China Human Rights Briefing Weekly  August 24-30, 2010

Highlights

• Villagers Detained over Election Protest: Nine residents of Raolefu Village, located on the outskirts of Beijing, have been detained for participating in a protest on July 27 over the alleged disruption of a village election by local officials. According to Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch, some of the villagers have been criminally detained on suspicion of “disturbing social order.”
• Fujian Activist Fan Yanqiong Released: On the morning of August 25, Fujian human rights defender Fan Yanqiong (范燕琼) was released from Fuzhou City Number Two Detention Center on medical parole. Fan suffers from muscular dystrophy and remains seriously ill. Fellow activists have organized donation drives to help Fan with her medical bills. 

Contents

• Arbitrary Detention
  • Young AIDS Activist Tian Xi Formally Arrested in Henan
  • Group of Inner Mongolia Teachers Seized in Beijing, Detained Without Formal Notice
• Freedom of Assembly
  • Police Outside Beijing Detain More Villagers over July Election Protest
• Freedom of Expression
  • Fujian Netizen Fan Yanqiong Released on Medical Parole; Health Remains Extremely Poor
  • Columns of Prominent Journalist Chang Ping Removed from Southern Media Newspapers
• Forced Eviction and Demolition
  • Hundreds Protest Over Forced Evictions, Alleged Rape in Wuhan
• Harassment of Activists
  • Hunan Writer and Activist Li Jianjun Illegally Interrogated, Held Over 24 Hours
• Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
  • Family Planning Officials in Anhui Kidnap, Forcibly Sterilize Young Mother
  • Elderly Jiangsu Petitioner Diagnosed with Thrombosis Following Detention in RTL
  • Imprisoned Dissident Yang Tianshui Remains Seriously Ill, In Need of Outside Medical Attention

ArbitraryDetentionYoungAIDS Activist Tian Xi Formally Arrested in Henan

According to documents obtained by Civil Rightsand Livelihood Watch (CRLW), Henan AIDS activist Tian Xi was formallyarrestedby the Xincai County Public Security Bureau on August 23 on suspicionof"intentional destruction of property." Tian, a 23 year-old AIDSactivist who contracted AIDS as the result of a tainted bloodtransfusion hereceived as a child, was detained on August 17. According to hisfamily, he isin poor health and in need of medication. (CRLW)[i]

Groupof Inner Mongolia Teachers Seized in Beijing,Detained Without Formal Notice

CHRD learned on August 28 that a group of six femaleteachers from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region have been detainedforpetitioning in Beijing.The teachers, five of whom are ethnically Mongolian and one of whom isHan,graduated from teachers' colleges in InnerMongoliabetween 1998 and 2001, but were not assigned to teaching positionsaftergraduation. The unemployed teachers have been petitioning for yearsregardingtheir situation, but have yet to receive a response from officialseither inInner Mongolia or in Beijing.The six teachers were seized on August 13 in the capital and returnedto Baotou City,Inner Mongolia on August 15. They arecurrently being held in the GuchengwanDetention Centerin Baotou.Thelength of their detention is currently unclear, as officials havereportedlyfailed to issue formal detention documents. According to other reports,twomore teachers from Inner Mongoliaweredetained for petitioning on August 28. (CHRD)[ii]

Freedomof AssemblyPoliceOutside BeijingDetain More Villagers over July Election Protest

On August 24, police from the Fangshan DistrictPublic Security Bureau burst into the Raolefu Village Committeebuilding anddetained four villagers. Raolefu Village, located on the outskirts ofBeijing,was the site of a protest on July 27 over an alleged electiondisruption bylocal officials, and it is believed that the detention of the fourvillagers—electioncommittee chief Liu Jinfu, election committee members Zhao Zhenjiang (赵振江) andWang Jinshan (金山),and resident Chen Fuzhen (陈福振)—came as retaliation for their participation inmedia coverage of the July protest.

According to Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch, atotal of 13 villagers were taken into custody as a result of theprotests. Fourhave since been released, but nine remains in detention, some of whomhave beenformally detained on suspicion of “disturbing social order.” (CRLW)[iii]

Freedomof ExpressionFujian Netizen Fan Yanqiong Releasedon Medical Parole; Health Remains Extremely Poor

On the morning of August 25, Fujian human rightsdefender Fan Yanqiong (范燕琼) was released from Fuzhou City Number TwoDetention Center on medical parole. Fan’s family had applied on nineoccasionsfor her release on medical parole. Fan, who suffers from musculardystrophy andhas been confined to a wheelchair, also experienced a number offainting spellswhile imprisoned brought on by heart disease. She remains in extremelypoorhealth. At the moment, Fan plans to return to her hometown of Nanping County, FujianProvince to rest before seeking further treatment.

Fan was the last of three netizens to bereleased from prison after being convicted of "slander" in awidely-followed case in April 2010. Fan and her two co-defendants, WuHuaying (吴华英) andYou Jingyou (游精佑),were detained in the summer of 2009 after posting articles and videoonlineurging government officials to investigate the alleged rape and murderof ayoung woman in Fujian Province. Their case became a cause célèbre amongChinesenetizens and activists, and a crowd of over a thousand gathered toprotestoutside of the courthouse on the day their verdict was announced.   (CHRD)[iv]

Columnsof Prominent Journalist Chang Ping Removed from SouthernMedia Newspapers

On August 25, CHRD learned that prominentcolumnist and former deputy editor-in-chief of SouthernMetropolis Weekly Chang Ping (长平) hashad his columns cancelled by SouthernWeekend and Southern Metropolis Dailynewspapers. Chang, based in Guangzhou,confirmed the news in a Twitter posting, while another source reportedthatChang's desk in the Southern Media Group offices had been removed.While theprecise reason behind the move is not known, Chang Ping has written foryearson social problems and "sensitive" issues, which has earned him theire of government officials; a few days earlier, he had been called infor "tea"by National Security officers in Guangzhou.He was removed from his previous position as deputy editor-in-chief of Southern Metropolis Weekly in 2008 afterwriting an opinion piece on unrest in Tibet which was publishedon the Financial Times' Chinese website. (CHRD)[v]

ForcedEviction and DemolitionHundredsProtest Over Forced Evictions, Alleged Rape in Wuhan

According to a report by Civil Rights andLivelihood Watch, hundreds of WuhanCity, HubeiProvincecitizens took to the streets on the morning of August 30 to protest theforceddemolition of their homes as well as the alleged rape of a young girlbydemolition workers. Two protestors were seized by police, and remain indetention at the time of writing. According to the demonstrators, ayoung girl whosefamily lived in an area marked for redevelopment was raped on August 23by agroup of laborers employed by the demolition company; while policedetained onesuspect, the residents facing eviction who learned about the crimebelievedthis to be an insufficient response. Local officials promised to meetwith theconcerned residents on August 26, but then failed to show up at themeeting. OnAugust 30, when the officials finally met with the residents, theresidentsfelt that the authorities were not taking the matter seriously enough,and stageda demonstration in response. (CRLW)[vi]

Harassmentof ActivistsHunan Writer and Activist Li JianjunIllegally Interrogated, Held Over 24 Hours

CHRD learned on August 26 that Huaihua City,Hunan Province activist and freelance writer Li Jianjun (黎建军) wasillegally held by local National Security officials for 26 hoursbetween August24 and 25. Li was seized shortly after leaving his apartment on theevening ofAugust 24 and taken to a detention house in Zhijiang County, 30kilometers fromHuaihua. After being questioned there for a few hours, Li wastransferred to ahotel by police, who continued to interrogate him. According to Li, theofficers primarily questioned him about his involvement with "HunanCitizens' Net Forum," an online discussion forum; his relationship withCHRD;his support for imprisoned activists, including Liu Xianbin (刘贤斌); andarticles he had posted online, among other issues. Police did notproduce anylegal documents during the interrogation which might have justifiedtheiractions. (CHRD)[vii]

Tortureand Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment FamilyPlanning Officials in AnhuiKidnap, Forcibly Sterilize Young Mother

On August 25, CHRD learned of the case of 23year-old Li Hongmei (李红梅), a new mother who was kidnapped and subjectedto forced sterilization by officials in Changfeng County, AnhuiProvince. Li,who gave birth to her first baby daughter on June 21, was kidnappedalong withher child by family planning officials on July 15. When her familymemberscontacted local officials regarding her disappearance, a quarrel brokeout andLi's mother, Yang Yonglian (杨永连) was seized by local police. She was lateradministratively detained 10 days for "obstructing the carrying out ofofficial duties." The family later learned that Li, who gave birth lessthan a month ago, had been taken to Shuangfeng Hospital,where familyplanning officials had held Li's baby to coerce her into signing anagreementconsenting to the sterilization procedure. Li fell ill after theprocedure,suffering from dizziness and chest pains, and remains hospitalized atthe timeof writing. (CHRD)[viii]

ElderlyJiangsuPetitioner Diagnosed with Thrombosis Following Detention in RTL

CHRD learned on August 26 that 65 year-oldNantong City, Jiangsu Province petitioner Ji Guiying (吉桂英)has developed a serious medical condition as a result of heavy laborand inadequatemedical treatment in the Nantong City Re-education through Labor (RTL)camp. Ji,a victim of forced eviction, was sent to RTL on April 9 of this yearafter shewas detained during the annual meetings of the National People'sCongress andthe Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference allegedly forcarrying aboard filled with nails while petitioning (individuals who havesufferedinjustices have, in the past, used such boards to injure themselves asa meansof protesting their fate). While in the camp, Ji developed edema in herlegsand feet from long periods of performing manual labor while seated, andwasrepeatedly denied medical attention. When she was finally sent to adoctor, shewas diagnosed with thrombosis, a potentially life-threateningcondition. TheRTL camp then released Ji on medical parole, reportedly because itfeared beingheld responsible for Ji’s medical expense or for her dying in the camp.Herfamily has already spent more than 30,000 RMB in medical fees, and sheremainsin poor health. (CHRD)[ix]

ImprisonedDissident Yang Tianshui Remains Seriously Ill, In Need of OutsideMedicalAttention

On August 26, CHRD obtained a copy of a letterwritten by imprisoned Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province democracy activistYangTianshui (杨天水)indicating he remains in poor health and in need of outside medicalattention.According to the letter, which was dated June 8, 2010, Yang continuesto sufferfrom tuberculosis, diabetes, rheumatism, and high blood pressure. Hehas beengiven some basic treatment by prison doctors but has not been allowedto seekspecialized treatment as his condition has worsened. CHRD also learnedthatYang has retained Beijing lawyers Li Baiguang (李柏光) and Liu Peifu (刘培福) tofile an appeal on his behalf. Yang, a longtime dissident and author ofnumerouspolitical essays, is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence handeddown in2006 for “inciting subversion of state power.” (CHRD)[x]

Editors: David Smalls and Lin Sang

News updatesfromCHRD

Annual Report on the Situation of Human RightsDefenders inChina (2009)

[i] "AIDS Activist Tian Xi Formally Arrested" (河南艾滋病维权人士田喜被执行逮捕(图)), August 24,2010, http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2010/08/201008241728.shtml

[ii] "Students from Inner Mongolia Teachers' Colleges 内蒙古师范生因工作问题上访被拘，待业生发出紧急信), August 28, 2010, [iii] "Four More Detained in Raolefu Village, on the OutskirtsofBeijing; Elected Village Chief Among 13 Now in Detention" (京郊饶乐府选举门再抓四人选委会主任等十三人被抓),August 24, 2010, http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2010/08/201008242019.shtml

[iv] "Fujian Activist Fan Yanqiong Obtains Release on MedicalParole" (福建维权人士范燕琼获保外就医), August25, 2010, http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2010/08/201008251221.shtml

[v] "Famous Media Figure Chang Ping Once Against Silenced" (著名媒体人士长平再次被封杀(图)), August 25,2010, http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2010/08/201008251012.shtml

[vi] "Rape of Young Girl in Whuan by Demolition Workers LeadstoMass Protest" (武汉少女遭拆迁人员轮奸引发民众大规模堵路), August 30, 2010, http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2010/08/201008302141.shtml

[vii] "Hunan Activist Li Jianjun Illegally Summoned" (湖南维权人士黎建军被非法传唤),August 26, 2010, http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2010/08/201008262332.shtml

[viii] "Anhui Family Planning Cadres Kidnap Mother andDaughter,Force Sterilization, and Detain Relative" (安徽计划生育干部绑架妇婴做绝育手术并拘留家属(图)), August 25, 2010, http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2010/08/201008251347.shtml

[ix] "Ji Guiying, of Nantong, Falls Ill after SufferingMistreatment in Re-education through Labor" (南通吉桂英因上访被劳教受虐患重病(图)), August 26,2010, http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2010/08/201008261320.shtml

[x] "Nanjing Democracy Activist Yang Tianshui EnlistsBeijingLawyer Li Baiguang to File Appeal" (南京民运人士杨天水委托北京律师李柏光提起申诉), August 27, 2010, http://www.newcenturynews.com/Article/china/201008/20100827220217.html