In the town of Dajangshu in Hulunbuir League of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Gao Zuoqi answered a phone call at home, while his already paralyzed father-in-law lay on the bed. The photo was taken by reporter Zhang Tao.
On December 1st, Gao Zuoqi showed his police ID.
■ Key Points: Gao Zuoqi, 41 years old, is a police officer at the Xing'anling Reclamation Branch of Hulunbuir Public Security Bureau. One night two years ago, Gao Zuoqi was surrounded by six people in the duty room of the branch; four of them were police officers. Gao Zuoqi was injected with a needle, and when he woke up, he found himself in a psychiatric hospital thousands of miles away. Recalling the incident, he believed that he "fell into a trap." It seemed that everything had gone off track since he was beaten during a police response. For two years, he has been persistently seeking justice from those who "set the trap." Currently, the Hulunbuir Procuratorate has opened an investigation.
While watching TV, Gao Zuoqi chatted with Deng Yi.
This was the evening of December 10th, 2007, in the duty room of the Xing'anling Reclamation Public Security Branch of Hulunbuir Public Security Bureau.
Gao Zuoqi was a police officer under the jurisdiction of the Dongfanghong Police Station of the Reclamation Branch, and Deng Yi was the captain of the Legal Affairs Division of the branch.
They chatted casually. According to the arrangement of the bureau leadership, Gao Zuoqi spent the night in the duty room.
At the same time, upstairs in the meeting room, a bureau leadership meeting was being held. Participants included Director Xu Chenming, Deputy Director Zhang Qiang, Li Baoquan, etc.
"Focus Interview" ended, and Gao Zuoqi went to the nearby convenience store to buy toiletries, accompanied by Deng Yi.
When they returned, his favorite TV drama was about to start. Gao Zuoqi sat cross-legged on the bed, while Deng Yi sat on a chair.
At this point, the meeting upstairs was nearing its conclusion. The decision was summed up in one word: Send.
Just after 8 PM, before the start of the show, there was another commercial break. Gao Zuoqi said, "There are so many ads." As soon as he finished speaking, bang! The door to the duty room was slammed open, bouncing against the wall.
Four police officers and two strangers entered. One officer glanced at Gao Zuoqi and said, "Let's begin!"
Confused, Gao Zuoqi watched as six people rushed forward. Two grabbed his arms, two held his legs, and one held his head. Another person took out a syringe and injected him.
In a panic, Gao Zuoqi vaguely noticed that Captain Deng Yi remained seated without moving.
A thought suddenly became clear: he realized he had fallen into a trap.
However, after the medication was injected, he quickly lost consciousness.
The Beaten "Big Tiger"
Four years ago, the tall and robust police officer "Big Tiger" Gao was surrounded and beaten. The attackers "roamed freely," prompting Gao Zuoqi to file complaints.
Time goes back to 2005.
That year, Officer Gao Zuoqi was surrounded and beaten.
Before the beating, Gao Zuoqi had a reputation and a nickname: Big Tiger.
Yechengjiang, a 60-year-old security guard at the Dongfanghong Police Station, said that Gao Zuoqi was tall and strong, handled cases impartially without showing favoritism, and the petty thieves within ten miles of the Dongfanghong Farm all feared him, thus earning him the nickname.
On the evening of June 14, 2005, the police station received a report of someone causing trouble. Big Tiger Gao and colleague Zhang Zhenyong responded to the scene. Later, Zhang brought two people back to the station for questioning, leaving Gao Zuoqi alone at the scene. Soon after, a group arrived, and "Big Tiger" Gao was surrounded and beaten.
Gao Zuoqi recalled that during the incident, he made four calls to the duty office of the branch but no reinforcements came. After the attackers left, Gao Zuoqi was hospitalized.
The next day, Deputy Chief Wang Junli and Zhang Zhenyong visited him in the hospital. Deputy Chief Wang said that due to insufficient manpower at the station, Gao should return to work after just one day in the hospital.
Gao Zuoqi did not follow his superior's advice. The doctor diagnosed him with mild concussion, and he stayed in the hospital for nine days.
After being discharged, Gao Zuoqi approached Chief Ma Chunsheng, requesting reimbursement for medical expenses and accountability for the assailants. Chief Ma said that pursuing the assailants fell under the jurisdiction of the branch.
Gao then approached then Political Commissar Han Jinzhuang of the branch. Han believed it was a public order case and should be handled by the police station leadership.
In Gao's view, the station leadership and branch leadership were "kicking the ball around." This made him extremely frustrated.
Colleague Yechengjiang said that during this period, he often saw Gao Zuoqi frowning and drinking silently. Old Ye believed that being a policeman who got beaten was frustrating enough, let alone because "Big Tiger" was also a very proud person.
Current Chief of Bayan Police Station, Ma Chunsheng, told reporters that if the assailants were suspected of obstructing official duties, the prosecution should initiate an arrest warrant, but the Moridawa Autonomous Banner Prosecution Office refused to file charges.
More than a month after being beaten, Gao Zuoqi again approached Han Jinzhuang. Their conversation was unpleasant.
Gao Zuoqi claimed that at the time, he proposed that if the issue wasn't resolved, he would have to report it to the Municipal Bureau. Han replied, "You can report wherever you want."
This statement was not confirmed by Han Jinzhuang.
What can be verified is that Gao Zuoqi began his complaint process.
The Depressed Petitioner
The matter was settled privately, but Gao Zuoqi felt alienated by his superiors and continued to report issues.
By the end of August 2005, Gao Zuoqi received a reply that satisfied him.
Hulunbuir Public Security Bureau Director Gao Suhe commented: "This is the only case in recent years where a police officer was assaulted while enforcing the law. It must be investigated from the perspective of strengthening law enforcement and protecting the rights of police officers."
Soon, the Reclamation Branch formed a special task force. On September 9, 2005, He Simin, the ringleader of the assault, was criminally detained.
Gao Zuoqi recounted that subsequent developments surprised him.
He said that Chief Ma Chunsheng hoped to settle the matter privately. "Ma said, 'People have already been criminally detained, what's the point of pursuing it further?'" Gao refused, and Ma threatened him by saying, "If you don't want to be a police officer anymore," to which Gao retorted, "You're bluffing."
Regarding this episode, Ma Chunsheng said he never threatened Gao. He believed that since Gao's injuries were not severe, there was no need to dwell on the matter. He thought Gao persisted merely to obtain more compensation.
However, he stated that the idea of settling privately was not his own but an instruction from higher-ups. Ma said that leaders from the prosecution office repeatedly asked them to do ideological work with Gao. This detail was not confirmed by the Moridawa Autonomous Banner Prosecution Office.
Gao Zuoqi mentioned that later, the branch leadership frequently approached him, hoping to settle the matter privately. This made him feel increasing pressure. Eventually, he agreed.
Under the supervision of staff from the Moridawa Autonomous Banner Prosecution Office, on September 15, 2005, Gao Zuoqi reached an agreement with He Aimin, the brother of He Simin. The He family compensated with 13,000 yuan for medical expenses, and Gao ceased pursuing the case of assaulting a police officer.
However, the matter did not end there.
Gao Zuoqi felt alienated by the chief and deputy chief, leading to isolation. He was no longer invited to meetings or notified of gatherings, and no one assigned him work. He believed this was related to his reporting to the branch that the chief pressured him to settle privately.
Ma Chunsheng later said he never alienated Gao Zuoqi. Perhaps some words were overly harsh at times. He insisted he had no ties with the assailants and was not "what Gao suspected."
Colleague Yechengjiang said that the Dongfanghong Police Station had fewer than ten officers. At the time, everyone knew Gao Zuoqi had conflicts with the chiefs, and no one dared approach him.
Gao Zuoqi's wife Dou Yanmin said that since the beating, Gao Zuoqi had fallen into a state of depression, sleeping very little. Gao said he could not even guarantee his own safety, let alone the safety of his family.
On July 8, 2005, Gao Zuoqi was diagnosed by Beijing Union Medical College Hospital as being in a state of depression and anxiety.
Starting in October of that year, Gao Zuoqi began writing letters to municipal, autonomous region, and national levels of the Ministry of Public Security, reporting his being assaulted and required to settle privately, and claiming he suffered depression due to being alienated by the chief.
Officer Gao Zuoqi officially became a petitioner.
Escalating Conflicts
Deputy Director said that bypassing hierarchical appeals was "strictly prohibited," but "our police officer" insisted on bypassing, angering the bureau leadership.
Gao Zuoqi had a habit of keeping records. He recorded some conversations and kept notes.
On March 26, 2006, Director Xu Chenming of the branch mediated his conflict with the chief at the station. Gao Zuoqi’s notes recorded that the director promised to make Chief Ma and Deputy Chief Wang publicly apologize.
Later, Director Xu told reporters that Gao claimed Ma and Wang alienated him, causing him to suffer from depression and diabetes, requiring compensation. "But this is unreasonable," he said. There was no evidence proving Ma and Wang violated laws or discipline, and both apologized to Gao in front of him.
Chief Ma Chunsheng and Deputy Chief Wang Junli also said they had apologized to Gao.
However, Gao denied this.
He claimed that not only did they not apologize, but they also threatened him not to file complaints anymore.
Under Gao's persistent efforts, in December 2006, the Reclamation Branch issued a "Situation Statement Regarding Verbal Criticism of Ma Chunsheng and Wang Junli," stating that as leaders of the police station, they did not pay attention to their working methods, causing dissatisfaction among the police officers. The branch leadership severely criticized them verbally and ordered them to apologize to Gao.
Gao Zuoqi believed that this "statement" clearly avoided the main issue, failing to mention the private settlement.
Ma Chunsheng's father was once the director of the Xing'anling Farm Administration Bureau; Wang Junli had relatives connected to the deputy director of the branch... Gao Zuoqi harbored suspicions. He continued to appeal.
On March 30, 2007, under the coordination of the rights protection groups at the provincial public security department and the Hulunbuir Municipal Public Security Bureau, Gao Zuoqi formally signed an agreement with the Reclamation Branch, promising not to appeal further.
Gao Zuoqi claimed that the premise of signing the agreement was that the branch leadership committed to compensating for the costs incurred from appealing and for the treatment of his depression, as well as making Ma and Wang publicly apologize. However, after the provincial and municipal bureau leaders left, these promises were not fulfilled.
Thus, he continued to file complaints.
"Frankly speaking, our bureau leadership handled the case of Gao Zuoqi being assaulted too hastily, zzfhhxy369_Baidu Space, without giving it sufficient attention, leading to the situation gradually worsening," Miaoquan, who has since transferred from the Reclamation Branch, believed that the simple and crude working methods exacerbated the conflict.
In November 2007, Gao Zuoqi appealed again to the Ministry of Public Security.
Miaoquan recalled that this put immense pressure on the Reclamation Branch. "The Ministry of Public Security and the Autonomous Region Public Security Department issued multiple instructions, strictly prohibiting bypassing hierarchical appeals. Our police officer filed appeals and bypassed hierarchies multiple times. This made the municipal bureau and branch leadership feel enormous pressure and great anger."
Family Unaware of "Psychiatric Condition"
That evening, the branch leadership indeed convened a meeting regarding Gao Zuoqi's affairs, but the topic was: sending him to a psychiatric hospital.
For a while, Gao Zuoqi thought his demands might be met.
On December 10, 2007, Gao Zuoqi received a call from Director Xu Chenming of the branch, asking him to come to the branch as the party committee would hold a meeting to discuss how to resolve his problems.
After dinner that evening, Xu Chenming arranged for Gao Zuoqi to stay overnight in the duty room awaiting the party committee's opinion. Legal Affairs Division Chief Deng Yi was instructed to accompany him.
At 8 p.m. that evening, while Gao Zuoqi was watching TV, the party committee indeed held a meeting focusing on Gao Zuoqi.
However, the topic was: forcibly sending Gao to a psychiatric hospital.
Recalled Dr. Gao Xuyin, director of the Second Mental Ward at the Qiqihar Second Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, they received a call from Deputy Director Zhang Qiang of the Reclamation Branch, stating that the branch had a mentally ill person with serious violent tendencies, hoping the hospital could cooperate in taking compulsory measures.
Dr. Gao Xuyin said that psychiatric hospitals cooperating with public security organs in treating mentally ill individuals with serious violent tendencies was not uncommon.
He introduced that at the time, he and nurse Mo Yiqiang took the train to Dajangshu Town, where the Reclamation Branch was located. Xu Chenming and Deputy Director Zhang Qiang greeted them at the station, "wearing police uniforms and driving police cars."
Dr. Gao Xuyin stated that Xu Chenming told him that Gao Zuoqi had repeatedly threatened to kill and retaliate. The branch had already consulted with the Ministry of Public Security and the Autonomous Region Public Security Department, receiving approval for compulsory treatment. Xu presented a certificate, dated April 3, 2006, from Chifeng An Ding Hospital diagnosing Gao Zuoqi with "neurosis."
Chang Suqing, deputy director of the Second Mental Ward of the Chifeng An Ding Hospital's psychiatric department on December 8, 2009, said that neurosis symptoms include depression, anxiety, and occasional delusions, "very common, generally not losing civil capacity." She was one of the three experts who examined Gao Zuoqi.
Dr. Gao Xuyin said that at the time, he proposed that forcibly admitting a mentally ill person required family consent. Xu Chenming said that Gao Zuoqi had recently divorced his wife, with a young child and parents living far away, so they could only contact his second brother Gao Zuocheng, who worked in the criminal investigation team of the branch.
According to Gao Zuoqi's wife Dou Yanmin, due to frequent requests from leadership to persuade Gao not to appeal, they finalized their divorce in early December 2007. Gao Zuoqi showed the divorce certificate to the branch leadership afterward: "Deal with me directly from now on." (They remarried in early 2008.)
Dr. Gao Xuyin recalled that at 7 p.m. on December 10, 2007, Xu Chenming and two deputy directors took him and the nurse to Gao Zuocheng's house. Upon arrival at the doorstep, "Director Xu said we didn’t need to go inside; he would inform the family." Ten minutes later, Xu emerged from Gao's house, stating that the family had agreed but did not wish to appear.
That evening, Dr. Gao Xuyin and the nurse attended the branch leadership meeting. The leadership decided to admit Gao Zuoqi to the hospital.
Immediately thereafter, Gao Zuoqi was transported away in the branch's off-road vehicle, with Legal Affairs Division Chief Deng Yi escorting him throughout the journey.
Leadership Approval for "Forced Admission"
The public security branch wrote an application to the municipal bureau, hoping to admit the "mentally ill patient Gao Zuoqi" to the hospital, and the deputy director of the municipal bureau approved it.
On December 11, 2007, Gao Zuoqi woke up, momentarily confused.
He found himself lying in a strange room, surrounded by people wearing checkered uniforms with vacant stares.
"You have mental illness, and you need treatment. The Public Security Bureau sent you here," the doctor informed him. He was in the Heilongjiang Qiqihar Second Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in the "Intensive Care Unit."
The hospital was located in Fuyu County, approximately 500 kilometers from Gao Zuoqi's home. Gao Zuoqi was startled and repeatedly claimed he was not sick. The doctor said they had his psychiatric evaluation.
This astonished Gao.
Based on the date provided by the doctor, he checked his notes and found that on April 3, 2006, it was actually a meeting. That day, Deputy Director Li Baoquan called him, saying that leaders from the Autonomous Region Political and Legal Affairs Commission wanted to discuss the case face-to-face with him. That day, the "leaders" he met were two men and one woman.
It turned out they were from the hospital—inside the psychiatric hospital, Gao Zuoqi “realized” that it was a long-planned setup.
On December 8, 2009, Li Baoquan admitted that it was indeed a fake leadership interview used to conduct a psychiatric evaluation on Gao. They concealed it because they feared Gao would become emotionally agitated and refuse to cooperate. "This was a mistake in my work," he said.
Li Baoquan stated that it was Director Xu who arranged for him to find doctors. Neither the process nor the conclusions of the evaluation were disclosed to Gao himself or his family. He said that Gao's continuous appeals put immense pressure on the branch. However, he personally did not support admitting Gao to the hospital.
Inside the hospital, looking back, Gao Zuoqi believed he had actually been warned earlier.
His notes recorded that on May 5, 2006, Deputy Chief Wang Junli told him, "If you continue to appeal, we will spend some money and send you to a psychiatric hospital."
Multiple officers at the Dongfanghong Police Station confirmed that Ma and Wang had openly said in front of Gao that if he continued to appeal, they would send him to a psychiatric hospital. However, both Ma and Wang denied it.
Gao Zuoqi's wife Dou Yanmin said that in mid-June 2006, Deputy Director Zhang Qiang came to their home, saying that Gao Zuoqi had bypassed hierarchical appeals and had decided to suspend him. Any misfortunes encountered outside would be at his own risk.
The background of this event was that on June 9, 2006, while treating diabetes in Beijing, Gao Zuoqi called Xu Chenming, saying, "If you don't handle Ma and Wang, I will report to the Ministry of Public Security. I'll wait an hour." After an hour, without any response from the director, Gao Zuoqi submitted a complaint to the Ministry of Public Security.
Dou Yanmin said that later, Zhang Qiang talked to her again, saying that all levels of leadership were very angry about Gao Zuoqi bypassing hierarchical appeals and might pursue responsibility. If the family could prove he had mental illness, they wouldn't pursue it.
Dou Yanmin rejected it: "How could he possibly have mental illness?" Gao's brother Gao Zuocheng also said that the entire family never knew his younger brother had mental illness.
According to Li Baoquan, after Gao Zuoqi appealed to the Ministry of Public Security in November 2007, the branch leadership wrote an application to the municipal bureau, roughly stating that Gao Zuoqi had mental illness and needed compulsory measures. The deputy director of the municipal bureau in charge of appeals approved: agree to forced admission.
Both Li Baoquan and Xu Chenming said that Gao Zuoqi exhibited serious violent tendencies, repeatedly saying, "If the appeal doesn't yield results, I will kill and retaliate."
Gao Zuoqi denied ever saying such things. He claimed that every meeting with leadership was calm on his part, but the leadership "slammed the table and cursed."