China Human Rights Briefing Weekly  February 15-22, 2011

Highlights

• Police Detain at Least Six in Response to “Jasmine Revolution” Call: After anonymous calls for protests in support of pro-democracy movements in the Middle East and protection for human rights appeared online in the past week, Chinese officials responded with a sweeping crackdown on human rights activists, lawyers, and dissidents across the country. The whereabouts of at least  five human rights defenders, last seen being taken away by police, remain unknown, while at least one individual, Chen Wei (陈卫), has been detained for “inciting subversion of state power.” Authorities also raided the residences of at least eight activists and lawyers, confiscating laptops, computers, cell phones, and books. More than 100 individuals reported that they were questioned, threatened, or had their movements restricted by police in recent days. Additionally, CHRD has learned that lawyer Liu Shihui (刘士辉) was severely beaten by unidentified men on his way to a demonstration in Guangzhou.
• CHRD Issues Statement Criticizing Government’s Failure to Implement Human Rights Action Plan: As the two-year anniversary of the April 13, 2009, publication of the "National Human Rights Action Plan (2009-2010)" approaches, CHRD has issued a statement evaluating the degree to which the Chinese government lived up to the promises it made in that document, as well as assessing the general human rights environment over the past two years. CHRD finds that the government failed to make a good-faith effort to implement reforms outlined in the Action Plan, and that some aspects of human rights have regressed, rather than improved, over the past two years. For the full text of the statement (in Chinese), please click here.

Contents

• Arbitrary Detention
  • Activist Chen Wei, Seized ahead of “Jasmine Revolution” Protests, Is Criminally Detained; Five Others Still Missing after Police Crackdown
  • Officials around the Country Begin Rounding up Petitioners ahead of Two Meetings
• Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
  • Shanghai Activist Mao Hengfeng Released from RTL after Sustaining Brain Injury in Beating
  • Guangzhou Lawyer Liu Shihui Brutally Beaten on Roadside ahead of “Jasmine Revolution” Protests
• Harassment of Activists
  • Police in Hubei Summon, Search Home of Chen Guangcheng Supporter Shi Yulin
  • Shanghai Activist Feng Zhenghu Summoned, House Searched

ArbitraryDetentionActivist Chen Wei,Seized ahead of“Jasmine Revolution” Protests, Is CriminallyDetained; Five Others StillMissing after Police CrackdownAccording to a formaldetention notice issued byauthorities in Suining City, Sichuan Province, rightsactivist Chen Wei (陈卫)has been criminally detained for "inciting subversionof statepower." The document was released by the Suining CityPublic SecurityBureau on the evening of February 21; Chen had beenmissing since police calledhim for “tea” on the morning of February 20. Officersand security guards latersearched his home, confiscating a computer, two harddrives and a USB drive. Heis currently being held at the Suining City DetentionCenter.   At least five otherlawyers and activists seized bypolice in the days leading up to the "JasmineRevolution" protestsremain missing. They are: Tang Jitian (唐吉田),Jiang Tianyong (江天勇), Teng Biao (滕彪),Gu Chuan (古川), and Ran Yunfei (冉云飞).On the morning ofFebruary 21, Tang's wife went tothe Guangwai police station to inquire into herhusband's whereabouts; officersthere told her that he would return home "within fouror five days."Officials have yet to produce any legal documentationwhich might justify thedetention of Tang or any of the other four.Also on February 21,police in Beijing once againreturned to the home of Jiang Tianyong's brother,where Jiang was temporarilystaying, and searched Jiang's room, confiscating adesktop computer and otheritems. They had previously searched the residence onFebruary 20, and hadconfiscated Jiang's laptop computer at that time.For furtherinformation regarding the disappearancesof Tang, Jiang, Teng, Gu, and Ran, please see CHRD’s statement, released yesterday.(CHRD)[i]Officials aroundthe Country Begin Roundingup Petitioners ahead of Two MeetingsIn recent days, CHRDhas been receiving reports fromaround the country of local officials detainingpetitioners in advance of the"Two Meetings" of the National People's Congress andthe NationalCommittee of the Chinese People's PoliticalConsultative Conference. Forexample, on February 15, CHRD learned from HuaibinCounty, Henan Province,petitioner Gao Huaqin (郜华勤) that she and a groupof other petitioners were seized in Beijing afterspending Spring Festival at arelief station and taken to Jiujingzhuang, a centralblack jail. There theywere turned over to interceptors from their hometowns;Gao stated that she wasforcibly returned to Huaibin County, and immediatelyupon arrival was takeninto detention at a local police station. At the timeof writing, Gao remainsin detention. (CHRD)[ii]Torture andOther Cruel, Inhuman, orDegrading Treatment or PunishmentShanghai ActivistMao Hengfeng Releasedfrom RTL after Sustaining Brain Injury in BeatingOn the morning ofFebruary 22, officials from theAnhui Province Women's Re-education through Labor(RTL) Camp returned Shanghaireproductive rights activist Mao Hengfeng (毛恒凤)to her home to seek medical treatment for a cerebralhemorrhage. Mao reportedto CHRD that she was repeatedly tortured whiledetained in the RTL Camp, andthat her head injury was the result of being beaten byguards as well as fellowdetainees.  Mao was detained on February 24, 2010, andsent to 18 monthsof RTL on March 4, 2010, for “disturbing social order”outside of the BeijingNumber One Intermediate Courthouse on December 25,2009, where the sentenceagainst writer and activist Liu Xiaobo (刘晓波)was being announced. Her lawyer and her husband werebarred from visiting withher for the duration of her detention. (CHRD)[iii]GuangzhouLawyer Liu Shihui Brutally Beaten on Roadsideahead of “Jasmine Revolution”ProtestsCHRD has confirmedreports that lawyer Liu Shihui (刘士辉)was brutally beaten and severely injured in GuangzhouCity, Guangdong Province.Around noon on February 20, Liu was waiting for a busto People’s Park, one ofthe locations named by the online posting for the“Jasmine Revolution” protests,when five men put a sack over his head. The men thenproceeded to beat Liu withbamboo rods, kick him, and stab his legs with knives. Liu was leftbleeding on the roadside, and his legs appeared to bebroken. He was able tocrawl home and call for help. After Liu’s beating wasreported online,attracting the attention of foreign journalists,Guangzhou police arrived atthe hospital where Liu was being treated and took astatement regarding theattack. This beating follows a December 10, 2010,incident in which Liu wasabducted and threatened by national securitypolicemen. (CHRD)[iv]Harassment ofActivistsPolice in HubeiSummon, Search Home ofChen Guangcheng Supporter Shi YulinOn the morning ofFebruary 19, National Securityofficers in Yichang City, Hubei Province arrived atthe home of activist ShiYulin (石玉林), summoning Shi forquestioning. While Shi wasbeing interrogated, officers searched his home,confiscating a computer. It isbelieved that Shi's summons and the search of his homeis related to Shi'srecent efforts to support Shandong human rightsdefender Chen Guangcheng (陈关诚),as well as the authorities' concern over the "JasmineRevolution"protests. (CHRD)[v]Shanghai ActivistFeng Zhenghu Summoned,House SearchedOn the morning ofFebruary 16, police in Shanghaisummoned human rights activist Feng Zhenghu (冯正虎)for questioning. While he was at the Wujiaochangpolice station beinginterrogated, National Security officers searched hishome, confiscating twocomputers, two cell phones, computer equipment,written documents, and otheritems. This is the third occasion on which Feng's homehas been searched bypolice in the past year. Feng was summoned inconnection with a public lettersigned by himself and 189 other Shanghai citizensdemanding judicialreforms.  (CHRD)[vi] CHRD is Hiring! CHRDis currently seeking a full-time Research Associate.For more information,please see the full job notice on our website at http://chrdnet.org/2011/02/04/chrd-is-hiring/Editors: David Smalls and Lin Sang Follow us on Twitter:  @CHRDnetNewsupdates from CHRD[i]"News Flash: Suining, Sichuan Rights Activist ChenWei CriminallyDetained" (快讯：四川 遂宁维权人士陈卫被刑事拘留), February 22, 2011, http://boxun.com/hero/201102/chrd/9_1.shtmland "No News on Tang Jitian, Jiang Tianyong, or TengBiao, Missing forMany Days" (唐吉田、江 天勇、滕彪律师失踪多日仍无消息), February 22, 2011, http://boxun.com/hero/201102/chrd/8_1.shtml[ii]"As Two Meetings Approach, Petitioners Once AgainDetained Across theCountry" (两会临近，各地又开 始关押访民),February 15, 2011, http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2011/02/201102151017.shtml[iii]"Shanghai Activist Mao Hengfeng Seeks TreatmentOutside of Detention forTorture Suffered During Re-education through Labor"(上海维权人 士毛恒凤所外就医，劳教期间遭受酷刑), February 22, 2011, http://groups.google.com/group/weiquanwang_CHRD/browse_thread/thread/f1a51a523a780c18[iv]“CHRD Condemns Preemptive Strikeagainst Protests,” February 21, 2011, http://chrdnet.org/2011/02/21/chrd-condemns-pre-emptive-strike-against-protests/[v]"Hubei Democracy and Human Rights Activist Shi YulinSummoned by Police,Home Searched" (湖北民主维 权人士石玉林被警察传唤抄家), February 19, 2011, http://www.newcenturynews.com/Article/china/201102/20110219143911.html[vi]"Shanghai Home of Feng Zhenghu Searched, ManyBeijing Human RightsActivists Summoned" (上海冯正虎被传唤抄 家，北京多位人权人士被传唤),February 17,2011, http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2011/02/201102171337.shtml