Fountain Hills woman detained for 3 months by Chinese authorities in Shanghai

A Fountain Hills woman has been detained by Chinese officials for three months, and her family and friends have been given no answers about the circumstances surrounding her arrest.

Shiping "Sue" Peterson, a massage therapist living in Fountain Hills, was arrested by Chinese authorities Aug. 29 on suspicion of the "crime of provocation" after her flight landed in Shanghai, according to Peterson's friend Dina Galassini.

The U.S. State Department confirmed Monday that Peterson was being detained in China.

"We continue to monitor her case, and we have been providing all appropriate assistance to her and her family, including visits to Ms. Peterson in the detention facility," a State Department spokesperson said.

In a statement emailed by Galassini, Peterson's son, Dawei "David" Jiang, said he and his mother had flown to China for a funeral service for Peterson's father.

On arrival, David and his mother were taken off the airplane and taken to a room where Peterson's phone was confiscated. David later was told by the U.S. Embassy that she would be detained for a "crime of provocation."

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"My mom asked why are they taking her and they said they would tell her later," he wrote. "They let me go."

Galassini said that Peterson never expressed any fear about going back to China and had traveled to China in 2017.

'She's not a criminal'

Peterson emigrated from China 11 years ago and adopted her legal American name, Shiping Peterson, according to Galassini.

Galassini said she has taken on the burden of Peterson's bills and finances and is working to find out why the Chinese government detained her friend.

"I know Sue very well; she's not a criminal," Galassini said.

"We have no other information why. I've asked (Rep. David) Schweikert's office for a formal complaint, but I haven't heard anything. Sue did give me permission from the embassy to give information to me regarding her health," Galassini said.

Peterson has been a naturalized citizen in the U.S. for 11 years and has never expressed views about the Chinese government, Galassini said.

David stayed with his grandmother in China during his trip before flying back to the United States, Galassini said.

Since Peterson's detention, her business has been forced to close, and Galassini is struggling to pay Peterson's bills.

Galassini said she can continue to pay for Peterson's bills only for another few months before she'll be forced to stop payments.

"The thing is, if I don't get the other power of attorney to pay her bills, then her house could be gone in five months ... or sooner," Galassini said. "I only have enough money for probably two more months. You can only help so much. It's like a nightmare."

The community has banded together to take care of David during his mother's absence, she said.

Merita Kraya, the owner of Euro Pizza Cafe in Fountain Hills, said she has been giving David free food at her restaurant. The community also has pitched in money for David to help with gas and bills.

"How long is it going to last? Is it going to be three years, or three months?" Kraya said. "She already lost her business, she’s losing her house, her son doesn’t have anything to eat. It’s a dire situation."

What is a crime of provocation?

What is a "crime of provocation" is difficult to ascertain, according to Donald Clarke, a professor specializing in Chinese law at the George Washington University law school.

"The problem here is that we don’t know the Chinese term for the crime," Clarke said. "'Provocation' is just someone’s translation, but we don’t know the specific crime in the Chinese criminal law it refers to."

Ira Belkin, a New York University law professor, teaches about law and society in China. While he could not speak to the specific charges Peterson faces because of the ambiguity of the charge, he said that she is likely detained for a Chinese law called "picking quarrels and causing troubles."

"It is sometimes referred to colloquially as a “pocket crime” because almost anything can be thrown into it," Belkin said. "It has sometimes been used as a basis to detain and prosecute people in China because of online posts on social media that are derogatory of the Chinese party-state or its officials."

The U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory in January warning travelers to exercise increased caution in China because of "arbitrary enforcement of local laws as well as special restrictions on dual U.S.-Chinese nationals."

Kraya says the community has reached out to state lawmakers, the State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Shanghai to help get Peterson home.

So far, she said, no one has stepped up to help.

"What China is doing with American citizens is unacceptable and the government is doing nothing," Kraya said. "We’re trying to make a change, but I don’t know where else to complain."

Have a tip? Reach the reporters: Chase Hunter at Chase.Budnieski@arizonarepublic.com or 480-262-9452. Follow him on Twitter at @chase_hunterb. Reach Lorraine Longhi at llonghi@gannett.com or 480-243-4086. Follow her on Twitter @lolonghi.

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