China Human Rights Briefing July 20-26, 2011

Highlights

• Updates on Detentions and Disappearances Related to the “Jasmine Revolution” Crackdown: CHRD has learned that, around July 13, the case against lawyer Ni Yulan (倪玉兰) and her husband, Dong Jiqin (董继勤), was transferred to the procuratorate, with Ni additionally charged with fraud. Also, CHRD has learned of the releases of two individuals—dissident Sun Desheng (孙德胜) was released on bail around July 10 after being detained since February, while editor and activist Yuan Xinting (袁新亭) has been released as well.

• Beijing Activist Suffering from Illnesses In Detention: Human rights activist Li Jinping (李金平), who has been held in a psychiatric institution since October 2010, has been suffering for months from serious physical illnesses, but authorities will not release Li or allow his brother to see him.

ContentsArbitrary Detention

• Updates on Detentions and Disappearances Related to the “Jasmine Revolution” Crackdown
• Anhui Activist Criminally Detained, Other Local Activists Threatened
• Detained Beijing Activist Li Jinping Severely Ill in Psychiatric Institution
• Shandong Petitioner Administratively Detained After Being Held in Black Jail, Warned “Don’t Learn from Li Hongwei”

Harassmentof Petitioners

• Heilongjiang Public Order Personnel Injure, Detain Village Petitioners

Arbitrary DetentionUpdateson Detentions andDisappearances Related to the “Jasmine Revolution”CrackdownCase ofDetained Lawyer, Torture Victim NiYulan Transferred to Procuratorate, Fraud ChargeAdded CHRD has learned thatthe case against Ni Yulan (倪玉兰), a rights defenselawyer and victim of torture, and her husband, Dong Jiqin (董继勤), both arrested in Mayon suspicion of “creating a disturbance,” wastransferred to the Xicheng District Procuratoratearound July 13, indicating the case may soon go totrial. Ni has also been additionally charged withfraud, according to the couple’s daughter, Dong Beibei (董贝贝). The writtenrecommendation for prosecution states the fraud chargestems from authorities’ alleging that Ni said she wasa lawyer in order to both win sympathy for hersituation and to profit. (Ni’s lawyer license wasrevoked in 2002.) Ni Yulan andDong Jiqin have been held at the Xicheng DetentionCenter since being seized bypolice in early April during the “Jasmine Revolution”crackdown for hanging abanner outside the Yuxinyuan Guest House, where theywere living at the time. Ni’slawyer, Cheng Hai (程海),had unsuccessfully sought Ni’s release on medical paroledue to her health, asshe cannot walk and has numerous medical problems aftersuffering torture indetention over the past decade.  (CHRD)[i] Sun Desheng Released on Bail, Yuan XintingAlso Released   CHRD has learned that SunDesheng (孙德胜), aZhejiang-born dissident living inGuangzhou City, Guangdong Province, was released onbail around July 10 afterbeing criminally detained since February on suspicionof “incitingsubversion of state power”(涉嫌煽动颠覆国家政权罪). Sun’sdetention reportedlystemmed from his making pro-democracy posters, which heleft at the home ofhuman rights lawyer Tang Jingling (唐荆陵).The possession of these materials was also the mainreason Tang was taken intocustody on February 22 on an incitement charge; Tangremains under residentialsurveillance at the Dashi PoliceTraining Center (大石民警培训中心)in Guangzhou’s Panyu District. Sun’s family members cameto Guangzhou to handle the bail procedures, and thenthey were all sent back toZhejiang. Sun has indicated that he would like toreturn to Guangzhou and “seekan explanation” about police beatings that he enduredwhile in custody. CHRD also has learned that Yuan Xinting(袁新亭), a Guangzhou-basededitor and activist originally fromSichuan Province, has been released and sentback to his hometown. At present, it is believed he isnot being allowed toreturn to Guangzhou. (CHRD)[ii]Anhui ActivistCriminallyDetained, Other Local Activists ThreatenedDemocracyrights activist WuYuebao (吴乐宝), from BengbuCity, Anhui Province, wasreportedly criminally detained on July 24, the day hecompleted 10 days ofadministrative detention. That morning, fellow Bengbuactivists Li Wenge (李文革)and Qian Jin (钱进)went to the detentionhouse expecting Wu to be released from administrativedetention, but he wasn’treleased when they came to meet him. In the afternoon,Li was taken away bypolice and his home was searched. Other Bengbuactivists, including Qian, weresummoned to their local police stations, where officersindicated Wu had beencriminally detained for spreading “bad information”online and “overhyping”certain issues, likely through his active use ofTwitter. Police warned theactivists not to initiate appeals for him—or elsemeasures would be takenagainst them—and eventually released all those they hadsummoned.   Wu Yuebao wastaken away by police on July 14, when his home wassearchedand several items confiscated, including a computer. Atthe time of writing,Wu’s family had not received written notification ofeither detention orspecific information about charges against him. (CHRD)[iii]Detained BeijingActivist LiJinping Severely Ill in Psychiatric InstitutionCHRD has learned that Beijing human rights activist Li Jinping (李金平),who hasbeen illegally detained in a psychiatricinstitution since last fall,has been suffering since at least May from hepatitis B andalso cerebral thrombosis, a conditionthat can lead to astroke. Still, the hospital has refused torelease him or allow hisbrother to see him, and claims that Li is receivingmedical treatment, thoughhis current state of health remains unclear. Li Jinping went out of contact aroundOctober 2010, andhis younger brother, Li Jinlong (李金龙),found out only in December that Chaoyang nationalsecurity police and officersfrom the Changying Police Station were holding him atthe Chaoyang DistrictMental Health Center. Center officials have stated thatthey don’t have theauthority to allow Li Jinlong to see his brother or torelease him. Afterpolice ignored Li’s appeal to intervene, he filed alawsuit in January over hisbrother’s illegal detention against both the Chaoyangbranch of the PublicSecurity Bureau and the hospital. But the ChaoyangDistrict People’s Courtrefused to prosecute the case, saying that Li shouldinstead petition about thematter to the Letters and Visits Bureau. Li, a formerpolice officer whose home was forcibly demolished in2008,has been detained on numerous occasions as a result ofcampaigning to free andrehabilitate former CCP General Secretary ZhaoZiyang(赵紫阳), who lived under housearrest before hisdeath in 2005, as well as his advocacy for the rights offellow petitioners.(CHRD)[iv]ShandongPetitionerAdministratively Detained After Being Held inBlack Jail, Warned “Don’t Learnfrom Li Hongwei”On July 23, Hou Zonglan (侯宗兰), a petitionerand activistfrom Lixia District, Jinan City, Shandong Province,was released after 10 daysof administrative detention issued as punishment forpetitioning in Beijing inJune. The Lixia District branch of the Jinan PublicSecurity Bureau (PSB)reportedly warned her not to follow in the footstepsof fellow Lixia petitionerLi Hongwei (李红卫). Li, who wasrecently ordered to serve21 months of Re-education through Labor (RTL), fileda landmark lawsuitlast year against the Lixia District government fordetaining her in a blackjail for 17 days. Li’s application for reconsiderationof the RTL decision wasaccepted earlier this week by the Jinan Municipalgovernment, which shouldissue a decision about it within two months. On June 8,Hou,who beganpetitioning in August 2009 after she was forciblyevicted and had her homedemolished, was among 16 individuals seized byofficers from the BeijingPSB while petitioning near Zhongnanhai. The petitionerswere first detained atJiujingzhuang Black Jail in Beijing, and then Jinanpolice arrived and forciblytook them back to Jinan, where they were again held in ablack jail. Localofficials released Hou on June 13 because they wereworried about what mighthappen to her since she had gone on a hunger strike. OnJune 30, Hou and someof the other petitioners returned to Beijing, butinterceptors took them backto Jinan on the same day. On July 13, the Lixia DistrictPSB ordered 10 days ofadministrative detention for Hou, stating that she had instigated the other petitioners to go toZhongnanhai and attempted todisrupt its “regular working order” in order toexpress her own views on theforced demolition issue. (CHRD)[v]Harassmentof Petitioners HeilongjiangPublic Order Personnel Injure, Detain VillagePetitionersCHRD has learned that, on July 18,public order workers suppressedand injured villagers from Wangdalatun Village inWuchang City, HeilongjiangProvince, as they kneeled at the entrance of theprovincial government buildingto demand the return of more than 1,000 mu(over 67 hectares) of illegally expropriated forestand farmland. According toone villager, Mr. Chen, who spoke with CHRD on July21, Wuchang public orderpersonnel injured many people, including a pregnantwoman who was hospitalizedafter being kicked in the stomach. Three villagerswere detained, including anelderly woman who had just had surgery. Villagerssought the release of thosedetained, but were reportedly told by governmentofficials that the punishmentfor “disrupting social order” (扰乱社会秩序) is at least 10 days indetention.  Mr. Chen said the Wuchanggovernment had not received state approvalbefore expropriating the land, the majority of whichit was selling off todevelopers. In the past, the villagers hadreportedly received a favorabledecision over the issue from the HeilongjiangProvincial Land and ResourcesDepartment, which had concluded the land rightfullybelonged to the villagers,and that they could seek compensation from the localgovernment. But thegovernment reportedly falsified evidence about thesituation and refused togrant any compensation. (CHRD)[vi]Editorsof this issue: Victor Clemens and Tanya Wang Follow us on Twitter: @CHRDnet Join us onFacebook: CHRDnet (NEW!)Newsupdates from CHRD[i]“Ni Yulan and Husband’s CaseTransferred toProcuratorate, ‘Fraud’ Charge Added,” (倪玉兰夫妇案移送检察院，再增“诈骗”罪), July 21,2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/07/blog-post_8706.html;“Arrests of Rights Defense Lawyer Ni Yulan and HusbandBoth Confirmed, FamilyHas Not Received Formal Notice,” (倪玉兰夫妇双双被捕，亲属未收到法律文书),June 9, 2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/06/blog-post_09.html;“News Flash: Arrest of Human Rights Lawyer Ni YulanApproved” (快讯：维权律师倪玉兰被批准逮捕), May 17, 2011,http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/05/blog-post_4735.html [ii]“Tang Jingling Still Under ResidentialSurveillance, Sun Desheng Released on Bail,” (唐荆陵仍被监视居住，孙德胜已经取保候审), July 26, 2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/07/blog-post_26.html “IndividualsAffected by the Crackdown Following Call for ‘JasmineRevolution,’” July 26, 2011 (updated), http://chrdnet.org/2011/06/17/jasmine_crackdown/ [iii]“Bengbu, Anhui DissidentWu Yuebao Criminally Detained, Several RightsDefenders Warned by Police,” (安徽蚌埠异议人士吴乐宝被刑拘，多名维权人士被警告), July24, 2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/07/blog-post_8787.html?spref=tw;“Wu Yuebao Not Released When Detention Period Ends; LiWenge Taken Away, HasHome Searched,” (吴乐宝到期未放，李文革被带走抄家),July 24, 2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/07/blog-post_24.html;“Urgent Alert: Bengbu Democracy Rights Activist WuYuebao Has Home Searched, IsDetained,” (紧急关注：蚌埠民主维权人士吴乐宝被抄家拘留),June 18, 2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/07/blog-post_6893.html [iv]“BeijingHuman Rights Activist Li Jinping, Detained inPsychiatric Hospital, FoundTo Be Suffering in May,” (被关押在精神病院的北京维权人士李金平，今年5月查出患), July 21,2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/07/blog-post_5494.html?spref=tw;“Special Alert: Beijing Dissident Li Jinping Detainedin PsychiatricInstitution” (特别关注：北京异议人士李金平被关入精神病院),December 25, 2010, http://www.peacehall.com/news/gb/china/2010/12/201012251239.shtml [v]“Hou Zonglan of Jinan AdministrativelyDetained After Being Held in ‘Black Jail,’” (济南侯宗兰被关“黑监狱”后行政拘留) July 24,2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/07/blog-post_6792.html;“Jinan Activist Hou Zonglan Summoned for CelebratingLiu Xiaobo’s Nobel PeacePrize” (因庆祝刘晓波获诺奖济南维权人士侯宗兰被传唤), October 20, 2010, http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2010/10/201010202131.shtml;“LiHongwei’s Administrative Review Application AgainstRTL Punishment Accepted,” (李红卫不服劳教提起的行政复议申请已受理), July 24,2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/07/blog-post_25.html; “LiHongwei Sent to RTL, Had Sued Over Detention in JinanBlack Jail,” (曾经起诉济南黑监狱的李红卫被劳教),July 11, 2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/07/blog-post_3395.html;“Petitioner Li Hongwei Given 1 Year, 9 Months in RTL,”(孙文广：访民李红卫被劳教1年9个月),July 11, 2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/07/19.html;“Third Hearing in Case Brought by Li Hongwei, ofJinan, Against Black Jail” (济南李红卫诉黑监狱一案第三次开庭),November 1, 2010, http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2010/11/201011012153.shtml         [vi]“Government andCitizens Struggle Over Land, VillagerPetitioning Suppressed,” (政府与民争地 村民上访遭打压), July 23,2011, http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2011/07/blog-post_1380.html