Journalist Zhu Ruifeng, who exposed the sex tapes featuring Chongqing city bureaucrat Lei Zhengfu that led to 10 city officials being dismissed, is under police pressure.
Zhu, founder of the People’s Supervision Website, wrote on his microblog the evening of January 27 that five police officers came to his home. He refused to open the door and after a standoff they left after 9 p.m., local time, Zhu reported live to New Tang Dynasty (NTD) Television .
Zhu said: “I told them to come back again tomorrow with a search warrant and summons and I will talk to them with my lawyer present. However, they kept knocking at my door and I refused to open it. We were in this deadlock for a long time. During which I accepted media interviews and support from netizens. In the end, Deputy Chief Chen said they would follow my suggestion and asked me to go to the police station at 9:30 the next morning.”
Zhu then told NTD Television that his neighbor just called to tell him the police were still hiding downstairs.
“I am now waiting for my lawyers. Professor Zhan Jiang of the School of Foreign Languages, Peking University, who is a renowned Chinese scholar, is also on his way here. I hope international media will pay attention to this issue. I do not trust Chongqing police,” said Zhu.
Professor Zhan later wrote on his microblog after the visit: “I went to take a look at Zhu Ruifeng’s place at 9:30 p.m. He should be safe tonight. The 18th National Congress just reiterated the importance of building a country ruled by law. It should start from government agencies following the law.”
For many years, Zhu had been investigating and exposing corruption cases, bringing down a number of corrupt officials. He believes that police are after sex tapes of Chongqing officials that have not yet been made public.
At 2 a.m. on January 28, Zhu issued a statement with his signature and fingerprints on his People’s Supervision Website along with power of attorney.
Zhu said in his statement: “If I am arrested by Chongqing police and lose my freedom, I will protest Chongqing police’s illegal action by exercising the right of remaining silent and not giving a confession. If there is a deposition with my signature on it, it most definitely is a result of Chongqing police’s torture and extortion.”
The statement also said: “After I lose my personal freedom, any decision made by any government unit, individual, or my family member, to switch my lawyer or assign me an designated lawyer would be invalid. Even if I write with blood in a letter to ask for changing my lawyer, it would be invalid. It would also be impossible that I would waive my right to an attorney.”
Zhu said that he still has 28 lewd videotapes concerning Chongqing officials, including at least five officials ranking higher than Lei Zhengfu.
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