Officials responsible for persecuting blind activist transferred

Ming Pao says today, Shandong Province announced yesterday that Wu Pengfei was removed from his post as chief of Shandong Department of Public Security. The removal was suspected to be related to Chen Guangcheng saga. However, there was information that Wu was appointed Shandong’s Chief Procurator in February this year. Previously Bai Jimin, former secretary of Shandong Politics and Law Commission was also removed from the post and has lost his seat in the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party committee. He was transferred to the post of the vice chairman of the Provincial People’s Congress. Bai and Wu are regarded as the officials who gave direct orders on placing Chen Guangcheng under house arrest. Chen has times and again urged the Central Government to honor its promise and make a thorough investigation of the officials who have persecuted him and his family.

Separately on June 21 Chen published an article on Washington Post stating that police pressure on his relatives in his home village has eased and a small amount of compensation has been given to them for the furniture destroyed during the raid. Chen called on the authorities to release his nephew Chen Kegui.

However, Ming Pao says, Liu Weiguo, the lawyer who previously gave Chen Kegui, help told Ming Pao that it is very difficult for private lawyers to participate in dealing with Chen Kegui’s case. The two lawyers appointed the government have met Chen Kegui, but Chen Kegui’s relatives do not approve official lawyers’ defense of Chen Kegui.

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