China Human Rights Briefing

Reporting human rights development from the grassroots

June 16-30, 2008

HIGHLIGHTS

• Scores of prominent activists and dissidents were detained, put under house arrest or warned in order to prevent them from meeting visiting members of the U.S. Congress and the E.U. Parliament. As the Olympics approach and more foreign luminaries arrive in China, meeting them will be a dangerous business for Beijing activists this summer.
• The authorities continue to silence those who question official corruption and criticize the government’s response to the Sichuan earthquake. Zeng Hongling, an earthquake survivor, and Liu Shaokun, a volunteer in the Sichuan relief effort, were detained on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power” for their criticism of the government’s role in the disaster.

Freedom of expression

Sichuan Teacher Detained for Questioning Government's Role in Earthquake Toll

On June 25, Liu Shaokun (刘绍坤), a teacher who volunteered in the Sichuan relief effort, was taken away by police of the National Security Unit in Deyang City, Sichuan Province. Police also searched his home and confiscated a computer, a portable hard drive and a digital camera. Liu, a teacher at Guanghan Secondary School in Deyang City, is currently detained in Guanghan City Detention Center, presumably for posting online pictures of the aftermath of the earthquake and expressing outrage at the alleged official corruption which led to the deaths of many students due to the collapse of their school buildings. (China Rights Mailing Group)[i]

Southern Metropolitan News Punished for Earthquake Commentary

CHRD learned on June 26 that Southern Metropolitan News, an outspoken newspaper, was punished by the Publicity Department because of the publication of a commentary on the May 12 Sichuan Earthquake. The commentary, written by columnist Zhu Xueqin (朱学勤), contained a sentence in which the author asserted that the earthquake was the Chinese government’s “karma”. Following the publication of the commentary, official newspapers heavily criticized the newspaper. Under the pressure of the Publicity Department, the relevant editor was reportedly sacked, the newspapers’ journalists were recalled from Sichuan Province, and all articles on Sichuan had to be “reviewed” before publication. (CHRD)

Rights Activist Punished with Trumped-up Charges for Speaking Out

On June 18, Liu Zhengyou (刘正有), petitioner-turned activist from Zigong City in Sichuan Province, was released on bail and now awaits trial. On June 17 and 18, Liu was twice summoned and interrogated in a local police station about his recent activities which included accepted interviews with foreign media, posting online articles critical of the detention of rights activist Huang Qi (黄琦) and organizing donation drives to aid victims of Sichuan earthquake. At the end of an 8-hour summon on June 18, police charged him with “using a cult to undermine the implementation of law” and released him on bail for a year. Liu believes that police put him on bail to exert tightened control over him as he will not be allowed to travel while on bail.  (CHRD)

Head of Hepatitis B Website Calls Attention to Censorship

On June 23, Lu Jun (陆军), head of "Gandan Xiangzhao" (肝胆相照论坛), one of China's largest Hepatitis B online discussion forums which was closed by the authorities in late May, called for international attention to the website's plight. The forum was used to defend the rights of Hepatitis B patients. Lu believed that the authorities closed it because they considered it "dangerous to social stability". (CHRD)

Freedom of Assembly and Association

Human Rights Activists under House Arrest during U.S. Congress Visit

On June 29, at least nine Beijing-based human rights activists were detained, put under house arrest or warned in order to prevent them from meeting members of the U.S. Congress visiting China. Three lawyers, Li Baiguang (李柏光), Teng Biao (滕彪) and Jiang Tianyong (江天勇) were barred from attending a dinner on June 29, to which they had been invited by the congressmen. On that day, Li Baiguang was brought to a holiday resort in Huairou, a Beijing suburb and detained by police. Teng Biao was also brought to Huirou, though police brought him home later and put him under house arrest. Jiang Tianyong was barred from leaving his apartment block until 8 p.m., when the dinner ended. Other human rights activists who were either warned against or barred from meeting the congressmen included Li Heping (李和平), Li Xiongbing (黎雄兵), Li Fangping (李方平), Fan Yafeng (范亚峰), Zhang Xingshui (张星水) and Liu Xiaobo (刘晓波). (CHRD)[ii]

House Church Pastor Detained En Route to Meeting with European Parliament Members

On June 18, Zhang Mingxuan (张明选), pastor and head of China Federation of Christian House Churches, was taken into police custody together with his translator en route to a meeting with visiting members of the European Parliament. Without any legal warrant, police detained them in Shuangyushu Police Station. They were released on June 19. (CHRD)

Lecturer Detained for Hosting Meeting on Elections and Social Reforms

On June 14, Zhu Juru (朱菊如), a lecturer at Xiyu City College in Jiangxi Province, was detained for hosting a meeting of people concerned about elections and social reforms in China. During the meeting, police from Beihu Police Station in Xinyu City barged into the venue and took the five participants away. Four were released within 24 hours but Zhu was detained for eleven days without legal procedures. Zhu was released on June 25 but he received no notification or explanation from the police for his detention. (CHRD)[iii]

Chongqing Villagers Beaten and Detained for Resisting Construction of Factory

On June 11, villagers from Yufeng Village, Yulong Township, Dazu County in Chongqing Municipality were suppressed by the local police for resisting the construction of a glue factory. Under the leadership of the head and party secretary of the township, about fifty policemen and government officials from Yulong Township beat the villagers when the latter attempted to prevent workers from connecting the factory to the electrical grid. Two villagers, Zhang Changying (张昌英) and Tao Zuguo (陶祖国), had to be hospitalized following the beating. Eight villagers were detained.  Four are still in custody. Villagers allege that the glue factory uses carcinogenic substance that will harm their health.  They had clashed with police and local government on May 29 over the same issue.  (CRLW)[iv]

Member of China Democracy Party Detained

On June 25, Wang Rongqing (王荣清), a member of China Democracy Party Zhejiang Branch, was detained on suspicion of "inciting subversion of state power". Police searched his home and reportedly confiscated some items as evidence.

Wang, 65, is a veteran democracy activist whose activism can be traced back to pro-democracy publications in the late 1970s. For his activism, Wang has been repeatedly harassed and detained by police. On May 22, for example, he and other members of the Party's Zhejiang Branch were summoned and warned against meeting to discuss relief efforts for Sichuan earthquake victims. (CHRD)

Right to vote

Hunan Villagers Protest Fraudulent Election

On June 17, a group of villagers at Hexing Village, Zhajiang Township, Hengyang County, Hunan Province, destroyed the ballot boxes at the village committee election. Local police detained four villagers on suspicion of “disturbing an election”. Two are still in custody. The day before, 23 villagers representatives from 26 townships in Hengyang County protested at the county government headquarters about fraudulent elections in the county. The villagers alleged that many procedures were not properly followed during village elections. For example, the finances of many of the 837 villages were not properly audited, they claimed, and furthermore, none of the candidates for the village committees were chosen through calling for meetings in which villagers would nominate candidates.  (CHRD)[v]

Persecution of Rights Activist

Guangdong Taishi Village Leader Detained

On June 24, 2008, Feng Qiusheng (冯秋盛), a village leader from Taishi Village, Panyu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, was detained on suspicion of “disturbing social order”. Reportedly, police from Yuwotou Police Station, Panyu detained Feng for his suspected role in breaking the news about violations of election procedures in an April village committee election in Taishi Village. Feng is also known for his role in a failed attempt by the villagers to remove a village committee head suspected of corruption in 2005. (CHRD)[vi]

Activist Promoting Grassroots Democracy Abducted by Police

Yao Lifa (姚立法), an activist promoting local democratic elections in Hubei Province, was abducted by Hubei police on June 26. Yao was at a demonstration against police brutality outside of the Qingjiang City government building in Hubei Province when he was abducted by local police and National Security police from the Qingjiang PSB. Yao contacted his family several times during the abduction and told them the police were detaining him in various inns in Hubei Province. Yao was released on July 1 but information about his abduction was not yet available at the time of writing. (CHRD)[vii]

Journalist Sun Lin Sentenced to Four Years in Prison

On June 26, Sun Lin (孙林, a.k.a. Jie Mu (孑木)), a journalist for Boxun detained since May 20, 2007, was convicted of "illegal possession of firearms" and "gathering crowds to disturb social order" by the Nanjing Xuanwu District People's Court and sentenced to four years of imprisonment. Sun's wife and co-defendant, He Fang (何芳), was sentenced to fifteen months of imprisonment immediately commuted to 18 months of probation. (CHRD)[viii]

Blogger on Sichuan Earthquake Detained on “Inciting Subversion”

In late June, CHRD learned that Zeng Hongling (曾宏玲), a survivor of the May 12 Sichaun earthquake taken into police custody on June 9, has been detained on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power”. Zeng, a retired worker at Mianyang Xinan University in Sichuan, posted a series of articles online about the earthquake using the pseudonym Binbin (彬彬). It is believed that she was detained for her critical comments in the articles about the government’s response in the disaster.  (CHRD)

Human Rights Defender Huang Qi Denied Access to Legal Counsel

Huang Qi (黄琦), director of Tianwang Human Rights Center (www.64tianwang.com) detained since June 10 on suspicion of "illegal possession of state secrets", has been denied access to lawyers. On June 24, police from the National Security Unit under Wuhou District PSB, Chengdu City, rejected his lawyer’s request to visit him on the grounds that Huang’s case involves "state secrets." Huang is currently held at Chengdu City Detention Center. Reportedly, Huang was detained for reporting and giving interviews to foreign journalists about protests staged by families of schoolchildren who died in the May 12 Sichuan earthquake.

Huang disappeared on June 10 while on his way to dinner with two Tianwang volunteers. It was later discovered that Huang had been detained by the police. One of the volunteers, Pu Fei (蒲飞), was released following fifteen days of detention without any legal procedures. It is unclear what happened to the second volunteer, Zuo Xiaohuan (左小环). (CHRD)[ix]

Internet Writer Chen Daojun Denied Access to Legal Counsel

On June 11, Chen Daojun (陈道军), a Chengdu-based internet writer detained since May 9 on suspicion of “inciting secession”, was also denied access to legal counsel because, according to the police, the case involves “state secrets”. Chen has been incarcerated for posting articles online criticizing the construction of a chemical plant in Chengdu and for dissenting from the official line on the incidents in the Tibetan regions in mid-March. (CHRD)[x]

Torture

Lawyer and Activist Ni Yulan Tortured in Detention

On June 27, CHRD learned that Ni Yulan (倪玉兰), a disabled housing rights activist and former lawyer detained on suspicion of “obstructing official business”, had been beaten and mistreated at Xinjiekou Detention Center in Beijing soon after she was taken into police custody on April 15. Police confiscated Ni’s crutches and made her crawl when she had to use the bathroom.  They kicked her so severely that she fell unconscious for two days. Ni was detained after she resisted forced demolition of her home by Beijing authorities. (CHRD)[xi]

Persecution of Petitioners

Heilongjiang Resident Detained for Petitioning

On June 23,  2008, Li Guozhu (李国柱):, a petitioner from Jixi City, Heilongjiang Province, was caught by interceptors while petitioning in Beijing and forcibly returned to Jixi, where he has been detained in a local detention center. Li is a former police officer who started to petition after he was reportedly unfairly dismissed by the local cadres. (CHRD)[xii]

Jiangsu Victims of Forced Demolition Detained for Petitioning

On June 25, 2008, three victims of forced demolition, Li Zhongqi (李忠琦), Li Xongwu (李松武) and Xu Lianying (徐连英), from Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, were caught by interceptors dispatched by Nantong City government while petitioning in Beijing. They were forcibly returned to Nantong City, where Li Zhongqi has been detained in a psychiatric institution, Nantong No. 4 Hospital, while Li Xongwu and Xu Lianying have been detained in Beige Restaurant in Nantong City. (CHRD)

Guizhou Villagers Detained for Protesting Land Appropriation

On June 16, 2008, three villagers from Zhian Village, Chengguan Township, Zhenning County, Anshun City, Guizhou Province, were apprehended by the police while petitioning at the county government about land forcibly appropriated from the villagers. The three villagers, Zhan Dexing (詹德兴), Ma Jigang (马继刚) and Zhang Deming(张德明), were administratively detained for “disturbing social order”. (CHRD)[xiii]

Policy and Regulations Watch

Ministry of Culture: All Karaoke Venues will be Monitored

On June 25, the Ministry of Culture announced that all karaoke venues in the country will be connected to a centralized surveillance system. This system will allow the Ministry to monitor, in real-time, these venues. According to the Ministry, the system will allow it better control over the program content used by these venues in order to crackdown on any unauthorized export or import of such content via the internet. The Ministry also claims that the system will better protect intellectual property rights. (The Chinese government)[xiv]

Shanxi County Obliterates Hukou System Restrictions

According to a Legal Daily article dated June 22, the county government in Wenrong County, Shanxi Province has issued a number of policies this year to obliterate the distinction between holders of the permanent “household registration” (or “hukou”) and “temporary residency permits”. In most parts of China, rural migrants without hukou face serious discrimination in many areas of life. For example, their children often have difficulty gaining admission to state schools. (Legal Daily)[xv]

Editor: Wang Songlian