A BBC investigation has uncovered allegations that Chinese authorities have used psychiatric hospitals to detain and silence protesters and government critics. One such case involves Zhang Junjie, who, at age 17, was hospitalized and treated for schizophrenia after protesting against university rules imposed by the government.
The investigation identified dozens of individuals who were forcibly admitted to psychiatric facilities after speaking out.
Many reported being administered anti-psychotic drugs and, in some cases, subjected to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) without their consent. The findings have sparked concerns about human rights abuses and the misuse of mental health treatments in China.
There have been reports for decades that hospitalization was being used in China as a way of detaining dissenting citizens without involving the courts. However, the BBC has found that an issue which legislation sought to resolve, has recently made a comeback.
Junjie says he was restrained and beaten by hospital staff before being forced to take medication.
His ordeal began in 2022 after he protested against China's harsh lockdown policies. He says his professors spotted him after just five minutes and contacted his father, who took him back to the family home.
He says his father called the police, and the next day - on his 18th birthday - two men drove him to what they claimed was a Covid test centre, but was actually a hospital.
"The doctors told me I had a very serious mental disease…
Then they tied me to a bed. The nurses and doctors repeatedly told me, because of my views on the party and the government, then I must be mentally ill. It was terrifying," he told the BBC World Service. He was there for 12 days.