Former Chinese Journalist Accuses Jiangxi Investigators of Torture, Coercion

A former journalist who spent more than a decade working for publications affiliated with China’s state-run People’s Daily has publicly accused anti-corruption investigators in Jiangxi Province of torturing him and coercing him into signing what he describes as a fabricated bribery confession.

In a complaint published Sept. 28 on the WeChat account “Xiaozhou Fengyu,” Zhou Wenshui used his real name and identified himself as a Hong Kong permanent resident and former editor and reporter for People’s Daily-affiliated publications. He accused Wang Yang, deputy director of the Guixi Municipal Supervisory Commission, and other investigators of abusing their authority during a 2024 investigation. The original complaint was later archived by China Digital Times.

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35 days in custody

Zhou said police contacted him in March 2024 and asked him to cooperate with an investigation involving Yao Wen, a former Party secretary at Guixi Municipal Hospital. According to Zhou, he returned from Hong Kong because he believed he had nothing to hide and had never had financial dealings with Yao. Instead, he said authorities detained him for 35 days on suspicion of “collusive bidding.”

He claimed that investigators then subjected him to a series of coercive measures intended to force him to follow a predetermined account. He said he was deprived of sleep from around 5 a.m. on March 7 until 4 a.m. on March 11 (nearly four days) until he began hallucinating. He further claimed that he was restrained on a “tiger bench” for 13 consecutive days, causing his blood pressure, heart rate and blood sugar to become unstable, and was prevented from washing or changing clothes for 20 days.

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Zhou said he suffered stress-related bleeding 12 times and was taken to Guixi Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital for emergency treatment on March 16.

‘What wouldn’t you sign?’

Zhou said Wang pressured him on March 5 to admit bribing Yao. “As long as you admit that you bribed Yao Wen, I guarantee that even if I don’t let you out tonight, I will definitely let you out tomorrow!” Zhou quoted Wang as saying.

Two days later, Zhou alleged Wang threatened him again, with claims including, “I will make you lose your entire fortune and ruin your reputation!” “A marathon runner’s body? Just watch me break you down!” “That little bit of legal knowledge you have will get you killed.”

Zhou also claimed that Wang pressured him four times to increase the amount of money he purportedly admitted paying in bribes, telling him, “It doesn’t matter if the amount is bigger. Ordinary people all hate corruption.” Reflecting on why he eventually signed statements he says were false, Zhou wrote, “In that state where living was worse than dying, with my family and friends being used to threaten me, what wouldn’t I dare sign? What fingerprint wouldn’t I dare press?”

He added, “Because I did not bribe anyone, I lost my freedom; because I falsely accused myself and falsely accused others, I finally regained my freedom.”

Chinese law itself prohibits such investigative methods. The amended Supervision Law states that investigators may not obtain evidence through violence, threats, inducement, deception or other illegal means, and expressly bans abuse, corporal punishment and disguised corporal punishment. Important investigative procedures are also required to be audio- and video-recorded.

Growing anti-corruption campaign

Zhou’s accusations come amid an intensified anti-corruption campaign across China. Official data released by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and National Commission of Supervision show that disciplinary authorities opened 245,000 cases in the first quarter of 2026 and punished 183,000 people.

Those disciplined included 56 officials at the provincial or ministerial level. Authorities also opened cases against 9,066 people accused of offering bribes. Analysts note that the figures underscore the scale of China’s anti-corruption apparatus and the lengths to which authorities will go to meet quotas.

In his complaint, Zhou called for authorities to obtain the complete recordings from his 35 days in custody, review his hospital records and investigate what he described as falsified or improperly dated interrogation documents. “I am standing up today not to seek sympathy, but to make anti-corruption efforts cleaner and more just,” he wrote.