China Human Rights Briefing 4 February 2010

Headlines

• Chongqing Workers’ Rights Activist Administratively Detained
• Shanghai Activist Liu Yiliang Seized by Police, Held for Two Days as Warning
• Appeals Hearing for Li Zhuang Concludes Following Surprising Change of Plea
• Jiangsu Court Hears Anti-Discrimination Lawsuit against Family Planning Bureau 

ArbitraryDetention

Chongqing Workers’ Rights ActivistAdministratively Detained

CHRD learned on February 4 that Pengshui County,Chongqing activist Liang Mingyuan (梁明远) has been administrativelydetained by local National Security officials for 10 days. According toafriend of Liang's, Liang called shortly after midnight on February 4 tosay hewas being taken to a local Detention House, where he was to beadministrativelydetained for "disrupting the order of a public place." Liangindicated to his friend he would go on a hunger strike to protest hisdetention. Liang, a former grain worker who has protested andpetitioned in thepast on behalf of fellow workers who lost their jobs when their workunits wereprivatized, was also summoned by Chongqingpolice after a meeting with other activists on January 30. (CHRD)[i]

ShanghaiActivist Liu Yiliang Seized by Police, Held for Two Days as Warning

On the evening of February 1, Shanghai humanrights activist Liu Yiliang (刘义良) was seized in the vicinity ofJiading District's Jiangqiao Town by a National Security officer andfourplainclothes policemen. He was then held in an unknown location for twodaysbefore being hooded and left by the roadside in Jiangqiao Townon the evening of February 3. The police reportedly warned Liu not tocause anytrouble during the upcoming World Expo and not to write any articlescriticalof the local government. The officers threatened to detain Liu again ifhe didnot comply with their instructions. At no point did the officersproduce anydocumentation to authorize their actions. Liu, apetitioner-turned-activist,has been harassed on a number of occasions over the past year for hisrights-defense activities. (CHRD)[ii]

LegalRights

AppealsHearing for Li Zhuang Concludes Following Surprising Change of Plea

After two days of hearings, the appeal ofBeijing lawyer Li Zhuang (李庄) of his conviction and sentence for"fabricating evidence and obstructing testimony" concluded on theafternoon of February 3. No verdict was rendered, though the presidingjudgeannounced that the court would select a date to announce the judgment.Unexpectedly, Li announced during testimony on February 2 that he wasguilty ofthe crime, and followed that announcement by stating on February 3 thathewould not speak to the media about his sudden confession. Despite Li'sabruptshift, and statements he made that lawyers must "agree with theCommunistParty," his lawyer Chen Youxi (陈有西) stated that hisdefense team would continue to pursue Li's original plea of not guilty.LawyerGao Zicheng (高子程)added that no concrete evidence has been produced to show that Li isguilty offabricating evidence and obstructing testimony, the charge Li was givenafterhis client Gong Gangmo (龚刚模) accused Li of instructing him to lie in courtthat he was tortured during interrogation by police officers. (CHRD)[iii]

Jiangsu Court HearsAnti-Discrimination Lawsuit against Family Planning Bureau

On February 4, the administrative litigationlawsuit brought by Wang Ying (王莹) against the Quanshan District Family PlanningBureau was heard by the Quanshan District Court in Xuzhou City, JiangsuProvince. The four-and-a-half-hour trial concluded without a verdict;the courtannounced it would fix a date to declare a judgment. According toreports, thecourtroom was packed with observers, including prominent members of theprovincial National People’s Congress and People's PoliticalConsultative Conference.There was also a heavy media presence outside the courthouse. Wang, aformerlawyer, was suing because she was barred from obtaining a civil serviceposition by the TongshanCounty governmenton thegrounds that she had violated family planning regulations by having achildbefore marriage. (CHRD)[iv]

Correction: The February 2 issue ofCHRB inaccurately reported that Li Zhuang’s appeal trial ended onSeptember 2. Li’strial lasted for two days and concluded on February 3.

Editors: David Smalls and Lin Sang

News updates from CHRD: http://www.crd-net.org/Article/Class9/Class10/Index.html

Reining in Civil Society: The Chinesegovernment’s use of laws and regulations to persecute freedom ofassociationhttp://www.crd-net.org/Article/Class9/Class11/200908/20090810214902_16733.html

CHRD Yearbook 2007-2008: http://www.crd-net.org/Article/Class9/Class11/200808/20080807093200_9888.html

[i] "Chongqing Human Rights Defender Liang MingyuanAdministratively Detained" (重庆维权人士梁明远被行政拘留),February 4, 2010, http://www.crd-net.org/Article/Class53/201002/20100204105011_19771.html

[ii] "Shanghai Activist Liu Yiliang Illegally Taken intoCustody" (上海维权人士刘义良被非法拘禁),February 4, 2010, http://www.crd-net.org/Article/Class53/201002/20100205002610_19782.html

[iii] "Court Adjourns After Li Zhuang's Appeal; Date toAnnounceJudgment Forthcoming" (李庄案二审休庭，将择期宣判),February 4, 2010, http://www.crd-net.org/Article/Class53/201002/20100204142132_19773.html

[iv] "Female Lawyer Wang Ying's 'Babygate' Lawsuit Heard inXuzhou" (女律师王莹“婚育门”诉讼在徐州开庭),February 4, 2010, http://www.crd-net.org/Article/Class53/201002/20100204180508_19776.html