Recently, Zhu Bin (朱斌), co-founder of the special needs children’s school Beijing Special Children School (深呼吸学习中心), was arrested by the Haidian Branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau for “inciting disturbances”. Zhu is a long-standing activist, committed to calling for social welfare and justice, and has been harassed by authorities for calling for investigations into a number of social incidents prior to the most recent detainment.
In 2017, Zhu established the Beijing Special Children School focused on the education and growth of special needs children. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, Zhu has demonstrated a strong sense of social responsibility by actively raising funds to aid coronavirus patients and citizens affected. He is a Christian passionate for social welfare, speaking out on multiple cases of social injustice.
In 2022, Zhu actively called for the investigation of Xuzhou’s “Chained Mother of Eight” scandal involving the repeated trafficking and abuse of a woman mentally ill. Zhu collected online signatures calling for a thorough investigation of the case and mailed the printed petition to the National People’s Congress. This action caused him to be repeatedly harassed and interrogated by police authorities.
Also a literature enthusiast, Zhu is the author of several poetry collections including “Breathing of Ants” and “Watching a Tree Grow Up”. His “The Light is a Sin”, penned during the 2019 Hong Kong protests, showed his concern for social justice and voiced his solidarity with the oppressed. In 2021, his “Zhang Zhan, Please Live” poem written in response to citizen journalist Zhang Zhan’s arrest for reporting on the COVID-19 situation in Wuhan was also widely circulated.
On September 29, Zhu Bin was criminally detained by the Haidian Branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau on charges of “inciting disturbances”. It was reported that the arrest of Zhu Bin on the eve of China's National Day may have been part of the authorities' efforts to regulate the speech of dissidents.
Additionally, Elder Zhu Longfei of Shunde, Guangdong Province, was recently released on bail after 14 months in custody on charges of “illegal business operation” for printing Bible materials. Pastor Yang Rongli of Linfen, Shanxi Province, was also charged with “fraud” and is currently awaiting trial at the Yao Du District Detention Center.
Zhu Bin's case has drawn international attention to the situation of religious freedom and human rights in China. Many supporters have called on the authorities to release Zhu Bin and to respect the basic rights and freedoms of citizens. (Source: Christian Daily International/China Aid)
