Dissenters in China jailed and persecuted as Beijing gears up for communist party's congress

As part of a crackdown on dissent, Chinese authorities have heightened surveillanceand harassment of government criticsahead of the Communist party's impending 20th congress, its most important political meeting.

Since mid-September, a number of petitioners and activists trying to influence the government have been imprisoned or placed under house arrest throughout China, and many human rights attorneys have been intimidated, followed, and harassed. They claim that officials are making every effort to suppress them ahead of the event, which is slated to begin on Sunday, because they are concerned that their critiqueof the government would cause societal unrest and harm the regime, reported the Guardian.

At the congress, China's President Xi Jinping is anticipated to win a historic third term as party head, prompting the greatest level of security.

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“Every morning, the police would call me to check my plan for the day. They order me not to go anywhere, see anyone or say anything to them,” said one lawyer who was disbarred and had his law firm closed for defending politically sensitive cases.The message is clear: “We are watching your every move.”

The lawyer, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation, claimed that Chinese social media companies block all of his posts and that even when he writes on Twitter by sneaking through the firewall, the local police summon him and give warnings for doing so.

Lawyer Yu Wensheng, who has served four years in prison, was prevented from leaving his housing complex on Wednesday by security personnel. Prior to the congress, he said that police had advised him against visiting foreign embassies, speaking with media, or posting on Twitter. He continued, saying, "I guess they're trying to terrify us, but I'm not going to back down."

Wang Quanzhang, anotherrights attorney who was imprisoned on subversion charges for defending activists, claimed that authorities had increased surveillance of his family.

Li Heping, a seasoned attorney, was treated similarly. Since the middle of September, according to Wang Qiaoling, his wife, plainclothes police officers have been manning their housing compound and police cars have been following them wherever they go. She described it as an attempt to intimidate them. Security cameras surrounding the home of lawyer Xie Yanyi have all just been refurbished, and police cars are stationed outside his gated community. Lawyer Jiang Tianyong continues to be closely monitored in his small hometown in rural Henan with little access to the outside world.

Chinese authorities have historically used broad accusations like "provoking disturbance" to target those they perceive as being a pain in their side.

Observers claim that because dissidents and activists are frequently accused of "picking fights and causing problems" for their protests, the crackdown on them would have fallen under this campaign.

However, despite its size, the dissenting voices could not be fully silenced. Just three days before the congress that will re-install Xi as the party's head for the next 10 years, a rare protest against the communist party and its policies in Beijing on Thursday heightened political tensions.

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