China Human Rights Briefing November 10-15, 2010
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China Human Rights Briefing Weekly
November 10-15, 2010
Highlights
- Children’s Rights Advocate Zhao Lianhai Sentenced to Two and a Half Years in Prison: Zhao Lianhai (赵连海), founder of the website Kidney Stone Babies and a leading figure among parents seeking justice after their children were sickened by tainted milk powder, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison this week for “creating a disturbance.” Zhao’s trial, which took place in a closed court, concluded more than seven months ago.
- Tweet Leads to One Year of Re-education through Labor for Henan Activist: Wang Yi (王译), an activist from Henan Province, was sent to one year of Re-education through Labor (RTL) on the morning of November 15. According to the RTL notice issued by local officials, Wang’s detention is punishment for a tweet she posted on October 17 regarding violent anti-Japanese demonstrations.
- Second Citizen Criminally Detained as Clampdown Following Liu Xioabo’s Nobel Prize Continues: CHRD learned this week that Shen Minqiang (沈民强), a supporter of Liu Xiaobo (刘晓波), has been criminally detained by police in Beijing. Shen was seized outside of Liu’s residence on October 8 and originally taken into administrative detention; it is not clear when he was criminally detained, or what charges have been filed against him.
Contents
Freedom of Expression
- Zhao Lianhai, Advocate for Milk Powder Victims, Sentenced to Two and a Half Years in Prison after Long Delay
- Henan Rights Activist Sent to Re-education through Labor for Twitter Posting
Update on Post-Nobel Harassment of Activists
- Shen Minqiang, Beijing Citizen, Criminally Detained for Accepting Interviews Outside of Liu Xiaobo’s Home
- Citizen Journalist Hua Ze Held under “Soft Detention” in Jiangxi Province; Activist Li Hai Still Missing
Arbitrary Detention
- Officials in Western Hunan Province Detain Veteran Petitioner in Psychiatric Institution
- Baihutou Villager Once Again Taken into Custody for Resisting Land Requisition
- Health of Detained Activist Liu Zhengyou Worsens; Prison Officials Restrict Recreation, Correspondence
- Authorities in Liaoning Detain Teacher in Psychiatric Institution for Online Articles
- Three Petitioners Criminally Detained in Beijing for Smokestack Protest
Harassment of Activists
- In Message, Wife of Activist Chen Guangcheng Voices Concerns for His Health, Ongoing Harassment
- Officials at Beijing Detention Center Bar Lawyer from Visiting Activist Zhao Lianhai
- Officials in Shanghai Briefly Kidnap Activist Shen Peilan
- Guangdong Rights Activist Zhang Shiwen Faces Surveillance, Restriction of Movement as Asian Games Begin
Citizens’ Actions
- CHRD Issues Statement Welcoming Release of Aung San Suu Kyi
Freedom of Expression
Zhao Lianhai, Advocate for Milk Powder Victims, Sentenced to Two and a Half Years in Prison after Long Delay
On the morning of November 10, children’s rights activist Zhao Lianhai (赵连海) was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for “creating a disturbance” by the Daxing District Court in Beijing. Zhao is the founder of the website Kidney Stone Babies, which is dedicated to advocating for families whose children became ill after drinking tainted milk powder. His conviction comes nearly one year after he was taken into detention and more than seven months after he was tried in a closed court, a delay which lawyer Li Fangping said “far exceeded” the legally stipulated time limits for announcing a verdict.
Approximately 40 supporters gathered outside the courthouse during the hearing, though only Zhao’s lawyers Li Fangping and Peng Jian (彭剑), along with his wife and mother, were allowed into the courtroom. According to lawyer Li, Zhao plans to appeal his conviction, and will go on a hunger strike in protest. (CHRD)[i]
Henan Rights Activist Sent to Re-education through Labor for Twitter Posting
On the morning of November 15, Henan Province human rights activist Wang Yi (王译) was taken from the Changyuan County hotel where she was being held under “soft detention” and driven by police to the Shibali River Women’s Re-education through Labor (RTL) Camp in Zhengzhou City, Henan. Wang was told that she was being sent to one year of RTL for “disrupting social order” based on a Twitter posting she wrote on October 17 during violent anti-Japan demonstrations. However, when she arrived at the RTL camp, officials refused to accept her because she had not completed a mandatory pre-detention physical examination. At the time of writing, she is being held in a guesthouse in Zhengzhou City; police have stated they will take her to be examined on the 16th so that they may then return her to the RTL camp. (CHRD)[ii]
Update on Post-Nobel Harassment of Activists
Shen Minqiang, Beijing Citizen, Criminally Detained for Accepting Interviews Outside of Liu Xiaobo’s Home
According to information posted to Twitter by Beijing human rights lawyer Teng Biao (滕彪), police in Beijing have criminally detained Beijing citizen Shen Minqiang (沈民强), who was detained outside of Liu Xiaobo’s residence on October 8. Shen was answering questions from journalists when he was seized by police and taken into administrative detention. It is not currently clear when he was criminally detained, or what charges have been filed against him. (CRLW)[iii]
Citizen Journalist Hua Ze Held under “Soft Detention” in Jiangxi Province; Activist Li Hai Still Missing
CHRD learned on the morning of November 15 that citizen journalist Hua Ze (华泽, known online as Linghunpiaoxiang [灵魂飘香]) is being held under “soft detention” in Xinyu City, Jiangxi Province. Her whereabouts were unknown for more than two weeks; she had been kidnapped and held for three days between October 27 and 30 before being forced to leave Beijing by train.
Beijing activist Li Hai (李海), who was seized by police on the afternoon of October 31, remains missing to this date. While it was originally speculated that officers had forced him to return to his hometown, family members report they have not seen him or received any formal notice regarding his whereabouts from police. (CHRD)[iv]
Arbitrary Detention
Officials in Western Hunan Province Detain Veteran Petitioner in Psychiatric Institution
CHRD learned on November 14 that Jishou City, Hunan Province petitioner Zhang Zhi (张治) has been detained in a psychiatric institution by local officials since September 18. Reportedly, local officials have refused to release her unless she signs a statement promising to stop petitioning. Zhang has been petitioning since 2001, when her farmland was requisitioned for development by local government officials without her consent. In 2005 and 2006, Zhang was detained in a psychiatric institution for 18 months after being seized in Beijing. Zhang’s children, two 12-year old twin girls and a 10 year-old son, have been forced to abandon their education as their mother remains in detention. (CHRD)[v]
Baihutou Villager Once Again Taken into Custody for Resisting Land Requisition
On the morning of November 12, Zhang Chunqiong (张春琼), a resident of Baihutou Village in Guangxi Province’s Beihai City, was once again taken into custody by police. Zhang had been detained along with Baihutou Village director Xu Kun (许坤) in May 2010 and charged with “operating an illegal business,” but was released on bail to await trial on October 12. Zhang, Xu, and others had been active in resisting the forced requisition of village land by local officials. Altogether, eight villagers have been detained for their opposition to the land grab, including three who have been sentenced to prison for “obstructing official business.” (CHRD)[vi]
Health of Detained Activist Liu Zhengyou Worsens; Prison Officials Restrict Recreation, Correspondence
CHRD learned on November 12 that detained Sichuan human rights defender Liu Zhengyou (刘正有) is suffering from rubella and has experienced another episode of dangerously high blood pressure in recent days. Officials at the Zigong City Detention Center, where he is currently held, have so far been unable to provide effective treatment for these conditions. Furthermore, according to a fellow detainee, after Liu’s conviction on trumped-up “fraud” charges this past August, detention center officials have barred him from leaving his cell for exercise, forbidden him from reading books or periodicals, and cut off correspondence between him and his friends and family. Liu, a longtime activist and founder of a local rights-defense group responsible for providing assistance to petitioners and documenting local rights abuses, has been in detention since November 2009. (CHRD)[vii]
Authorities in Liaoning Detain Teacher in Psychiatric Institution for Online Articles
CHRD learned on November 11 that Li Qidong (李启东), a teacher from Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, is currently being detained in a psychiatric institution on the orders of officials from the Shenyang Re-education through Labor (RTL) Committee. Reportedly, no family members authorized Li’s hospitalization. Li was given one year of RTL for “disrupting work unit order” in November 2009, but was released early in July of this year to look after his parents, who are elderly and in poor health. However, Li was once again taken into detention in August after posting articles online, where he writes under the name Xin Qingnian (新青年). Further details, including the location of the institution where Li is being held, are not currently available. (CHRD)[viii]
Three Petitioners Criminally Detained in Beijing for Smokestack Protest
CHRD learned on the evening of November 10 that police in Beijing have criminally detained three petitioners who climbed up a smokestack in Beijing’s Fengtai District to protest on November 8. Ma Hailing (马海玲) and Lou Hongyu (楼红宇) are currently being held at the Fengtai District Detention Center, while Ding Meifang (丁美芳), of Anhui Province, is being held in the Beijing Liaison Office of the Anhui Provincial Government because she is in poor health. The plight of the three demonstrates the lengths to which petitioners in the capital are frequently pushed to draw attention to their cases. Ding is seeking compensation for medical expenses and a criminal investigation after she was beaten and injured by police in Hefei City in 2008, while Ma wants upper-level officials to investigate local officials who dug up her mother’s grave and reburied her without permission. (CHRD)[ix]
Harassment of Activists
In Message, Wife of Activist Chen Guangcheng Voices Concerns for His Health, Ongoing Harassment
CHRD has recently learned of a message written by Yuan Weijing (袁伟静), wife of prominent human rights defender Chen Guangcheng (陈光诚), indicating that, as the couple remains under de facto house arrest, Chen’s health continues to worsen. He is in urgent need of medical treatment for a gastrointestinal condition. Chen was released from prison on September 9 after four years and three months of incarceration, and since then he and his wife have been confined to their home in Yinan County, Shandong Province. Yuan’s message, dated October 27, only recently reached its intended recipient; police and local officials have cut off all forms of communication between Chen’s home and the outside world, and hired thugs have prevented any visitors from entering Chen’s village. (CHRD)[x]
Officials at Beijing Detention Center Bar Lawyer from Visiting Activist Zhao Lianhai
On the morning of November 15, human rights lawyer Li Fangping (李方平) attempted to visit with detained human rights activist Zhao Lianhai (赵连海) at the Daxing Detention Center in Beijing. However, a police officer in the reception area told Li that he could not visit with Zhao, and would have to contact him by telephone instead. The officer did not offer an explanation why this was the case. Zhao is in the sixth day of a hunger strike which he began in protest of his conviction for “creating a disturbance” on November 10. (CHRD)[xi]
Officials in Shanghai Briefly Kidnap Activist Shen Peilan
On the morning of November 11, Shanghai activist Shen Peilan (沈佩兰) was seized outside of her home by an official from the Minhang District Letters and Visits Bureau as well as city administration and law enforcement bureau staff (chengguan). Shen was roughly handled and forced into a waiting vehicle. The car drove around for more than an hour before she was returned to her home. Though she suffered injuries to her head, arms, and legs, Shen reports that local police have so far refused to record her account of the incident or provide her with a medical examination. It is believed that Shen’s abduction is related to a mass protest which took place outside the Maqiao Town government offices on November 10 concerning the death of villager Zhang Meihua (张妹花), who was beaten to death by city administration and law enforcement officials. (CHRD)[xii]
Guangdong Rights Activist Zhang Shiwen Faces Surveillance, Restriction of Movement as Asian Games Begin
On the afternoon of November 11, scholar and human rights activist Zhang Shiwen (张世文) was confronted in Raoping County, Guangdong Province, by individuals believed to be National Security officers. The officers informed him they were placing him under surveillance and restricting his movements, and warned him against handling any cases on behalf of citizens in Guangdong during the Asian Games. Zhang has for years helped petitioners in Guangdong file lawsuits against the government. According to the officers, Zhang was being put under surveillance because of articles he had posted online regarding Mao Zedong, though fellow activists believe the police action is also part of efforts to quell dissent during the Asian Games, which began on November 12 and will run until November 27. At the time of writing, Zhang was being held in his residence by police. (CHRD)[xiii]
Citizens’ Actions
CHRD Issues Statement Welcoming Release of Aung San Suu Kyi
On November 14, CHRD issued a statement welcoming the release of Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest. For the original text (in Chinese), please click here; an English translation is available here.
Editors: David Smalls and Lin Sang
Follow us on Twitter: @CHRDnet
[i] “Zhao Lianhai Sentenced to Two and a Half Years in Prison for ‘Creating a Disturbance'” (赵连海被以“寻衅滋事罪”判刑两年半(图)), November 10, 2010, http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2010/11/201011100915.shtml and “Beijing Court Fabricates Witnesses for Zhao Lianhai Case, Activists and Netizens Launch Hunger Strike in Protest” (北京法院捏造赵连海案中的“证人”，维权人士与网友发起绝食抗议), November 10, 2010, http://www.boxun.tv/news/gb/china/2010/11/201011102309.shtml.
[ii] “News Flash: Human Rights Activist Wang Yi About to Be Sent to Re-education through Labor” (快讯：维权人士王译正要被送去劳教), November 15, 2010, http://www.peacehall.com/news/gb/china/2010/11/201011151121.shtml and “RTL Camp Temporarily Refuses to Accept Activist Wang Yi” (维权人士王译暂被劳教所拒收), November 15, 2010, http://www.peacehall.com/news/gb/china/2010/11/201011160005.shtml
[iii] “News Flash: Beijing Citizen Shen Minqiang Criminally Detained for Publicizing Liu Xiaobo’s Nobel Prize” (快讯：北京公民沈民强宣传刘晓波获诺奖被刑拘), November 9, 2010, http://www.peacehall.com/news/gb/china/2010/11/201011092041.shtml
[iv] “Citizen Journalist Hua Ze Still Under Soft Detention; Li Hai Missing For Many Days without Information” (公民记者华泽仍被软禁 李海失踪多日无消息(图)), November 15, 2010, http://www.peacehall.com/news/gb/china/2010/11/201011152005.shtml
[v] “Jishou, Hunan Petitioner Zhang Zhi Again Detained in Psychiatric Institution, Three Daughters Deprived of Education” (湖南吉首访民张治再次被关精神病院，三子女失学), November 14, 2010, http://www.peacehall.com/news/gb/china/2010/11/201011141048.shtml
[vi] “Government Goes Back on its Word, Baihutou Villager Zhang Chunqiong Again Detained” (政府出尔反尔，白虎头村民张春琼再度被拘捕), November 14, 2010, http://www.peacehall.com/news/gb /china/2010/11/201011142106.shtml
[vii] “Zigong Activist Liu Zhengyou Barred from Exercising, Health Worsens” (自贡维权人士刘正有被禁止放风，健康状况恶化), November 12, 2010, http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2010/11/201011122113.shtml
[viii] “Young Shenyang Teacher Li Qidong (Online Name Xin Qingnian) Sent to Psychiatric Institution” (沈阳青年教师李启东（网民新青年）被送精神病院), November 11, 2010, http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2010/11/201011112004.shtml
[ix] “Petitioners Who Climbed Chimney in Beijing to Protest Detained” (北京登烟囱抗议的访民被拘留), November 11, 2010, http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2010/11/201011102118.shtml
[x] “Chen Guangcheng Still Tightly Confined, In Urgent Need of Medical Treatment” (陈光诚仍被严密限制自由，亟需就医), November 15, 2010, http://www.peacehall.com/news/gb/china/2010/11/201011150912.shtml
[xi] “Zhao Lianhai’s Hunger Strike of Indefinite Duration Enters Sixth Day; Li Fangping Applies to Visit, is Rejected” (赵连海无限期绝食进入第六天 李方平律师申请会见被拒(图)), November 15, 2010, http://www.peacehall.com/news/gb/china/2010/11/201011151232.shtml
[xii] “Shanghai Activist Shen Peilan Savagely Kidnapped, Beaten” (上海维权人士沈佩兰遭到野蛮绑架、殴打), November 11, 2010, http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2010/11/201011111337.shtml
[xiii] “Prominent Guangzhou Activist Zhang Shiwen Threatened by ‘Suspected’ Police” (广州著名维权人士留美双博士张世文被“疑似”警察控制), November 12, 2010, http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2010/11/201011121331.shtml