China Human Rights Briefing Weekly April 28-May 3, 2011
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April 28-May 3, 2011
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Highlights
- Prominent Human Rights Lawyer Li Fangping Abducted in Beijing: Around 5 pm local time on April 29, human rights lawyer Li Fangping (李方平) was kidnapped by unidentified individuals outside the offices of the health rights NGO Beijing Yirenping Center, of which he is a legal advisor. Li was able to speak briefly with his wife, telling her, “I may be gone for a period of time… can’t talk more.” Further efforts to contact him have been unsuccessful, and his whereabouts are unknown. For more information on his disappearance, please see our website: https://www.nchrd.org/2011/04/29/human-rights-lawyer-li-fangping-abducted-in-beijing-whereabouts-unknown/.
- Heightened Fears for those Still Missing or in Detention: Though many of the individuals detained or disappeared during the “Jasmine Revolution” crackdown have been released, CHRD is concerned for the safety and welfare of those who have yet to be freed. Reports indicate that the use of torture against activists seized during the past few months has been widespread, as officials hope to threaten them into abandoning their vocal advocacy work. For a list of those still missing or in detention, updated May 3, please see our website: https://www.nchrd.org/2011/04/15/jasmine_crackdown/.
Table of Contents
Arbitrary Detention
Updates on Detentions and Disappearances Related to the “Jasmine Revolution” Crackdown
Journalist Disappeared after ‘Chat’ with Beijing Police
Grassroots Election Monitor Seized by Jiangxi Police
Baihutou Villagers Sentenced to Prison after Being Detained Nearly One Year
Police Send Hunan Man to RTL to Prevent Possible Petitioning
Forced Eviction and Demolition
Beijing Resident, Holding out against Eviction, is Injured by Thugs in Late-Night Assault
Arbitrary Detention
Updates on Detentions and Disappearances Related to the “Jasmine Revolution” Crackdown
- CHRD has learned that Shaanxi activist Wei Qiang (魏强), believed to have been sent to Re-education through Labor (RTL), has been released on bail to await trial and is currently convalescing at home. Wei was seized in Beijing on February 26 and detained in a series of detention centers in Beijing until March 21, when he was returned to his hometown of Yan’an City. He was again detained in Yan’an, where police issued both a detention notice for “creating a disturbance” as well as a notice that Wei was to be sent to two years of RTL. At the end of March, however, Beijing police once again returned Wei to the capital, where he was detained in an unknown location for 22 or 23 days. At this place, where Wei was held in solitary confinement, he was chained to a chair except for six hours during which he was allowed to sleep. One time when Wei felt ill and was not able to wake up after six hours, guards stomped on him and beat him. Wei reported that he heard many other detainees held in adjacent rooms in this detention facility. Wei was then once more taken back to Yan’an, where the head of the police used his knee to knead on his spine, injuring his waist. On April 30, Wei was released on bail to await trial.[i]
- Beijing-based activist Gu Chuan (古川), missing since February, returned home on April 22. Further details about his experience while missing or his current health are not presently available.
- CHRD learned on April 28 that officials at the Xicheng Detention Center in Beijing, where activist Ni Yulan (倪玉兰) and her husband Dong Jiqin (董继勤) are currently detained, are preventing the couple from meeting with their lawyers. According to the Criminal Procedure Law, officials must make arrangements for lawyers to meet with their clients within 48 hours of the lawyers submitting a request, except in certain situations.[ii]
- CHRD learned on April 28 that the charge against Beijing-based activist Wang Lihong (王荔蕻) has been changed from “creating a disturbance” to “assembling a crowd to disrupt social order.” The new charge is believed to be tied to Wang’s support for the “Fujian Three” netizens who were convicted of slander last year; and in particular to the large crowd of netizens who gathered outside of their sentencing on April 16, 2010, to show their support. Wang met with her lawyer, Liu Xiaoyuan (刘晓原), on April 26, where she conveyed this information as well as the fact that her health, which was poor to begin with, is rapidly worsening in detention. Wang suffers from severe back pain and has been having difficulty sleeping. She is currently detained in the Chaoyang District Detention Center. (CHRD)[iii]
The Chinese government has criminally detained a total of 40 individuals since mid-February after anonymous calls for “Jasmine Revolution” protests first appeared online. As of May 3, six of the criminally detained have been formally arrested, two have been sent to Re-education through Labor (RTL) camps, 24 have been released (out of which 19 have been released on bail to await trial) while eight remain detained.
In addition, two people have been placed under residential surveillance while about 17 activists remain missing.
Journalist Disappeared after ‘Chat’ with Beijing Police
On April 28, police in Beijing called journalist Zhang Jialong (张贾龙) in for “a chat.” Zhang, a 22 year-old intern for Caijing magazine, has been missing ever since. According to friends, Zhang had closely followed developments in the Zhao Lianhai (赵连海) case as well as other recent human rights cases; however, the reason behind his disappearance is not known. (CHRD)[iv]
Grassroots Election Monitor Seized by Jiangxi Police
On the morning of April 30, Du Quanbing (杜全兵), from Hebei Province, was seized by police outside of the train station in Xinyu City, Jiangxi Province. Du is a member of a non-governmental group of elections observers, and had travelled to Xinyu to observe elections proceedings in a local election for city people’s congress representatives. His whereabouts are currently unknown. (CHRD)[v]
Baihutou Villagers Sentenced to Prison after Being Detained Nearly One Year
Xu Kun (许坤), the director of Baihutou Village, Guangxi Province, who was detained for leading fellow villagers in resistance against the expropriation of Baihutou land, was sentenced to four years in prison on April 29 for “operating an illegal business.” Co-defendants Gao Shifu (高世福) and Zhang Chunqiong (张春琼) were both given two years on the same charge. Xu was fined 200,000 RMB, while Gao and Zhang were both fined 150,000. The verdict was delivered in Yinhai District Court in Beihai City, Guangxi; the three all stated their intention to appeal the ruling in court. They have been in detention since May 2010, though Zhang was released on bail between October 12 and November 12, and are currently being held in the Beihai City Number Two Detention Center. According to Xu’s family, he is held in a very small (four square meters) room together with three other detainees, and the detention conditions are poor. A few days before the hearing, guards confiscated Xu’s diaries, letters, pens and papers. Prior to that, Xu spent 13 days in heavy handcuffs and leg irons, and was subjected to beatings by fellow detainees. Xu reported the beating to the guards but has received no response.
Altogether, eight villagers from Baihutou have been sentenced to prison in related cases, either for “operating an illegal business” or “obstructing official business.” (CHRD)[vi]
Police Send Hunan Man to RTL to Prevent Possible Petitioning
CHRD learned on April 29 that villager Peng Xinzhong (彭新忠), of Chenzhou City, Hunan Province, was sent to one year of Re-education through Labor (RTL) on March 12 for “disrupting official business.” Peng was sentenced to four years in prison for “malicious accusation” after reporting on corruption among local officials in 2005. Though this conviction was overturned on appeal, local officials have continued to harass Peng and have detained him on four separate occasions. Lawsuits brought by Peng have failed to bring a satisfactory resolution to the situation. In early February 2011, Peng set off firecrackers outside of the Chenzhou city government offices and presented a list of written grievances to the municipal party committee; officials cited this as evidence in the decision to send Peng to RTL, though it is believed that officials detained Peng to keep him from petitioning in Beijing and suing the government. (CHRD)[vii]
Forced Eviction and Demolition
Beijing Resident, Holding out against Eviction, is Injured by Thugs in Late-Night Assault
Shortly after midnight on April 26, a group of unidentified individuals gathered outside the home of Beijing resident Zhan Jiang (湛 江), where one of them began damaging Zhan’s car with a hatchet. When Zhan emerged to confront the group, he was attacked and injured. He later went to the hospital for an examination, but the extent of his injuries is not currently known. Zhan has been resisting the forced demolition of his home, in Beijing’s Haidian District, for some time now, and his family’s property has been damaged on a number of previous occasions. Following this most recent attack, a number of activists and fellow victims of forced eviction went to visit Zhan; they could not speak with him, as he was at the hospital, but they discovered that police were conducting an investigation into the incident. (CHRD)[viii]
Editors: David Smalls and Lin Sang
Follow us on Twitter: @CHRDnet
[i] “Shaanxi Rights Activist Wei Qiang Released, Returns Home” (陕 西维权人士魏强获释回家), May 1, 2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/05/blog-post_01.html
[ii] “Ni Yulan and Husband Denied Visit from Lawyer in Detention Center” (倪 玉兰夫妇在看守所被禁见律师), April 28, 2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-post_4810.html
[iii] “Health Concerns for Beijing Activist Wang Lihong Following Arrest” (北京维权人士王荔蕻被抓捕后身体堪忧), April 28, 2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-post_8290.html
[iv] “Young Reporter Zhang Gulong Called in For Talks with Police, Missing More than 60 Hours” (青年记者张贾龙被警方约谈，失去联系超过60小时), May 1, 2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/05/60.html
[v] “China Non-Governmental Election Observer Du Quanbing Seized by Police” (中国民间选举观察员杜全兵被警方绑架), April 30, 2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-post_3939.html
[vi] “Health of Beihai Rights-Defending Village Chief Xu Kun in Prison Worth Serious Consideration” (北海维权村官许坤狱中情况堪忧), April 30, 2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-post_30.html
[vii] “Hunan Activist Peng Xinzhong Sent to Re-education through Labor” (湖 南维权人士彭新忠被劳教), April 29, 2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-post_78.html
[viii] “Beijing Resident Zhan Jiang Attacked Late at Night, Police Investigate Case” (北京拆迁夜袭湛江，公安机关立案侦查), April 28, 2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-post_7866.html
