介绍:
An employee of Shenzhen Dimeng Network Technology has accused police officers from the eastern city of Hangzhou, where Alibaba Group is headquartered, of intimidation and acting as thugs for the e-commerce giant.
Xiang Dongshun told Caixin that on the evening of February 5 he was taken from his office in the southern city by three police officers. Xiang claims he was taken to a windowless room in Shenzhen police department’s economic crimes unit, and questioned for three hours about why his company was publishing articles critical of Alibaba and its e-marketplace Taobao. Following the incident, Xiang Jun, CEO of Shenzhen Dimeng, visited the police station and was told by local police that the officers had come from Hangzhou.
Xiang Dongshun said that the police officers warned that Alibaba could get rid of a company like Shenzhen Dimeng in a minute, and claims he was told to sign a blanket statement, but refused. He was released when several reporters visited the police station that evening.
The incident follows the company’s publication on the popular social media app WeChat, of eleven articles critical of Alibaba. The author of these articles and the motivation behind their publication remain unknown, but one article accusing Alibaba of grave tax evasion was viewed by over 100,000 readers.
On February 7, Alibaba Group accused Shenzhen Dimeng, a website that facilitates the sale of heavy-duty machinery and industrial products, of defamation.
In a statement on Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, Alibaba said it had made a report to the police over the Shenzhen Dimeng’s accusations, including the claim that the company had evaded 5 trillion yuan in taxes.
The latest controversy befalling Alibaba follows a highly publicized feud with the State Administration for Industry and Commerce over the sale of counterfeit goods, prompting a U.S. law firm to launch a class action lawsuit against the company for misleading investors before the company’s initial public offering in New York last year.
Hangzhou police confirmed on February 8 that they had received a complaint from Alibaba and were investigating.
For Caixin Online, this is Nick Horton.
2月5日，36岁的向东顺生平第一次遭遇警察询问。他供职于深圳市迪蒙网络科技有限公司，平日里负责管理公司的微信公众号。
公众号取名“淘金地”，寓意“商人淘金的好地方”。2015年1月以来，“淘金地”连续发布多篇文章批评阿里巴巴（NYSE: BABA）及其旗下淘宝网。杭州警方接到淘宝报案后，将向东顺列为调查对象。
事发当天，三名便衣男子将向东顺带至深圳市公安局经济犯罪侦查局（下称深圳经侦）。他们当中，一名徐姓警官供职于深圳经侦；另外两人持杭州口音，自称深圳警察，却不愿出示证件。
向东顺当晚接受了三个小时的讯问。期间，相关消息通过社交媒体广泛散播，媒体记者涌向深圳经侦所在地。向东顺于当晚恢复自由。
事后，深圳迪蒙发文声讨杭州警方和阿里巴巴行径。阿里巴巴则公开回应称：深圳迪蒙多次恶意攻击淘宝品牌和公司高管个人。这些行为损害淘宝商誉，阿里巴巴方面早前就曾向杭州警方报案。
2月8日下午1时许，杭州市公安局发布声明称：杭州警方受理了阿里巴巴方面的报案。公安机关目前仍在作进一步调查。
该份声明没有明确的是：杭州警方是否已就深圳迪蒙涉嫌损害阿里商誉正式立案。
恢复自由后，向东顺在一篇声讨文章中，记录了事件过程。
文章写道：“他们自言自语：‘像你们这样的企业，阿里分分钟弄死你们。你们那百多号人，阿里随时可以把人挖得一个不剩。’既然你不知道阿里的背景，你知道阿里的后台吗？说出来吓死你！”
向东顺认为，这是威胁、恐吓，令他深感恐惧不安。
