On the morning of November 21, the magazine Observer of People’s Life reported that a petitioner from Wuhan City, Zhang Lihua called and reported that on that morning she went to the Wuhan City Hall to appeal, and witnessed forty to fifty blind workers who were appealing in front of the city hall being beaten by armed policemen of the Wuhan city government.
Afterward, reporters contacted Mr. Le, the representative of blind workers who were appealing at City Hall. Mr Le explained that those blind workers who went to appeal at the city hall used to work for former Two Seven Spring Process Factory, the Wanming Hardware Process Factory and the Blind Workers Labor Factory in Jiangan District of Wuhan City. This group of blind workers has been appealing since June 1, 2006, but their demand has been put off by the city government and related departments. For almost eighteen months these workers’ appeals have been ignored, and the injustices done them denied.
On the morning of November 21, these workers, feeling that had no recourse, requested a meeting with Wuhan’s Mayor. Their request was denied. Driven to desperation, the workers tried to force their way into City Hall. In response, the policemen guarding City Hall attacked and began beating the petitioners.
Mr. Le was beaten to the ground. The policemen then dragged, pushed, pulled and forcibly removed the blind appellants from City Hall. The youngest of these appellants was 48 years old. None of them imagined that their actions would lead to handicapped people being in this manner.
Upon witnessing the beating, Zhang Lihua asked, “How could you beat these blind people?” Because of this one sentence, the armed policemen pulled her down by the hair, beat her until she bled and arrested her right there in City Hall.
These blind workers are appealing because after their factories were shut down, the government has not allowed them to enter into the social security program. These blind workers are unable to find other employment and unable to support themselves. They felt that appealing to the government was their only hope.
Additional information supplied by Observer of People’s Life magazine.
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