, on Sept. 17, 2022. (Chang Chun/The Epoch Times)

Having worked as a journalist and editor for several well-known Chinese media outlets, Mr. Zhao interviewed many presidents and United Nations officials.

“I have visited over 20 countries and have never seen any country’s laws favoring [a] noble princess and persecuting innocent children.”

“The Niu Tengyu case is also an international focus on whether China’s judiciary can reach consensus with mainstream civilized countries worldwide. Only countries with fair judiciaries can attract international attention and investment, and judicial fairness is the foundation of a country’s standing in front of all humanity.”

Mr. Zhao added that the victims of the case, who are “promising young society builders,” are still suffering in prison.

“They should have contributed to the development of various industries in China, especially the computer genius Niu Tengyu, who has attracted international attention. Many universities in the United States hope to admit Niu and cultivate him to make contributions to the IT industry for all humanity,” he wrote.

“This group of technological elites led by Niu should not have suffered such cruel legal punishment. Although the police officers who arbitrarily handled the case have been dealt with, their misconduct in official duties has not been terminated or corrected. They continue to damage the international image of Xi Jinping and Xi Mingze, and harm the international image of all Chinese people.”

He urged the president of the court to correct this.

“Help restore the international image of Xi Jinping and Xi Mingze, who have been damaged by the misconduct of bad police officers in the Niu Tengyu case. Let the international community regain confidence in China’s future direction,” reads the end of the letter.

The letter has since been published on Mr. Zhao’s X (formerly Twitter) account.

‘No Other Option’

In another post on April 17, Mr. Zhao explained that his calls for releasing Mr. Niu for the international images of Xi and Ms. Xi Mingze were written with resignation.

“After I reported evidence regarding the ‘Chained Woman’ to the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, all of my evidence and appeals on behalf of her were deleted and banned by Sina Weibo and Tencent WeChat,” he wrote.

He noted that after being interrogated by the police for the ‘Chained Woman’ case in April 2022, he was forced to publish an appreciation letter to the criminal police special task force for the case.

“Under the brutal censorship of speech in China, this was the only expression I could make. [I was] forced to resort to an appreciation letter as a convoluted way to release crucial evidence regarding the ‘Chained Woman.’”

“Under the harsh suppression of information in China, there seemed to be no other option.”

Eva Fu contributed to this report.