[CHRB] Discrimination against Women in China under UN Review; More Detained for Backing Hong Kong Protests (10/10-16/2014)

October 16, 2014       Comments Off on [CHRB] Discrimination against Women in China under UN Review; More Detained for Backing Hong Kong Protests (10/10-16/2014)
[CHRB] Discrimination against Women in China under UN Review; More Detained for Backing Hong Kong Protests (10/10-16/2014)

China Human Rights Briefing

 October 10 – 16, 2014

Contents

Special Notice

  • CHRD & Coalition of NGOs Submit Report on Women’s Rights Conditions to UN Committee for its Review of China

Freedom of Expression

  • Update: More Than 60 Mainlanders Detained for Supporting Hong Kong Protests

Special Notice

Systematic Discrimination and Prevalent Violence against Women Found in CHRD & Coalition NGO Report Sent to UN Committee for its Review of China

On October 23, the UN Committee on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) will review China’s implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. CHRD jointly submitted a report with a coalition of China-based human rights NGOs to CEDAW for the upccoming review, which takes place once every four years, though the most recent review took place nine years ago in 2005.

The joint NGO report finds that the Chinese government’s law/policies and practices discriminate against women in many areas and gender-specific violence remains prevalent. The report identifies areas of pressing concern that the coalition urges CEDAW to press the Chinese government to address. These include violence against women in detention (including extrajudicial detention), sexual assault, trafficking in women, abuse of sex workers, and violence (forced abortion and sterilization) used in enforcing family planning policies; the persistent under-representation of women in public and political life and persecution of female independent candidates in local elections; discrimination in education and employment, including women with disabilities, pregnant women, and mothers requiring maternity leave; and rural women’s curtailed and unequal access to land use due to under-representation in village committees. The report makes many recommendations for reforms to effectively protect women in these areas.

The full report and appendices can be read here.

Freedom of Expression

Update: More Than 60 Mainlanders Detained for Supporting Hong Kong Protests

As the protests demanding genuine universal suffrage in Hong Kong moved into their third week, Chinese authorities continue to crack down on individuals in the mainland who express support for the movement. Since the demonstrations began in late September, CHRD has documented more than 60 detentions in total, including 23 criminal detentions, three administrative detentions, and 35 cases of people in other forms of police custody. We also documented one case of torture of a supporter in a detention facility.

This week’s new cases (See previously reported cases in September 19-October 1 CHRB and October 2–9 CHRB):

  • In Guangdong Province, Foshan City police detained four individuals on October 14. In the morning, Ye Liumei (叶六妹), Mr. Liang Zhuosen (梁灼森), and Ms. Guo Huizhen (郭惠珍) were taken to the Tongji Police Station of the Chancheng Sub-Bureau of the Foshan City Public Security Bureau. They were reportedly seized for travelling to Hong Kong on September 30. Later that day, police took into custody Mr. Chen Qitang (陈启棠, aka Tian Li天理) and searched his home, seizing a laptop computer. Chen was given a 10-day administrative detention and is being held in Xiantang Town in the Shunde District of Foshan.
  • Beijing police took four individuals into custody on October 13 from the offices of the Dao Heng Law Firm—lawyers Li Duilong (李对龙), Wang Cheng (王成), and Mr. Yu Wensheng (余文生), and activist Mr. Song Ze (宋泽， aka Song Guangqiang 宋光强). Within 24 hours, Wang and Liu had been released, but reportedly Yu and Song Ze have been criminally detained.
  • Hunan Province police in Yueyang City criminally detained activist Liu Donghui (刘东辉) on October 12 on a charge of “creating a disturbance.” He is being held at Yunxi District Detention Center. His detention is reportedly related to his recent trip to Hong Kong to support the protests.
  • Three more individuals were taken into custody on October 11 from Beijing’s Songzhuang art colony. Tibetan artist Kuang Laowu (邝老五) and Mr. Ouyang Xiaorong (欧阳晓戎) were seized by police in the afternoon, and hours later Mr. Zhang Haiying (张海鹰) was taken into custody. Reportedly, Ouyang Xiaorong was later released, but 13 in total from the art colony are still detained (see previous CHRD report).
  • Beijing activist Wang Yonghong (王永红), an attendee of a September 30th dinner for recently released Yuan Dong (袁冬), has been criminally detained and is currently being held in the Daxing District Detention Center. Police took him into custody late in the night of October 11 and later searched his home.
  • Beijing police have detained a number of intellectuals in recent days. Scholar and democracy activist Guo Yushan (郭玉闪), director of an independent research organization known as the Transition Institute, was taken into custody and criminally detained on October 9 for “creating a disturbance.” He is currently being held at Beijing No. 1 Detention Center. The same day, police criminally detained writer Kou Yanding (寇延丁) on suspicion of “creating a disturbance.” She is being held at an unknown location. Also, Beijing police reportedly took three more individuals into custody between October 9-12: Chen Kun (陈堃), a Liren College professor focusing on democracy, a poetry editor from Peking University Xue Ye (薛野), and manager of the Transition Institute, Huang Kaiping (黄凯平), who was taken from the institute on October 10. It is unclear where they are being held and on what charges.
  • Hou Minling (侯敏玲), a petitioner from Gansu Province, was seized by Beijing police on October 3 and criminally detained the next day on a charge of “creating a disturbance.” She is being held at Daxing District Detention Center. Hou took part in pro-Hong Kong demonstrations with other petitioners in Beijing on October 1.[1]
Police have detained activists for appearing in photos such as this one, in which the banners read, “Support Hong Kong” and “Embrace Freedom Through the Storm.”

Police have detained activists for appearing in photos such as this one, in which the banners read, “Support Hong Kong” and “Embrace Freedom Through the Storm.”

Updates on previously reported cases in September 19-October 1 CHRB and October 2–9 CHRB:

  • Liaoning Province petitioner Jiang Jiawen (姜家文) has been confirmed to have been criminally detained on a charge of “creating a disturbance” on October 2, a day after being seized in Beijing. He is being held in Daxing District Detention Center.
  • Chongqing activist Luo Yaling (罗亚玲) is now under criminal detention, after being released from Chongqing No. 1 Detention & Drug Rehabilitation Center after serving out a 10-day administrative detention on October 11.
  • Beijing police seized Pei Fugui (裴富贵) from his home early on October 2, and later that day searched his home, taking away a desktop computer and two hard drives. Police refused to inform the family of his status until October 10, when they verbally confirmed that he was criminally detained on suspicion of “creating a disturbance,” and is currently being held at Fengtai District Detention Center.
  • Beijing police took away Ling Lisha (凌丽莎) and Mr. Zhang Qibin (张启斌) on October 2 after they posted signs in support of Hong Kong on the campus of Peking University. They are believed to be under criminal detention at Beijing No. 1 Detention Center.
  • Xie Wenfei (谢文飞), who was seized on suspicion of “creating a disturbance” in a Guangzhou park with two other men on October 3, has reportedly been tortured and mistreated in the Yuexiu District Detention Center. According to his lawyer, Wu Kuiming (吴魁明), Xie’s arms and legs were each shackled eight centimeters away from iron rings, with his legs fastened together, in total for over 100 hours. He was given periodic access to water, the bathroom and allowed to sleep and change cloths, except for a 20-hour stretch when he was kept shackled.[2]

Under China’s Criminal Procedure Law, police must inform the family within 24 hours of the detention of an individual, unless they are suspected of certain crimes that fall under category of “endangering state security” or terrorism. The individual can be placed under criminal detention – charged with a criminal offence as stipulated in China’s Criminal Law – or administrative detention – charged under the Public Security Administration Punishment Law. A suspect who has been criminally detained can be held for up to a maximum 37 days before they must be either released or formally arrested upon approval from a procuratorate. An administrative detention can last for up to 15 days, and may include a fine. However, in many cases of police detention in China, in particular those involving civil rights, authorities do not follow the laws on criminal procedure. Moreover, police have placed more obstacles to block lawyers from visiting their clients or even put the lawyers who demand legal protection of detainees’ access to lawyers under detention.

Contacts:

Renee Xia, International Director (Mandarin, English), +1 240 374 8937, reneexia@chrdnet.com, Follow on Twitter: @ReneeXiaCHRD

Victor Clemens, Research Coordinator (English), +1 209 643 0539, victorclemens@chrdnet.com

Frances Eve, Research Assistant (English), + 1 646 801 9479, franceseve@chrdnet.com, Follow on Twitter: @_FrancesEve

Follow CHRD on Twitter: @CHRDnet

[1] “Guangdong Activist Tian Li (Chen Qitang) Administratively Detained for 10-days” (广东维权人士天理（陈启棠）被行政拘留十天), October 15, 2014, RDN; “Lawyer Yu Wensheng and Song Ze Criminally Detained, Wang Cheng and Lawyer Li Duilong Freed” (余文生律师和宋泽遭刑事拘留 王成、李对龙律师获释), October 15, 2014, RDN; “Beijing Lawyer Wang Cheng, Song Ze, Li Duilong Taken Away Yesterday With Lawyer Yu Wensheng, Many Supporters of Hong Kong Seized, Liberty Restricted, or Taken to ‘Drink Tea” (北京法律人王成、宋泽、李对龙于昨日与余文生律师一同被带走，大批声援香港人士被抓捕，限制自由、喝茶), October 14, 2014, RDN; “5/12 Earthquake Survivor Hou Minling Criminally Detained for Supporting Hong Kong Occupy Central Movement” (5.12大地震难民侯敏玲声援香港占中遭刑拘), October 14, 2014, RDN; “Urgent Alert: Foshan City, Guangdong Police Unjustifiably Seizing Citizens That Support Hong Kong” (紧急关注：广东佛山警方正大肆抓捕声援香港占中的公民), October 14, 2014, RDN; “Su Changlan: Foshan City, Guangdong Police Seize 3 Activists Today” (苏昌兰：广东佛山警方今又抓走三名维权人士), October 14, 2014, RDN; “Beijing Transition Institute Manager Huang Kaiping Forcibly Disappeared for Fifth Day” (北京传知行负责人黄凯平遭遇强迫失踪第五天), October 14, 2014, RDN; “Hunan Yueyang Activist Liu Dgnghui Travelled to Hong Kong to Support Movement, Criminally Detained by Yueyang Police After Returning” (湖南岳阳维权人士刘东辉赴港声援 返回后被岳阳警方刑拘), October 13, 2014, RDN; “Beijing Authorities Unjustifiably Seizing Intellectuals, Writer Kou Yanding Criminally Detained for ‘Creating a Disturbance” (北京当局近日大肆抓捕知识界人士 作家寇延丁被“寻衅滋事”遭刑拘), October 12, 2014, RDN; “Scholar Guo Yushan Criminally Detained by Beijing Police on October 9” (学者郭玉闪10月9日被北京警方刑事拘留), October 11, 2014, RDN;

[2] “Activist Jiang Jiawen Criminally Detained for Supporting Hong Kong, the 4th Time this Year” (维权斗士姜家文因声援香港一年内第四次被刑拘), October 13, 2014, RDN; “For Supporting Hong Kong, Chongqing Activist Luo Yaling Criminally Detained when Administrative Detention Expired” (因声援香港 重庆罗亚玲拘留期满改刑拘), October 12, 2014, RDN; “Wang Yonghong Criminally Detained for Greeting Yuan Dong After Release from Prison” (王永红因迎接袁冬出狱遭刑事拘留), October 12, 2014, RDN; “Chongqing’s Xie Dan, Luo Yaling Detention Expired, Activists Rush to Detention Center to Greet Them but Meet No One” (重庆谢丹、罗亚玲拘留期满，维权人士拘留所迎接扑空), October 11, 2014, RDN; “Urgent Alert: Songzhuang Artists Zhang Haiying Seized, Songzhuang Detained Supporters of Hong Kong Now Reaches 15 People, Seized Beijingers Reaches 40” (紧急关注：宋庄艺术家张海鹰被抓，宋庄声援香港事件被抓人员上升至15位，北京被抓人员上升至40位), October 11, 2014, RDN; “”Urgent Alert: Beijing Songzhuang Tibetan Artist Zhuang Laoqu and Writer Ouyang Xiaorong Seized” (紧急关注：北京宋庄藏族艺术家邝老五和作家欧阳小绒被带走), October 11, 2014, RDN; “Beijing Activist Pei Fugui Criminally Detained Despite Innocence, Police Don’t Issue Any Kind of Warrant” (北京维权人士裴富贵无辜被刑拘 警方不出具任何法律文书), October 11, 2014, RDN; “Signs Posted in Support of Hong Kong on Peking University Campus, Ling Lisha, Zhang Qibin Taken into Custody” (北大校园贴标语声援香港 凌丽莎、张启斌被抓捕), October 11, 2014, RDN; “Xie Wenfei “Shackled” Tortured at Guangzhou Yuexiu District Detention Center” (谢文飞在广州越秀区看守所遭“定镣”酷刑), October 10, 2014, RDN.

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