Petitioners in suicide attempt arrested, officials punished

Seven petitioners have been arrested after drinking pesticide at the gate of a newspaper in Beijing, while 14 officials from Sihong county, Jiangsu province were punished for irregularities in a demolition project.

Seven petitioners drank pesticide on the morning July 16 at the gate of the China Youth Daily, drawing wide public attention. The protesters had petitioned repeatedly about what they considered to be unjust treatment during a demolition project. All survived, but have since been arrested for suspected provocation, according to the State Bureau of Letters and Calls (SBCL).

The SBCL, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and other departments conducted field inspections after the incident and found evidence of breaches by Sihong officials during an urban redevelopment project in 2013.

The 14 officials, including the executive head of the county government and the Party chiefs of Sihong county and Qingyang township, were punished according to disciplinary procedure but none were removed from their posts.

The case is still under investigation.