Police Apologize for Arresting Man Who Criticized Them Online

An update to yesterday’s translation about a man in Yanzhou, Shandong province, who was arrested and given 5 days of administrative detention because he called Yanzhou traffic police “cowards” in a post on the internet…

From Sina Weibo:

@兖州公安 [Yanzhou Police]: We thank the news media and the netizen masses for their attention to the 2014 May 13 “Yanzhou Police” microblog’s “case alert”. Upon re-examination, we believe punishing the person involved with administrative detention was inappropriate, and have decided to revoke the decision of administrative detention, apologize to the person involved, and hold accountable the persons involved. We welcome the news media and the netizen masses to continue their supervision and support [of our work].

Comments from Sina Weibo:

朕真的知道了啦：

The man was fired from his company, so may I ask how you [the police] are going to compensate for that? Let’s hear it. An apology is just a few words. Anyone can do it. The key is that the man was fired. How do you plan on resolving that?

枣庄耀子：

Allowing comments again? Okay then, let’s discuss. May I ask: Is it just an apology? An innocent man was arrested, so what happens to his reputation now? Being detained for nothing, how is the compensation to be calculated? Another thing, he lost his job, so how are you going to get him reinstated [made whole]? Also, who issued the order to detain him? How is the person responsible going to be dealt with? One last thing, internet police investigating someone’s background, is this considered a violation of civil rights?

漂途若尘：

Apologize your ass, can I slap you and then just apologize? Can this kind of mistake be made [without more serious consequences than an apology]? Are the police inhuman? Did they enter the police academy just to break laws and commit crimes?! You bunch of beasts, taking taxpayers’ money but vowing loyalty to black society [organized crime]! Yeah, I’m talking about you! Also! Beasts! *spit!*

雨絮飞杨：

1. The victim was fired and sentenced to five days of detention with three days served, plus emotional trauma, so may I ask just how much the compensation amount will be? 2. Who was the person responsible for abusing state power and being hurt by taxpayers? How will they be held responsible? What responsibility will the person directly responsible bear? Even the Korean Prime Minister resigned! 3. Don’t just say and don’t do. Publish the entire apology. Where are the subjects? Who apologizes to who? What is the name of the person responsible? How are they going to compensate? The man was arrested and held, his job lost.

刘碧亮：

Those who demand that the Yanzhou Public Security Bureau chief step down, click upvote.

博文纳物：

The most frightening aspect of this incident lies in a few people being able to arrest someone just with some discussion, and then being able to release that person with another discussion, able to arrest and free someone as they please. Everyone think, isn’t this business frightening?

学霸专门养成记：

Sigh, I was wondering why after refreshing so many times I kept seeing the same few comments. Turns out they turned off the comments. An apology with the comments turned off, can I hehe [laugh]? I’ll leave it at that, and just wait to be blocked tomorrow…

_为了心中的美好：

Before, it was just one person calling you cowardly, but now the entire country knows you truly are cowards…

Comments from NetEase:

网易甘肃省张掖市手机网友 ip：124.152.*.*:

The man has been fired by his company, so how is [the compensation] for the days he served [in detention] to be calculated? A single apology and that’s it?

让包子飞 [妙笔生花]：

Click upvote for conscientious media.

网易陕西省宝鸡市手机网友 ip：117.35.*.*:

I’ll fuck your wife, and then also give you an apology.

cwbhns [网易河南省郑州市手机网友]：

What about the record of the detention? It’ll be a stain on the rest of his life.

网易北京市手机网友 ip：123.119.*.*:

If this wasn’t exposed, would they still have apologize? Would they still hold someone responsible?

grandjerome [网易上海市浦东新区手机网友]：

If apologies were enough, what do we need the law for?

网易广东省广州市手机网友 ip：117.136.*.*:

They’re truly cowardly now.

网易上海市手机网友 ip：114.81.*.*:

First time getting sofa. Just fix things when you know you are wrong, compensate the man three days of wages.

网易吉林省延边州手机网友 ip：122.136.*.*:

It is only because netizens exercised supervision/oversight [found out and made a public fuss] that they apologized. If there wasn’t public opinion, would the man have simply suffered administrative detention for nothing, with nowhere to turn to for recourse?