China Human Rights Briefing March 2-8, 2010

March 9, 2010       Comments Off on China Human Rights Briefing March 2-8, 2010

China Human Rights Briefing

March 2-8, 2010

Highlights

  • Harassment of Sensitive Individuals Continues as Government Meetings Begin: CHRD has documented more than 60 cases of individuals around the country harassed, detained, or subjected to restrictions on their movement by officials during the “Two Meetings” of the National People’s Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Consultative Conference.
  • Elderly Woman Buried Alive during Forced Eviction: CHRD learned this week of the tragic case of a Hubei woman buried alive by demolition workers who arrived to demolish her home before she had completed moving out. Ms. Wang Cuiyun (王翠云) became the latest victim in the struggle between developers and citizens over forced evictions, and reports from the scene suggest that local officials did little to protect Ms. Wang or pursue those responsible for her death.
  • CHRD Releases Two New Reports: CHRD released two reports in Chinese this past week: our annual report on the situation of human rights defenders for the year 2009, and a report documenting and analyzing rights abuses in the government’s implementation of its family planning policy. The full texts of these reports are available on our Chinese-language website.

Contents

Harassment of Activists

  • Harassment and Detention of Activists and Petitioners during Government Meetings
  • Shaanxi Activist Denied Legal Worker Certificate by Provincial Officials
  • Beijing Police Summon Activist Chen Tianshi after Intercepting Message from European Diplomat

Arbitrary Detention

  • Lawyers Visit Increasingly Ill Fan Yanqiong, Family Once Again Applies for Release for Treatment
  • Beijing Activists Detained for Challenging CCTV Claim that Beijing District Achieved “Zero Petitioners”
  • Hunan Activist Luo Qian Transferred to RTL Camp in Shaoyang City
  • Guizhou Petitioner-Turned-Activist Lu Yanfei Sent to Two Years of RTL
  • Beijing Activist and Blogger “Tiger Temple” Seized by Xi’an Police in Beijing
  • Fathers of Jiangxi Death Row Prisoners Detained in Beijing
  • Sichuan Democracy Activist She Wanbao to Be Released after Lengthy Prison Term

Freedom of Expression

  • Hubei Netizen Detained Eight Days for Postings Alleging Corruption
  • Internet Censors Order Restrictions on 17 Topics during Two Meetings

Freedom of Religion

  • Guangzhou Police Interrogate, Threaten House Church Leader

Freedom of Association and Assembly

  • Conference on AIDS Prevention Cancelled due to Two Meetings

Forced Eviction and Demolition

  • Elderly Hubei Woman Buried Alive During Forced Eviction
  • Xi’an Residents Protest Forced Evictions, Use of Violence
  • Torture and Other Cruel, Degrading, and Inhuman Treatment
  • Chongqing Family Continue Quest for Justice following Son’s Suspicious Death in Prison

Citizens’ Actions

  • CHRD Releases Reports on Human Rights Defenders, Family Planning

Petitioners Call for End to RTL in Public Letter

  • CHRD Protests Rights Violations during Two Meetings, Sends Legislative Proposals to the People’s Congress

Law and Policy Watch

  • National People’s Congress Debates Revised Administrative Supervision Law
  • CPPCC Delegate Calls for “A More Comprehensive System of Accountability”
  • Draft Electoral Law Proposes Equal Representation for Rural, Urban Citizens

Harassment of Activists

Harassment and Detention of Activists and Petitioners during Government Meetings

CHRD has so far documented a total of 60 activists and petitioners who have been subjected to “soft detention,” detained in black jails or “disappeared” during the “Two Meetings” of the National People’s Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, which began March 5 and March 3, respectively, in Beijing. The following are cases documented by CHRD in the past week of individuals who have been harassed, threatened, or subjected to restricted movement due to the Two Meetings:

Activists:

  • Police have been posted outside the home of Mr. Yu Haocheng (于浩成), a former high-ranking government official and one of the founders of the Independent Chinese PEN, since March 1. Officers informed Yu that they would leave at the end of the “Two Meetings” period, on March 18.[i]
  • On March 6, the police warned Beijing dissidents Hu Shigen (胡石根), Gao Hongming (高洪明), Xu Yonghai (徐永海), Yang Jing (杨靖), and Jia Jianying (贾建英) against attending a house church meeting on the same day. The police told Hu he was not to leave his house on that day.[ii]
  • Qianjiang, Hubei elections expert and rights activist Yao Lifa (姚立法) has been kept under tight surveillance and has had his movements restricted since March 5. On that date, Yao was called in for a talk during which local Bureau of Education officials and leaders at the school where he is employed threatened to dock his wages or even remove him from his job because of his petitioning, articles he has written, and other rights-defense activities with which he has been involved in recent years.[iii]
  • Beijing house church leader and legal scholar Fan Yafeng (范亚峰) was taken away from his home by Beijing National Security and Haidian District police to prevent him from meeting with a Spanish journalist on the evening of March 6. He was taken to the Shuangyushu Police Station and questioned for more than nine hours before being released.[iv]
  • Mr. Yu Tong’an (余同安), of Xinhui, Guangdong, who has been protesting and petitioning since his child suffered brain damage as a result of a faulty Japanese encephalitis vaccine in 2007, reported on March 5 that plainclothes police officers were posted outside of his home. According to Yu, local police have instructed him not to accept any interview requests or contact any activists during the Two Meetings. Yu had planned to participate in a gathering of vaccine victims’ families in Beijing during the Meetings.[v]
  • In Jilin City, Jilin, activist Mr. Huang Huo (黄祸) reports that his telephone’s long-distance service was cut on the morning of March 4, and he suspects that local officials are responsible. Mr. Huang has repeatedly criticized the government during interviews with media outlets such as Voice of America and Radio Free Asia.[vi]
  • Since March 2, Shandong University professor Sun Wenguang (孙文广) has been under “soft detention,” with guards monitoring his actions around the clock. According to Sun, this has become a common occurrence during “sensitive” periods.[vii]
  • On March 4, Shenzhen National Security Police took activist Zhao Dagong (赵达功) away from his home. His whereabouts are currently unknown, though it is believed he is being detained until the conclusion of the Two Meetings.[viii]
  • Shaanxi activist Li Zhiying (李智英) reports that guards have been posted outside of his home in Beijing since March 2.[ix]
  • In Beijing, activists Liu Di (刘荻), Yang Licai (杨立才), Wang Lihong (王荔蕻) and others have been told to refrain from leaving their homes, and to “check in” with police if they do go out; [x]
  • Beijing dissidents Cha Jianguo (查建国), Gao Hongming (高洪明), Hu Shigen (胡石根), Jia Jianying (贾建英), Qi Zhiyong (齐志勇) have reported that guards are stationed outside of the homes 24 hours a day and that they are not allowed to leave their homes unless accompanied by the police; [xi]
  • Beijing activist Liu Anjun (刘安军), who was previously reported to be missing, has been located at a hotel in Beijing, where he is being detained; [xii]
  • Beijing activist Li Hai (李海) is missing, and has been out of contact with the outside world for the past two days;[xiii]
  • Beijing human rights activist and director of the Mr. Democracy Research Center Zhang Hui (张辉) discovered on March 3 that a police car was stationed outside of his home, and that three officers have been tasked with keeping him under soft detention;[xiv]
  • As of March 3, Sichuan activist Chen Yunfei (陈云飞) has been placed under soft detention by National Security police; [xv]
  • A number of Hangzhou activists, including Zhu Yingdi (朱瑛娣), Qiu Yumei (裘玉梅), Xu Jie (许杰), Chen Ying (陈映), Huang Limin (黄利民), and Wang Liying (王丽英) have been placed under 24-hour surveillance and are barred from traveling to Beijing during the Two Meetings;[xvi]
  • Also in Hangzhou, police warned Wang Xue’e (汪雪娥), wife of imprisoned writer Lü Gengsong (吕耿松) to “keep a calm mentality” during the Two Meetings;[xvii]
  • Beginning March 2, Hu Shigen (胡石根), a former professor recently released after spending 17 years in prison for organizing the China Freedom and Democracy Party, has been placed under “soft detention” at his home in Beijing.[xviii]
  • On March 2, Xianghe, Hebei activist Li Jinfang’s (李金芳) internet service was unexpectedly cut off, and despite repeated calls to her internet company, she has been unable to get back online. Li’s home internet service has been disrupted on numerous occasions since 2009, usually during similar “sensitive” periods. (CHRD)[xix]

Petitioners:

  • Nanning, Guangxi petitioner Liang Hanguang (梁汉光) and two others were seized in Beijing on March 7 and forcibly returned to their hometown. The three were petitioning regarding issues related to the forced demolition of their homes.[xx]
  • Feng Yongji (冯永记), a petitioner from Xinjiang, was followed by unknown persons all day in Beijing on March 5 and had to stay away from her rented room for fear of being captured. Feng’s friends in Xinjiang told her that local officials have arrived in Beijing to track her down during the Two Meetings. For years, Feng has been petitioning against legal injustice her husband suffered and in that period was forcibly returned to Xinjiang over ten times.[xxi]
  • Baotou City, Inner Mongolia petitioners Gong Fucai (巩富财), Yang Xiuqing (杨秀清), Zhang Heping (张和平) and his wife, and Deng Jinyi (邓金义) were seized in Beijing on March 6 and 7 and forcibly returned to Baotou. They are currently in detention in their hometown.[xxii]
  • Zhengzhou, Henan petitioner Ms. Liu Xianzhi (刘先枝) was seized outside the State Bureau of Letters and Visits in Beijing on March 6, and has been detained in a black jail in Beijing. Ms. Liu has been petitioning in Beijing for years regarding forced eviction as well as the death of her husband and the failure of local courts to bring his killer to justice.[xxiii]
  • Police in Beijing seized nine petitioners out of a larger group on Tiananmen Square on March 6, beating two petitioners in the process. The petitioners, who were from Xiangfan City in Hubei Province, had gathered on Tiananmen Square after officials at the Ministry of Public Security had refused to accept their materials earlier in the morning. Those detained were Wang Jiaqing (王家清), Xu Wanying (许万英), Zhang Yugui (张玉桂), Cao Guo (曹果), He Defu (贺德福) and his daughters Wang Shiping (王世平) and Wang Chunping (王春平), seven year-old He Guanglei (贺光磊), and four year-old Chen Mengfei (陈梦菲). According to He Defu, he and his younger daughter Wang Chunping were beaten by police at the Tiananmen PSB Station, where officials confiscated a camera belonging to Wang. Their current whereabouts are not known.[xxiv]
  • Taiwan petitioner Liu Xinyu (刘心榆) was seized by police in Beijing on March 7 and held at Public Security University that evening. On March 8, Liu was handed over to officials from the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Nanning, Guangxi Government, and escorted to Nanning on a train. Liu managed to escape and will likely return to Beijing. Liu arrived in Beijing on March 3 to petition on behalf of her father, whose property in Nanning was forcibly demolished. (CHRD)[xxv]
  • Shanghai petitioner Shen Peilan (沈佩兰) was seized at a Beijing restaurant on March 7 and detained in a black jail near the South Train Station before being forcibly returned to Shanghai the next morning. At the time of writing her whereabouts are unknown, though she is believed to be in detention in Shanghai. [xxvi]
  • Xi Guozhen (奚国珍) and Zhang Ying (张英), of Shanghai, were seized in Beijing on March 6 and forcibly returned to Shanghai, where they were detained in a local detention house. [xxvii]
  • Shanghai petitioner Mao Xinyuan (茅新媛) reports that she has been under 24-hour surveillance in Shanghai by two guards since March 4.[xxviii]
  • Former Qianjiang City, Hubei people’s policemen Li Zhengqing (李正清) and Sun Bin (孙斌) were seized in Beijing on March 3 by Qianjiang police and administratively detained for 10 days. According to police, Li and Sun were being detained for participating in a November 16, 2009 protest of laid-off people’s police in Qianjiang. However, it is believed police have detained Li and Sun to prevent them from petitioning during the Two Meetings. Police have not notified Li or Sun’s families of their detention, and will not permit family members to visit the two in detention.[xxix]
  • Nantong, Jiangsu petitioners Cao Wenxing (曹文星) and Zhu Ping (朱萍) were seized in Beijing on March 3 and forcibly returned to Nantong, where they are currently detained in a black jail. The two are veteran petitioners who have been repeatedly detained by local officials in the past.[xxx]
  • Xi’an petitioner Zhang Dalian (张大联) was taken away from her home on March 2 by police and local government officials. She is currently being held in Hanzhong City in southern Shaanxi;[xxxi]
  • Shanghai petitioner Chen Jianfang (陈建芳), who was believed to be detained, has successfully avoided officials in Shanghai seeking to place her under detention. She is currently in Beijing;[xxxii]
  • Wang Fengmei (王风美), a petitioner from Yantai, Shandong who has been detained repeatedly and sent to RTL for petitioning over the past six and a half years, reports that she is currently under police surveillance and has been warned not to travel to Beijing; [xxxiii]
  • Nantong, Jiangsu petitioner Wang Qin (王琴) was kidnapped in Beijing on March 3, and is currently being held at the Beijing Liaison Office of the Nantong City government. (CHRD)[xxxiv]

Shaanxi Activist Denied Legal Worker Certificate by Provincial Officials

On March 8, Yang Bo (杨博, given name Yang Zhongli [杨忠利]) received notice from the Fengxiang County Bureau of Justice in Shaanxi Province that the Shaanxi Provincial Bureau of Justice had decided to rescind his legal worker certificate. Provincial officials claimed that Yang had provided “false information” in his 2008 application for a legal worker certificate because he failed to disclose a two-and-a-half-year period during which he was detained in RTL for writing about the Tiananmen massacre. However, some believe that Yang, a former soldier-turned-activist, is being punished for advising villagers in Fengxiang, Shaanxi seeking to defend their land rights in August 2008. Yang was also one of the organizers of China Human Rights Forum in 2007. Yang recently completed a legal training program but his legal worker certificate had been withheld. (CHRD)[xxxv]

Beijing Police Summon Activist Chen Tianshi after Intercepting Message from European Diplomat

On the afternoon of March 2, Christian house church leader and human rights activist Chen Tianshi (陈天石) was summoned by National Security police in Beijing’s Shunyi District. Police questioned Chen about articles on cases of religious persecution they believed he had written in recent years as well as his plans to meet with foreign diplomats. Last week, an official from the delegation of the European Union to China had contacted Chen to set up a meeting to discuss the issue of religion in China; Chen believes police intercepted this message and summoned him as a result. Police who questioned Chen did not bar him from meeting with European diplomats, but urged him to show “proper restraint.” He was released after less than two hours of questioning. (CHRD)[xxxvi]

Arbitrary Detention

Lawyers Visit Increasingly Ill Fan Yanqiong, Family Once Again Applies for Release for Treatment

According to relatives, detained activist Fan Yanqiong (范燕琼) met with her lawyer Jiang Zhifu (姜之福) on March 5. Jiang reported that Fan’s health has continued to worsen during her detention, and that she now faces the threat of paralysis due to cerebral arteritis, a serious neurological disease which has already left her unable to walk. Fan also suffered from kidney disease. On March 8, Fan’s daughter applied for Fan to be released on bail for medical treatment, the fifth such application prepared on her behalf. The Fujian authorities have either denied or not responded to these applications. Fan was taken into custody on June 26, 2009, after she posted articles online alleging official misconduct and cover-ups in the case of a young woman’s death in Minqing County, Fujian Province. Fan and two co-defendants were tried on November 11, 2009, but as of the time of writing the court has yet to deliver a verdict. (CHRD)[xxxvii]

Beijing Activists Detained for Challenging CCTV Claim that Beijing District Achieved “Zero Petitioners”

Beijing activists Yang Qiuyu (杨秋雨) and his wife Wang Yuqin (王玉琴) were detained by Chongwen District Police after they challenged a February 11 CCTV report which stated that Chongwen District in Beijing had reached its stated goal of having “zero petitioners.” Zhang and Wang protested outside of the CCTV offices on February 24, using their own experiences as petitioners to question the station’s reporting. They were placed under surveillance but managed to evade the police and on March 3, they return to the CCTV officesoffices of the complain aboutCCTV. Police detained Wang Yuqin on March 4 and punished her with 17 days of administrative detention; Yang was seized on March 6 on Tiananmen Square and turned over to the Chongwen District Police, who interrogated him for 35 hours before sending him to 10 days of detention. (CHRD)[xxxviii]

Hunan Activist Luo Qian Transferred to RTL Camp in Shaoyang City

CHRD has learned that Wuguang City, Hunan Province activist Luo Qian (罗茜) was transferred to the Shaoyang City Re-education through Labor (RTL) Camp on March 6. Luo was sent to two years of RTL on January 8, 2010 for “disrupting social order” for his efforts to investigate the suspicious death of Yang Kuansheng (杨宽生), the former vice-mayor of Wugang City. Yang Kuansheng died under mysterious circumstances on November 26, 2009, and though local officials declared his death a “suicide,” the injuries Yang sustained before his death have led many to believe that he was in fact murdered. (CHRD)[xxxix]

Guizhou Petitioner-Turned-Activist Lu Yanfei Sent to Two Years of RTL

CHRD learned today that petitioner-turned-activist Ms. Lu Yanfei (路延飞), of Bijie City, Guizhou, has been sent to two years of Re-education through Labor (RTL) by the Bijie authorities. According to the RTL decision, Lu is being detained for persistent petitioning and for posting information which “slanders” the local government on overseas websites, including Boxun.com. Lu was seized by police on February 22 outside of government offices in Bijie, and was originally administratively detained for 10 days for “disrupting public order” before she was sent to RTL. Lu began petitioning in March 2009 on behalf of herself and other local villagers who lost their land during forced evictions in May 2008. She was detained for 10 days in March 2009, and has since been targeted by local officials for her activism. (CHRD)[xl]

Beijing Activist and Blogger “Tiger Temple” Seized by Xi’an Police in Beijing

Beijing blogger and activist “Tiger Temple” (老虎庙, real name Zhang Shihe [张世和]) was taken away from Beijing by Xi’an police on the evening of March 5. It is believed that “Tiger Temple,” who is originally from Shaanxi Province, may have been detained in connection with the case of Fujian activists Fan Yanqiong (范燕琼), Wu Huaying (吴华英), and You Jingyou (游精佑), about which he has written, organized investigations, and staged protests in the past few months. Precise information regarding his detention was not available at the time of writing. Fan, Wu, and You were tried in November 2009 for “making false accusations” after reporting on the suspicious death of a young woman; for more information on their case, please click here. (CHRD)[xli]

Fathers of Jiangxi Death Row Prisoners Detained in Beijing

Two relatives of death row prisoners in Jiangxi Province were seized while preparing to present appeals at the Supreme People’s Court and Supreme People’s Procuratorate in Beijing on March 3. According to the father of Huang Zhiqiang (黄志强), he and the father of Fang Chunping (方春平) were detained by Beijing police before being turned over to officials from the Beijing Liaison Office of the Leping City, Jiangxi Government. At the time of writing, the two were being held in a vehicle belonging to the Leping City officials. Huang, Fang, and a third prisoner, Cheng Fagen (程发根), began a hunger strike to draw attention to their wrongful convictions on February 23; their current conditions are not known. For more information on their case, please click here. (CHRD)[xlii]

Sichuan Democracy Activist She Wanbao to Be Released after Lengthy Prison Term

CHRD has learned that democracy activist She Wanbao (佘万宝) will be released on March 6 after more than a decade in prison. She, who was imprisoned for four years for taking part in the 1989 pro-democracy movement, remained a leading figure in the Sichuan democracy movement following his release in 1993. She was then detained in July 1999 and sentenced to 12 years in prison for “subversion of state power” in August 1999 after participating in the Sichuan preparatory committee of the China Democracy Party and organizing public protests calling for the release of CDP leaders and other political prisoners. She’s sentence was reduced for a total of 14 months. (CHRD)[xliii]

Freedom of Expression

Hubei Netizen Detained Eight Days for Postings Alleging Corruption

On February 26, Yunxi County, Hubei police took away Chen Yonggang (陈永刚) on suspicion of “insulting and slandering others.” Chen had been posting articles online alleging that local officials and businessmen had been colluding to embezzle huge funds of money in the name of engineering projects. According to netizen Zhang Hongfeng (张洪峰), local officials had approached Chen and asked him to delete the postings, which he refused. It was later reported Chen had been administratively detained for eight days. (CHRD)[xliv]

Internet Censors Order Restrictions on 17 Topics during Two Meetings

On March 6, CHRD obtained a copy of a directive issued to websites by the authorities responsible for internet censorship, ordering them to ban or restrict reporting or discussion on 17 topics during the first week of March. Websites are told not to, for example, “publicize or recommend news regarding the joint editorial issued by 13 media calling for reform of the hukou system” or “publicize or recommend news related to petitioning during the Two Meetings.” (CHRD)[xlv]

Freedom of Religion

Guangzhou Police Interrogate, Threaten House Church Leader

On the afternoon of March 4, Guangzhou Christian house church preacher Wang Dao (王岛) was seized by police while taking part in a training session with other preachers at a Guangzhou restaurant. He was held at the Luopu Police Station for roughly seven hours, and upon his release his wife and others noted bruises and marks on his arms and back. Police interrogated Wang and threatened to imprison him for at least three years if he did not cease preaching and leave Guangzhou with his family before the beginning of the Asian Games in November 2010. Wang’s wife and six-year old daughter were summoned by police the previous day and questioned for more than one hour as well. Wang’s church, the Liangren Church, was officially banned by the Guangzhou government in late 2008 after church members actively participated in earthquake relief efforts in Sichuan Province. Unbowed, the church has continued to operate, despite constant harassment by officials. (CHRD)[xlvi]

Freedom of Association and Assembly

Conference on AIDS Prevention Cancelled due to Two Meetings

On March 2, Wan Yanhai (万延海), head of prominent HIV/AIDS organization Aizhixing, was ordered by Beijing police to cancel a conference scheduled for March 3 because it coincided with the opening of the Two Meetings. Aizhixing had originally scheduled the conference to publicize a letter it has submitted to the State Council, which alleges that some articles carried by ten domestic media, including People’s Daily Online and the Beijing Times, of “seriously damaging to the work of AIDS prevention in China.” The conference, which would be attended by about 30 people, was scheduled on the International Sex Workers Rights Day on March 3. Wan has also been subjected to “soft detention” and guarded by policemen and police vehicles outside of his home since March 1. (Aizhixing)

Forced Eviction and Demolition

Elderly Hubei Woman Buried Alive During Forced Eviction

On March 3, Huangpi County, Wuhan City, Hubei resident Ms. Wang Cuiyun (王翠云) died after being buried alive by demolition workers. According to reports, more than 20 thugs hired by a development company arrived at Wang’s home and began to demolish it while she was still inside on the morning of the 3rd. When Wang tried to stop them, a group of the thugs surrounded Wang, hit her on the head with a shovel and then used an excavator to bury her in a pile of dirt. Eyewitnesses claimed there were two police officers on the scene who did not offer any assistance or apprehend those responsible. Family members tried frantically to rescue Wang, but more than one hour passed before they were able to reach her. What makes the situation even more tragic is the fact that Wang did not plan to resist her forced eviction; in fact, a few days before her death, she had reached an agreement with developers and was arranging her belongings for the move. The demolition workers could not wait for Wang to finish packing and began destroying her home while she was still in the process of leaving, sparking the conflict which ultimately led to her death. Local officials arrived on the scene after Wang’s death had attracted the attention of a large crowd. The officials did not pursue those responsible, but rather tried to settle the matter in private with Wang’s family. A statement released by the local government claimed Wang died by “falling into a pit” while “resisting construction,” but promised officials would investigate the incident. (CHRD)[xlvii]

Xi’an Residents Protest Forced Evictions, Use of Violence

As part of a Xi’an government project to develop “villages inside the city,” residents of Weijia Village, in Xi’an’s Baqiao District, have been ordered to move by the end of March. In recent weeks, as citizens have increased their efforts to defend their rights and protest the destruction of their homes, thugs armed with knives and clubs have been roaming the village, threatening and attacking residents. On February 22, Chen Xiulan (陈秀兰) was seriously beaten by three thugs armed with spiked sticks. She suffered lacerations and ligament damage in her legs as well as injuries to her chest. Three other villages, including Zhang Xiuxia (张秀霞) and Wei Zhongwang (尉忠王), also reported being attacked by armed thugs. The villagers reported the assault to the police, but the latter took no action to investigate the alleged crime. Villagers believe the thugs were hired by the Baqiao District officials in charge of developing the village and local village cadres in response to residents’ unwillingness to move. The villagers have petitioned at various levels of government without response. On February 28, hundreds of villagers gathered to protest on a major thoroughfare near their homes and on March 1, about a hundred villagers petitioned the provincial People’s Congress. (CHRD)[xlviii]

Torture and Other Cruel, Degrading, and Inhuman Treatment

Chongqing Family Continue Quest for Justice following Son’s Suspicious Death in Prison

Five months after the death of Long Bing (龙冰), a 23-year-old prisoner, in Yongchuan Prison, Chongqing Municipality, his family continues to press prison officials to conduct a proper investigation into the cause of death. Although prison officials claim that Long was ill, that he had been taking medications and had died of “natural causes” on October 1, they initially refused his family’s request to view the body. They have also refused to let the family watch videotape recordings of the prison prior to Long’s death. The officials finally ordered an autopsy on October 9 at the family’s insistence, but barred the family from photographing or videotaping the process. A couple of months later, on December 12, officials summoned the family and presented them with the autopsy results, which confirmed the official cause of death. The officials then offered the family several thousand yuan in exchange for them dropping the matter, but the family refused. The family has continued to bring the case to higher authorities, but so far they have not received any satisfactory response. (CHRD)[xlix]

Citizens’ Actions

CHRD Releases Reports on Human Rights Defenders, Family Planning

CHRD released two reports in Chinese this past week: our annual report on the situation of human rights defenders for the year 2009, and a report documenting and analyzing rights abuses in the government’s implementation of its family planning policy. The full texts of these reports are available on our Chinese-language website.

Petitioners Call for End to RTL in Public Letter

On March 4, a group of petitioners issued a joint public letter to the NPC and the CPPCC calling for the abolition of the Re-education through Labor System. The letter, which was signed by 166 petitioners who personally experienced RTL, calls for better protections for citizens’ rights and argues that the system of RTL violates the Constitution. For the full text of the letter (in Chinese), please click here.

CHRD Protests Rights Violations during Two Meetings, Sends Legislative Proposals to the People’s Congress

CHRD released a public letter on March 5 protesting the myriad rights violations perpetrated by police and local officials across China in the name of ensuring “stability” during the annual sessions of the NPC and the CPPCC. As documented in CHRB these past few weeks, dozens of activists, dissidents, and petitioners have been subjected to harassment, threats, surveillance, and detention as the government rushes to stifle freedom of expression and movement during the meetings. The letter, which also includes concrete legislative recommendations for delegates to the Two Meetings, is available here (in Chinese).

Law and Policy Watch

National People’s Congress Debates Revised Administrative Supervision Law

On February 24, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee began deliberations on a revised draft of the Administrative Supervision Law (行政监察法). The revisions, designed to increase supervision of government employees by designated supervisory organs, focus on the reporting system for complaints against officials. It states that individuals submitting complaints must provide accurate personal information, but that the supervisory organs must ensure that such information remain private. The draft revisions also stipulate that the supervisory organs may make proposals regarding the suspension or removal of government officials from their posts. The current Administrative Supervision Law has been in effect since 1997. (Legal Daily)[l]

The replacement of the current Administrative Supervision Law with a revised version, no matter how improved, misses the point entirely: so long as the government relies on administrative means to combat corruption, rather than regular free and fair elections, a free press and an independent judicial system, enacting lasting change will be difficult, if not impossible. The current supervisory regime has had limited success in combating corruption, and corrupt officials continue to perpetrate the vast majority of rights abuses against Chinese citizens.

CPPCC Delegate Calls for “A More Comprehensive System of Accountability”

A Chongqing Daily report from March 3 takes comments made by Pan Fusheng (潘复生), a member of the CPPCC, as a starting point for a discussion of the current system of government accountability. Pan said the accountability system is internal and restricted between the hierarchies of individual government agencies, making each agency its own supervisor. Pan called for the creation of a new administrative accountability law, which will promote inter-agency supervision and a system of accountability. (Xinhua)[li]

CHRD believes that the current accountability system is largely ineffectively. Instead of an internal mechanism where government officials are expected to police and discipline themselves, what is needed is a system of external oversight where citizens have the power to supervise the conduct of the government and limit its excess.

Draft Electoral Law Proposes Equal Representation for Rural, Urban Citizens

One of the major pieces of legislation being reviewed by the National People’s Congress during its annual meeting this week in Beijing is the Electoral Law, last revised in 1995. As it stands, deputies to people’s congresses are selected based on different ratios of representation: a deputy from a rural area represents four times as many citizens as a deputy from an urban area. According to reports, among the revisions to the Electoral Law is a guideline stipulating equal representation for rural and urban residents. The ratio for determining representation is not yet known. For the National People’s Congress, however, the distribution of deputies is determined by the NPC Standing Committee and limited to a maximum of 3,000. (Xinhua)[lii]

The existence of a two-tiered household registration system has meant that rural residents have for years been discriminated against by their government; introducing a system of representation that recognizes urban and rural residents as equals is unquestionably an advance. However, for rural residents to truly enjoy any benefits from the change, China’s government must undergo fundamental reforms such that deputies to people’s congresses enjoy actual power, rather than serving as a rubber stamp for higher authorities.

Editors: Jenn Ling, David Smalls and Lin Sang

*** CHRD’s Human Rights Yearbook 2009 is now available. For a free copy, please contact us with your mailing address at crdnetwork@gmail.com. ***

News updates from CHRD

Thrown Out: Human Rights Abuses in China’s Breakneck Real Estate Development

[i] “Former High-Ranking Government Official Yu Haocheng Has Movement Restricted during Two Meetings” (原政府高官于浩成两会期间被限制自由), March 8, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100308145543_20321.html

[ii] “Hu Shigen Prohibited from attending House Church Meetings during the Two Meetins; Voices Protest” (因“两会”无法参加家庭教会活动 胡石根强烈抗议), March 6, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class18/Hushigen/201003/20100306170132_20275.html

[iii] “Hubei Elections Expert Yao Lifa Threatened and Has Movement Restricted” (湖北选举专家姚立法被限制人身自由并遭恐吓), March 6, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class18/Yaolifa/201003/20100306133122_20272.html

[iv] “Beijing House Church Leader and Activist Fan Yafeng Taken Away by Police” (北京家庭教会领袖维权人士范亚峰被警察带走), March 6, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100306210014_20279.html

[v] “Guangdong, Jilin Activists Warned against Receiving Interviews” (广东、吉林维权人士被威胁不准接受采访), March 5, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100305223049_20261.html

[vi] “Guangdong, Jilin Activists Warned against Receiving Interviews” (广东、吉林维权人士被威胁不准接受采访), March 5, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100305223049_20261.html

[vii] “Shandong University Professor Sun Wenguang Placed under Soft Detention During Two Meetings” (两会时山东大学孙文广教授被软禁), March 4, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class18/Sunwenguang/201003/20100304151935_20227.html

[viii] “Two Meetings Watch: Zhao Dagong Taken Away, Li Zhiying Put Under Guard” (两会观察：赵达功被带走，李智英被上岗), March 4, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100304222237_20237.html

[ix] “Two Meetings Watch: Zhao Dagong Taken Away, Li Zhiying Put Under Guard” (两会观察：赵达功被带走，李智英被上岗), March 4, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100304222237_20237.html

[x] “As Two Meetings Arrive, Dissidents Across the Country Face Restrictions on Freedom” (两会之际，各地异议人士被限制自由), March 3, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100303100947_20201.html

[xi] “As Two Meetings Arrive, Dissidents Across the Country Face Restrictions on Freedom” (两会之际，各地异议人士被限制自由), March 3, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100303100947_20201.html

[xii] “As Two Meetings Arrive, Dissidents Across the Country Face Restrictions on Freedom” (两会之际，各地异议人士被限制自由), March 3, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100303100947_20201.html

[xiii] “As Two Meetings Arrive, Dissidents Across the Country Face Restrictions on Freedom” (两会之际，各地异议人士被限制自由), March 3, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100303100947_20201.html

[xiv] “Human Rights Activist Zhang Hui Placed under ‘Soft Detention,’ Poster Detailing Abuses Appears on Beijing Street Corner” (维权人士张辉被软禁，北京街头现鸣冤大字报), March 3, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100303174553_20210.html

[xv] “As Two Meetings Arrive, Dissidents Across the Country Face Restrictions on Freedom” (两会之际，各地异议人士被限制自由), March 3, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100303100947_20201.html

[xvi] “Many Hangzhou Activists Lose Liberty During Two Meetings” (杭州多名维权人士两会期间被监控), March 3, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100303125146_20204.html

[xvii] “Many Hangzhou Activists Lose Liberty During Two Meetings” (杭州多名维权人士两会期间被监控), March 3, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100303125146_20204.html

[xviii] “Hu Shigen Placed under ‘Soft Detention’ Before Two Meetings” (两会前胡石根被软禁), March 2, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class18/Hushigen/201003/20100302203237_20197.html

[xix] “Hebei Activist Li Jinfang’s Internet Disconnected Again Before Two Meetings” (两会前河北维权人士李金芳再次被断网), March 2, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100302212642_20198.html

[xx] “Guangxi, Inner Mongolia Petitioners Detained during ‘Two Meetings'” (“两会”期间广西内蒙访民被截访关押), March 8, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/fmzj/201003/20100308202313_20328.html

[xxi] “Xinjiang Petitioner Feng Yungji under Surveillance during the Two Meetings 两会间新疆访民冯永记被跟踪盯稍,” Mar 6, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/fmzj/201003/20100306124630_20271.html

[xxii] “Guangxi, Inner Mongolia Petitioners Detained during ‘Two Meetings'” (“两会”期间广西内蒙访民被截访关押), March 8, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/fmzj/201003/20100308202313_20328.html

[xxiii] “Zhengzhou Petitioner Liu Xianzhi Seized at State Bureau of Letters and Visits” (郑州访民刘先枝在国家信访局被抓), March 6,2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/fmzj/201003/20100306201424_20278.html

[xxiv] “Nine Hubei Petitioners Seized on Tiananmen Square, Beaten” (湖北九位访民在天安门被抓并遭殴打), March 6, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100306223535_20280.html

[xxv] “Nanning Office of Taiwan Affairs Intercepts Petitioner in Beijing, Taiwanese Citizen Liu Xinyu Detained” (南宁台办到京截访，台胞刘心榆上访受阻), March 8, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/fmzj/201003/20100308172634_20323.html

[xxvi] “Female Shanghai Petitioners Encounter Difficulties on Women’s Day” (上海女性访民妇女节的遭遇), March 8, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/fmzj/201003/20100308140301_20320.html

[xxvii] “Female Shanghai Petitioners Encounter Difficulties on Women’s Day” (上海女性访民妇女节的遭遇), March 8, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/fmzj/201003/20100308140301_20320.html

[xxviii] “Female Shanghai Petitioners Encounter Difficulties on Women’s Day” (上海女性访民妇女节的遭遇), March 8, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/fmzj/201003/20100308140301_20320.html

[xxix] “Discharged Hubei Policeman Detained During Two Meetings” (两会之时湖北被辞退民警遭拘留), March 5, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100306001659_20265.html

[xxx] “Nantong Petitioners Kidnapped in Beijing During Two Meetings” (两会期间南通访民在北京被绑架), March 4, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100304151618_20226.html

[xxxi] “Petitioner Zhang Dalian Taken Away from Xi’an Home During ‘Two Meetings'” (访民张大联“两会”前被从西安家中带走), March 3, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/fmzj/201003/20100303130634_20205.html

[xxxii] “Shanghai Petitioner Chen Jianfang Escapes to Beijing to Continue Rights Defense” (上海访民陈建芳逃到北京坚持维权), March 3, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/fmzj/201003/20100303131557_20206.html

[xxxiii] “A Petitioner’s Sad Cry: Two Meetings Representatives, Where is My Way Out?” (访民悲呼：两会代表我的出路在哪里？), March 3, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/fmzj/201003/20100303165707_20208.html

[xxxiv] “Nantong Petitioner Wang Qin Kidnapped in Beijing as Two Meetings Begin” (两会之际南通访民王琴在北京被绑架), March 3, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/fmzj/201003/20100303174902_20211.html

[xxxv] “Shaanxi Provincial Bureau of Justice Cancels Yang Bo’s Legal Worker License” (陕西省司法厅撤销杨博法律工作者证), March 8, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100308193500_20327.html

[xxxvi] “Chen Tianshi Summoned for Participating in Christian Church Activities” (陈天石因参加教会活动受传唤经过), March 2, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class18/chentianshi/201003/20100302174614_20196.html; see also: “Beijing Activist Chen Tianshi Summoned ahead of ‘Two Meetings'” (“两会”前北京维权人士陈天石被传唤), March 2, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100302123744_20178.html

[xxxvii] “Activist Fan Yanqiong Faces Threat of Paralysis, Lawyer Applies for Release on Bail for Medical Treatment for Fifth Time” (维权人士范燕琼面临瘫痪危险，律师提出第五次取保候审), March 8, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class18/fanyanqiong/201003/20100308173557_20325.html

[xxxviii] “Yang Qiuyu and Wife Detained during Two Meetings for Exposing Inaccurate CCTV Report” (揭露央视造假，杨秋雨夫妇两会期间被拘留), March 8, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100308120432_20318.html

[xxxix] “Hunan Activist Luo Qian Transferred to RTL Camp” (湖南维权人士罗茜被转往劳教所), March 7, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100307140905_20300.html

[xl] “Bijie, Guizhou Petitioners Lu Yanfei Sent to Two Years of RTL” (贵州毕节访民路言飞被判劳教两年), March 5, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/fmzj/201003/20100305222457_20260.html

[xli] “Urgent Alert: Tiger Temple Taken from Beijing by Xi’an Police” (紧急关注：老虎庙被西安警方从北京强制带走), March 6, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100306000414_20264.html

[xlii] “Relatives of Three Jingdezhen Hunger Strikers Seized While Presenting Appeals in Beijing” (景德镇三名绝食死刑犯的家人北京申诉被抓), March 3, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/bzsf/201003/20100303171133_20209.html

[xliii] “Sichuan Prisoner of Conscience She Wanbao To Be Released in March (四川良心人士佘万宝三月将获释放), February 24, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201002/20100224165509_20058.html

[xliv] “Yunxi, Hubei Netizens Detained for Posts on Engineering Project” (湖北郧西网友发帖质疑形象工程遭跨县拘捕), March 6, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100306120137_20270.html

[xlv] “Weekly Orders Censoring the Internet during the Two Meetings (两会期间网络审查之一周指令),” March 7, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100307141047_20301.html

[xlvi] “Guangzhou Christian Church Preacher Wang Dao Mistreated” (广州良人教会王岛牧师被虐待), March 6, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100306000154_20263.html

[xlvii] “Forced Eviction Again Leads to Tragedy; 70-Year Old Buried Alive” (拆迁再造惨案，七旬老人被活埋！), March 4, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100304232707_20239.html

[xlviii] “Weijia Village, Xi’an Residents Injured During ‘Plan to Develop Village Within the City'” (西安尉家坡“城中村改造”打伤村民), March 3, 2010, https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100303235531_20218.html

[xlix] Chongqing Prisoner Died Mysteriously before Release (重庆监狱犯人出狱前离奇死亡), https://www.nchrd.org/Article/Class53/201003/20100302152044_20181.html

[l] “Administrative Supervision Law Revisions Target New Areas in Fight Against Corruption” (行政监察法大修剑指反腐盲区), March 4, 2010, http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/zmbm/content/2010-03/04/content_2071831.htm?node=7566

[li] “A Comprehensive System of Accountability beyond the Power Hierarchy,” (政協委員呼籲：改權力問責為制度問責), Mar 3, 2010, http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2010-03/03/content_13087439.htm

[lii] “Focusing on People’s Congress Elections ‘Same Ratio, Same Votes, Same Rights'” (聚焦人大代表选举“同比、同票、同权”March 3, 2010, http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2010-03/03/content_13089657.htm

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