China Human Rights Briefing June 29-July 5, 2009
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Reporting human rights development from the grassroots
June 29-July 5
HIGHLIGHTS
- On July 1, police detained and searched the home of Fuqing City, Fujian Province activist Wu Huaying (吴华英). This appears to be the latest in a series of actions taken against activists whom officials believe are responsible for publicizing information about the case of Yan Xiaoling (严晓玲), who died last year under suspicious circumstances. Police have already criminally detained activist Fan Yanqiong (范燕琼) and her assistants Chen Huanhui (陈焕辉) and Xue Yun (雪云) in relation to the) case.
- CHRD was disappointed to note this week that, a month after the May 31 deadline for lawyers to pass the annual review necessary for renewal of their licenses, at least eighteen human rights lawyers have not had their licenses renewed.
Contents
Fujian Police Detain another Activist for Exposing Yan Xiaolong Case.. 2
Licenses of 18 Rights Lawyers Not Renewed a Month after Deadline.. 3
Hangzhou Writer Zan Aizong Barred from Leaving China the Fourth Time.. 3
Shanghai Activist Duan Chunfang Criminally Detained.. 3
Hunan Petitioner Detained in Psychiatric Institution for Over Two Years. 4
Jiangxi Petitioner Ouyang Guihua Detained in Psychiatric Hospital 4
Changchun City Petitioner Yang Yimei Detained 15 Days. 4
Shanxi Petitioners Sentenced to Jail Time for Hanging Banners in Beijing.. 5
Child Petitioner Detained for Selling Water in Beijing.. 5
Group of Petitioners from Hunan Detained in Beijing Black Jail 5
Freedom of Association and Assembly. 5
Anhui Citizens Detained for Protesting Cell Phone Tower Construction. 5
Shanghai Authorities Prevent Family of Chen Xiaoming from Holding Memorial Activities 6
Korean War Veterans Stage Protest in Guizhou. 6
Hundreds of Teachers Stage Protests in Hubei and Hunan Provinces. 6
First Charter 08 Monthly Published.. 6
Torture and Other Cruel and Inhumane Treatment 7
Police Guard Roughly Handles Liu Xia in Attempt to Prevent her from Exercising.. 7
July 1 Brings Batch of New Regulations, Including One Targeting Online Expression. 7
‘Green Dam’ Not Mandatory on All Computers July 1, But Some Include it Anyway. 7
New Draft of State Secrets Law Open to Public Comment 7
Persecution of Activists
Fujian Police Detain another Activist for Exposing Yan Xiaolong Case
Shortly after 2 am on the morning of July 1, 10 officers from the Mawei District, Fuzhou City Public Security Bureau (PSB) arrived at the Huayuan Neighborhood, Fuqing City home of Fujian Province activist Wu Huaying (吴华英), detaining her and searching her home. While police produced a search warrant, at no point did they display any official identification or a summons or detention notice. The Mawei District PSB is the same PSB office responsible for criminally detaining Fan Yanqiong (范燕琼), Chen Huanhui (陈焕辉) and Xue Yun (雪云) for their work in reporting on the Yan Xiaoling (严晓玲) case. It is believed that Wu’s detention is also related to efforts to expose the suspicious circumstances surrounding Yan’s death, including an alleged sexual assault. Police searching Wu’s home confiscated a computer, two copies of the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, 30 copies of the “National Human Rights Action Plan”, her cell phone and address book, and assorted writings and recordings. (CHRD)[i]
Jiangsu Resident Pan Xiang Released from Detention in Psychiatric Institution after Nearly 2 Months
Pan Xiang, (潘翔), a Baoying County, Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province citizen and father of a “guzheng (a Chinese musical instrument) prodigy” who was seized at his home on April 22 and detained in a Yangzhou psychiatric institution, was released on June 15 after developing edema in his legs as a result of an allergic reaction to medication he was forced to take. Family members took him to a hospice to recover, and he spent a week convalescing before returning home on June 22. Pan had been detained after hanging a public letter on street corners in Baoying County in which he complained to central government officials about problems with Baoying County’s exit permit procedures, which make it difficult for his daughter to travel abroad for performances. (CRLW)[ii]
Sichuan Activist Chen Yunfei Detained, Interrogated after Application for Political Asylum in Taiwan
On the morning of July 3, Sichuan democracy activist Chen Yunfei (陈云飞) delivered a request to the American consulate in Chengdu, asking officials there to convey his desire to seek political asylum in Taiwan to the Taiwanese government. He also unfurled a banner protesting that Zhou Yongkang (周永康), head of the Central Political-Legal Committee, was ignorant of the law. As a result, Chen was seized by Chengdu City police later that morning and taken to the Tiaosanta PSB station, where he was interrogated by National Security officers for 11 hours before being released. Recently, Chen was detained for 12 days around the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, and in 2007, Chen served six months of residential surveillance at home for placing an advertisement to commemorate those killed in the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown in the Chengdu Evening News. (CHRD)[iii]
Licenses of 18 Rights Lawyers Not Renewed a Month after Deadline
A month after the May 31 deadline for lawyers to pass the annual review necessary for renewal of their licenses, at least eighteen human rights lawyers have not had their licenses renewed. The Chinese authorities are using the annual renewal of licenses to retaliate against those lawyers who have represented clients’ in politically ‘sensitive’ cases. (CHRD)[iv]
Hangzhou Writer Zan Aizong Barred from Leaving China the Fourth Time
On July 1, Zan Aizong (昝爱宗), a journalist and internet writer based in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, was prevented from leaving for Hong Kong at Hangzhou Airport by the border police. The police did not issue any written notice or give an explanation. This is the fourth time Zan has been barred from leaving China, including three previous instances in which he tried to travel to Hong Kong. Zan had planned to visit family in Hong Kong between July 1 and 4. (CHRD)[v]
Shanghai Activist Duan Chunfang Criminally Detained
On the afternoon of July 3, Shanghai petitioner-turned-activist Duan Chunfang (段春芳) traveled to the Minxing District, Shenzhuang Township, Political-Legal Committee Office to obtain payment for medical expenses incurred after she was beaten and injured by individuals guarding her while she was recently under house arrest. Instead of receiving the promised money, however, she was instead criminally detained by Shenzhuang Township police. According to her husband, she was criminally detained for “obstructing official business”. Police did not give her husband a formal detention notice, nor would they specify how long Duan would be detained. Duan was recently detained for one week, from June 24 to July 1, while Zhou Yongkang (周永康), head of the Central Political-Legal Committee, held a meeting in Shanghai (please note the correction to a previous CHRB entry, which reported that Duan and other Shanghai activists were put under house arrest or detained to prevent them from meeting returning Shanghai activist Feng Zhenghu (冯正虎)). Duan has been in poor health because of repeated beatings at the hands of Shanghai police and interceptors. She is the sister of deceased Shanghai petitioner Duan Huimin (段惠民), who died in January 2007 after being denied medical care following a severe beating in detention by interceptors and police. (CHRD)[vi]
Persecution of Petitioners
Hunan Petitioner Detained in Psychiatric Institution for Over Two Years
CHRD learned on July 4 from a Hunan activist that a petitioner named He Fangwu (何方武) has been detained in a psychiatric hospital in Yongzhou City since February 2007. According to the report, He Fangwu, from Yongshan Town, Jiangyong County, Hunan Province, was unjustly singled out in the fall of 1998 as “harboring” a relative who family planning officials accused of dodging birth control regulations; as a result, He was detained, had his home searched and lost a year’s worth of grain. His wife subsequently left him, taking their child. It is also believed that He may have been targeted for his work in exposing local officials’ involvement in narcotics trafficking. He began petitioning in the wake of these events, and was repeatedly detained, including four previous instances in which he was detained in a psychiatric institution. (CHRD)[vii]
Jiangxi Petitioner Ouyang Guihua Detained in Psychiatric Hospital
CHRD learned on June 28 that Shanggao County, Yichun City, Jiangxi Province petitioner Ouyang Guihua (欧阳桂花) has been involuntarily hospitalized in a psychiatric institution after being seized in Beijing and forcibly returned to Jiangxi. Ouyang is currently being detained in a psychiatric institution in Jinjiang Town, Shanggao County. According to her husband, Ouyang has been petitioning because local police failed to punish villagers responsible for poisoning her, and she has previously been detained in psychiatric institutions by local officials. (CRLW)[viii]
Changchun City Petitioner Yang Yimei Detained 15 Days
On June 26, Yang Yimei (杨一美), from Changchun City, Jilin Province, was seized by interceptors from the Beijing Liaison Office of the Changchun City government while petitioning at the Civil Aviation Letters and Visits Office and forcibly returned to Changchun. On June 29, CHRD learned that Yang had been sent to administrative detention by Changchun City officials for 15 days. She was then sent to RTL, but escaped on July 8. Her current whereabouts are unknown. Yang reported that officials had previously threatened that she and other petitioners who applied to protest on June 26 would be subjected to detention or worse. Yang has been petitioning for years because of a dispute with the Civil Aviation Administration of China, where Yang’s father worked, over his pensions and other retirement arrangements. (CRLW)[ix]
Shanxi Petitioners Sentenced to Jail Time for Hanging Banners in Beijing
CHRD learned on June 29 that Shanxi petitioner Ren Jiancai (任建才) has been sentenced to one year in prison, while another petitioner, surnamed Xue (薛) was sentenced to one year and nine months in prison, both for their roles in a May 11 protest in Beijing. It is not clear what charges the two petitioners were convicted of. Ren and Xue were part of a group of 12 petitioners who climbed to the top of a tall building near the National Letters and Visits Office in downtown Beijing and unrolled 6 banners on which the phrase “overthrow avaricious officials” were written, while at the same time scattering close to a thousand leaflets on the street below. Ren and his wife have been petitioning for years after suffering retaliation from officials in Shilou County, Shanxi Province following their work to expose deforestation in Shilou. They have previously been sent to RTL for petitioning as well. (CRLW)[x]
Child Petitioner Detained for Selling Water in Beijing
On June 25, fourteen year-old Lingtai County, Pingliang City, Gansu Province petitioner Cao Ruixia (曹瑞霞) was seized by Urban Inspection officers (chengguan) while selling water in Beijing and detained in a juvenile detention facility. According to her twelve year-old brother, Cao Jinlong (曹金龙), Jinlong, Ruihua and their older sister, Cao Ruifang (曹瑞芳) were homeless for two years while their father, who petitioned for years for compensation after his wife died in a medical mishap, was sent to prison between 2002 and 2004. After their father was released, he took the children with him to Beijing to continue petitioning. The eldest sister, Ruifang, was seized on December 11, 2006, and remains missing to this day. Ruixia was released on July 2. (CRLW)[xi]
Group of Petitioners from Hunan Detained in Beijing Black Jail
A group of 10 petitioners from Changsha City, Hunan Province, were seized by police in Beijing while protesting at Tiananmen Square on July 1. Members of the group, which included seven women and three men, had been petitioning because they had been subjected to forced evictions, had their land requisitioned, or suffered other similar injustices. The petitioners were then taken to the Jinyuanding Security Company, where they were detained on the orders of the Beijing Liaison Office of the Hunan Provincial government. (CHRD)[xii]
Freedom of Association and Assembly
Anhui Citizens Detained for Protesting Cell Phone Tower Construction
On June 27, Binhu District PSB officers in Hefei City, Anhui Province administratively detained a number of residents of Pinge residential area who took part in a protest a few days earlier in opposition to the construction of a 3G tower near their homes. Residents, upset at not being consulted prior to plans to begin construction, were concerned about potential radiation from the tower. A man surnamed Liu (刘) and dozens of other residents gathered outside construction offices on June 26 to demand officials follow legal procedure and issue a report on the radiation levels expected from the tower. After officials refused, the protestors returned the next day and surrounded the offices, blocking traffic for nearly an hour before police arrived and detained a number of the participants. According to a press conference held on June 28, Liu and the other protestors will be administratively detained for seven days. (CHRD)[xiii]
Shanghai Authorities Prevent Family of Chen Xiaoming from Holding Memorial Activities
July 1 marked the second anniversary of the death of Shanghai human rights activist Chen Xiaoming (陈小明), who died of a chronic illness which went untreated during a lengthy detention period. His younger sister, Chen Weihua (陈伟华), returned to Shanghai from Japan to commemorate her brother’s life and death, but local officials prevented the family from holding any memorial activities, dispatching officers from the Law and Order Corps of the Xuhui District PSB along with regular police on the night of June 29 to threaten family members as well as prevent petitioners from coming to the family’s home to join in marking the anniversary. (CHRD)[xiv]
Citizens’ Actions
Korean War Veterans Stage Protest in Guizhou
On June 25, hundreds of Korean War veterans demonstrated in front of the provincial party committee office in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province. The veterans are dissatisfied with the inadequate living allowance and unfair treatment by the government. Policemen arrived at the scene to stand-by while several officials came out of the office, telling the elderly veterans that their problems will be resolved soon. The veterans dispersed after several hours. (CHRD)[xv]
Hundreds of Teachers Stage Protests in Hubei and Hunan Provinces
On June 29, about 100 dismissed teachers from citizen-managed schools gathered outside government offices in Loudi City, Hunan Province. The teachers, who were from schools in Xinhua County and Lianyuan City, were dismissed between the 1980s and 1990s for violating the “one-child policy”. They were petitioning the authorities to provide pensions and other benefits in their old age and to complain about their unfair dismissal. Many protestors were reportedly forcibly sent back to their home towns by interceptors. (CRLW)[xvi]
Between June 30 and July 1, 628 dismissed teachers protested outside of the government building in Gongan County, Hubei Province. The teachers believed that the local authorities have failed to compensate and treat them fairly according to national regulations. Seven teachers’ representatives, including Zhou Zhangjun (周章军), Chen Zhongsheng (陈中生) and Yang Cuibai (杨翠柏) were taken into administrative detention. One female protestor, Liu Jinyu (刘金玉), was beaten and sent to the hospital for treatment. According to the teachers, the assistant head of county told them that they were staging “an illegal gathering” and the authorities had dispatched officials all over the county to threaten and persuade the teachers to stop their protest. (CHRD) [xvii]
First Charter 08 Monthly Published
The first edition of the online magazine Charter 08 Monthly was published on June 30. The magazine contains interviews, commentaries and articles by drafters and signatories of the Charter, and the first edition focuses on the arrest of Liu Xiaobo (刘晓波). (Charter 08 Monthly)[xviii]
Torture and Other Cruel and Inhumane Treatment
Police Guard Roughly Handles Liu Xia in Attempt to Prevent her from Exercising
On the evening of June 28, Beijing scholar Zhang Zuhua (张祖桦) drove to meet Liu Xia (刘霞), the wife of detained dissident Liu Xiaobo (刘晓波), planning to play badminton with her. However, when Liu tried to leave her home to meet Zhang, she was met by a female police officer from the Yangfangdian PSB station, who roughly grabbed her wrists and prevented her from leaving. Though Liu was eventually allowed to leave after higher officials intervened, her wrists were swollen and painful. (CHRD)[xix]
Law and Policy Watch
July 1 Brings Batch of New Regulations, Including One Targeting Online Expression
As part of a number of new national regulations which went into effect July 1, new guidelines were set restricting websites which contain information about sexual health (the “Internet Medical Care Information Service Management Measures”). Netizens are concerned that these regulations have the potential to be exploited (as with other efforts purporting to be “anti-pornography” in nature) to restrict freedom of expression online. On the same date, a number of more localized regulations regarding specific areas also went into effect. The true test of all these regulations will be their implementation in the coming days, however, as it remains to be seen how they will be enforced in practice. (Xinhua)[xx]
‘Green Dam’ Not Mandatory on All Computers July 1, But Some Include it Anyway
July 1 was the date set on May 19 by which all computers sold in China had to come pre-loaded with “Green Dam Youth Escort” internet filtering software. The decision was met with widespread disapproval as soon as it was announced, and netizens continued to voice their dissent, with some even planning an online protest for July 1. Officials finally relented in the face of overwhelming pressure, announcing that the software would be free to download but it would be up to users to decide whether or not to install it or keep it on computers, making it a purely optional piece of software. Some computer companies have gone ahead with the original plan, however, and have included the software on computers sold in China. (Xinhua)[xxi]
New Draft of State Secrets Law Open to Public Comment
On July 2, a draft of the revised “Law Guarding State Secrets of the People’s Republic of China” was published on the website of the National People’s Congress (NPC) to solicit public comments. The website noted that the Standing Committee of the NPC was set to consider this revised law for the first time since 1989. Any citizen can comment on the law by registering with the NPC website or by mailing suggestions to the working committee on the law. Comments will be accepted until July 31. The current state secrets law, in place since 1989, has long been the subject of criticism as it is overly broad and is often used to deny individuals accused of violating one of its provisions the right to a fair trial. (Xinhua)[xxii]
Editors: Wang Songlian and David Smalls
[i] “Fujian Activist and ‘Charter 08’ Signatory Wu Huaying Seized (福建维权人士《零八宪章》签署人吴华英被抓走)”, July 1, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/200907/20090701123438_16124.html
[ii] “Ouyang Guihua of Jiangxi Province Again Sent to Psychiatric Institution; Pan Xiang Released From Psychiatric Institution after Falling Ill (江西欧阳桂花再送精神病院 潘翔精神病院内患病获释)”, June 28, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/fmzj/200906/20090628232600_16079.html
[iii] “Chen Yunfei Released (陈云飞已被释放)”, July 4, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/200907/20090704003040_16160.html
[iv] “Licenses of 18 Rights Lawyers Not Renewed a Month after Deadline”, July 2, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class9/Class10/200907/20090702205149_16144.html
[v] “Cai Chu: Zan Aizong Stopped at Hangzhou Airport En Route to Hong Kong on July 1 (蔡楚：昝爱宗七一赴港被拦在杭州机场)”, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/200907/20090701230621_16130.html
[vi] “Shanghai Petitioner Duan Chunfang Criminally Detained (上海访民段春芳被刑事拘留)”, July 5, 2009,
https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/200907/20090705014723_16171.html
[vii] “Jiangyong, Hunan Petitioner and Activist He Fangwu Detained in Psychiatric Institution for Over Two Years (湖南江永上访维权人士何方武被关精神病院二年多)”, July 4, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/200907/20090704182101_16168.html
[viii] “Ouyang Guihua of Jiangxi Province Again Sent to Psychiatric Institution; Pan Xiang Released From Psychiatric Institution after Falling Ill (江西欧阳桂花再送精神病院 潘翔精神病院内患病获释)”, June 28, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/fmzj/200906/20090628232600_16079.html
[ix] “Changchun’s Yang Yimei Detained 15 Days; Ren Jiancai of Shanxi and Others Sentenced for Hanging Posters (长春杨一美被拘留十五日 山西任建才等挂标语遭判刑)”, June 29, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/fmzj/200906/20090629204740_16089.html
[x] “Changchun’s Yang Yimei Detained 15 Days; Ren Jiancai of Shanxi and Others Sentenced for Hanging Posters (长春杨一美被拘留十五日 山西任建才等挂标语遭判刑)”, June 29, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/fmzj/200906/20090629204740_16089.html
[xi] “Fourteen Year-old Female Gansu Petitioner Cao Ruixia Seized in Beijing (甘肃在京十四岁少女访民曹瑞霞被抓走)”, June 29, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/fmzj/200906/20090629212001_16093.html
[xii] “Ten Hunan Petitioners Detained in Black Jail on July 1 (湖南10访民在”7•1″被关入黑监狱)”, July 2, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/200907/20090702024715_16135.html
[xiii] “Hefei, Anhui Residents Join Protest Against 3G Tower Construction, Are Administratively Detained (安徽合肥一居民因参与抗议3G基地建设而被拘留)”, June 30, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/200906/20090630151347_16105.html
[xiv] “Shanghai Authorities Prevent Chen Xiaoming’s Family from Holding Memorial Activities (上海当局阻止陈小明家人举行纪念活动)”, June 30, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/200906/20090630193358_16114.html
[xv] “Guiyang Korean Veterans Form a Petitioning Group to Demonstrate and Protest outside of the Provincial Party Committee Building (贵阳援朝老兵组成上访团到省委门前抗议游行)”, June 29, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/200906/20090629204114_16090.html
[xvi] “Over a Hundred Dismissed Teachers Petition Government in Hunan Loudi (湖南娄底百余民师政府请愿)”, June 29, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class71/200906/20090629204612_16088.html
[xvii] “About 600 Dismissed Teachers Protest in Gongan County in Hubei Province Despite the Rain, One Teacher Falls into Coma in Torrential Rain <湖北省公安县600余名民师冒雨抗议 一名教师暴雨中昏迷>”, June 30, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/200906/20090630005432_16098.html; “Seven Protesting Teachers Have Been Detained in Gongan County in Hubei Province; Some Teachers Have Persisted in Protesting <湖北公安县请愿民师7人被拘留 部分民师仍在持续抗议>”, July 1, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/200907/20090701004010_16118.html; “Dismissed Teachers Protest Enters its Third Day in Gongan County, Hubei Province <湖北省公安县民师请愿进入第三天>”, July 2, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/200907/20090702005220_16134.html
[xviii] “Charter 08 Monthly First Edition (《零八宪章》月刊创刊号)”, June 27, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/lingbaxianzhang/charter08magazine/200906/20090627235031_16042.html
[xix] “Liu Xiaobo’s Wife Liu Xia Roughly Assaulted by Female Police Officer When She Tries to Leave Home to Exercise (刘晓波夫人刘霞女士外出锻炼身体遭一名女警粗暴攻击)”, June 29, 2009, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/200906/20090629015617_16080.html
[xx] “‘Lottery Ticket Regulations’ and other Laws Go into Effect July 1 (《彩票管理条例》等一批法规规章7月1日起实施)”, June 30, 2009, http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-06/30/content_11628344.htm
[xxi] “Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Spokesperson Answers Reporters’ Questions on Green Dam Internet Filtering Software (工信部新闻发言人就绿色上网过滤软件问题答记者问)”, June 30, http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-06/30/content_11628642.htm
[xxii] “Law Guarding State Secrets of the PRC [Revised Draft] (中华人民共和国保守国家秘密法(修订草案)”, July 1, 2009, http://www.china.com.cn/policy/txt/2009-07/01/content_18052478.htm