[CHRB] Activist Now Detained One Year for Seeking Participation in UPR (8/1-7, 2013)

China Human Rights Briefing

August 1-7, 2013

UPR Watch

• No Verdict Announced 2 Months After Trial of Activist Peng Lanlan, Detained for Seeking Participation in China’s UPR

Arbitrary Detention

• Five Tibetans Sentenced for Alleged Participation in Secret Political Group
• Tibetan Monks Given 30 Months in Prison for “Harboring Criminals”
• Jiangsu Activists Formally Arrested After Uncovering “Black Jail”
• Six Petitioners Arrested for Petitioning at U.S. Embassy

Enforced Disappearance

• Shenzhen Activist’s Whereabouts Unknown for Past 2 Months
• Uyghur Student Disappeared at Beijing Airport on Way to Turkey

Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment & Punishment

• Arrested in Recent Crackdown, Activist Liu Ping Mistreated in Detention

UPR Watch

No Verdict Announced 2 Months After Trial of Activist Peng Lanlan, Detained for Seeking Participation in China’s UPR

Hunan activist Peng Lanlan (彭兰岚) has now been detained for one year after pushing for civil society participation in China’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by  demanding the government disclose information on the country’s second “National Human Rights Action Plan.” Peng has reportedly been very weak and had difficulty eating. In August 2012, Peng and other activists were seized in Beijing while en route to submitting an information disclosure application about the drafting process of China’s human rights action plan. Arrested last October on a charge of “obstructing official business,” Peng has been held at Dongcheng District Detention Center. Peng was reportedly tortured by police soon after being taken into custody. On June 8, 2013, the Dongcheng District People’s Court put Peng on trial in closed proceedings but has yet to hand down a verdict. Peng Lanlan is the only activist known to have been arrested in retaliation for seeking a role in China’s human rights action plans and upcoming UPR, preparations for which the government has declared “state secrets.”[1]

Arbitrary Detention

Five Tibetans Sentenced for Alleged Participation in Secret Political Group

On August 1, five ethnic Tibetans in Sichuan Province, including a popular writer, were reportedly given prison terms ranging from two years to five-and-a-half years for allegedly being members of a secret political group. In Ganzi (Tibetan: Kardze) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, the Yajiang County People’s Court sentenced the writer Gangkye Drupa Kyab to five years and six months, while Samdup received a five-year term, Drensel was handed three years, and Sheygyal and Yudrang each were sentenced to two years, according to information obtained by an exile Tibetan newspaper. The men were all accused of being part of the so-called Anti-Communist Party Association. Gangkye Drupa Kyab was initially seized in February 2012 when police officers raided his home in Seda County, and he was then held incommunicado for 17 months. Also a teacher, his most well known book is “Blood Letters of 2008,” which details the violent response by Chinese authorities to the protests in Tibet in March 2008.[2]

Tibetan Monks Given 30 Months in Prison for “Harboring Criminals”

A court in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) sentenced three monks in April to two-and-half-years in prison on charges of “harboring criminals,” a case apparently related to fires and explosions that occurred around government buildings in October 2011. Two of the monks, Namsay Sonam (朗色索朗) and Lodroe Rabsel (洛珠绕色), were seized for allegedly protecting those who police claim were involved in the incident, which took place in Changdu (Tibetan: Chamdo) Prefecture in the TAR. Authorities accused a third monk, Dhondup Gyaltsen (顿珠江参), of writing “reactionary” slogans about Tibetan independence on materials sent to officials. Arrested in March 2012, the three monks were first charged with “splittism,” but the alleged crime was later changed. The monks, who were all administrative committee members at Karma Monastery, were tried by the Changdu Prefecture People’s Court, and are being held at Changdu County Prison.[3]

Jiangsu Activists Formally Arrested After Uncovering “Black Jail”

On August 6, at least four activists in Jiangsu Province were formally arrested on charges of “gathering a crowd to disrupt social order” in connection with a successful rescue in June of individuals who had been illegally held in a “black jail” in Wuxi City. The four activists—Ding Hongfeng (丁红芬), Shen Guodong (沈果东), Yin Xijin (殷锡金)，and Qu Fengsheng (瞿峰盛)—were initially detained on June 22 and criminally detained on July 5 after they and 15 others freed five people, including three over 70 years old, who were being illegally held by police inside a hotel. Ms. Ding is being held at Wuxi City No. 2 Detention Center, the other three are at Wuxi City No. 1 Detention Center.

Of 12 others who were criminally detained in following the incident, most have been released, and some have said they were severely tortured.[4] All of those detained had also called for Chinese officials to disclose their financial wealth, a drive that has spurred Chinese authorities to detain dozens of citizens from around China since February. (See a list on CHRD’s website of individuals who have been criminally detained in the crackdown.)

Six Petitioners Arrested for Petitioning at U.S. Embassy

Six of 19 petitioners from Fujian Province who were criminally detained in late June for trying to bring attention to their grievances in front of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing have been arrested on charges of “creating a disturbance.” On June 25, the group from Fuzhou City went to the embassy and threw flyers detailing the injustice that they have faced from Chinese authorities. Within minutes, police dragged the petitioners away and then criminally detained them. On August 6, the wife of Lin Bingxing (林炳兴) was informed that Lin’s arrest had been approved by the Chaoyang District People’s Procuratorate. Xiong Fenglian (熊凤莲), Hu Shuyuan (胡淑媛), Jiang Bixiu (蒋碧秀), Wu Fasheng (吴发胜), and Lin Yimei (林依妹) have also been arrested on the same charge. The 13 other petitioners had previously been released on bail.[5]

Enforced Disappearance

Shenzhen Activist’s Whereabouts Unknown for Past 2 Months

The whereabouts of Shenzhen-based activist Yang Lin (杨林) have been unknown since June 12, after he was taken away by Shenzhen police. National security officers in the capital initially took Yang into custody on June 3 in Beijing—the eve of the politically sensitive June Fourth anniversary—and then forcibly returned him to Shenzhen. Officers reportedly threatened Yang, saying that he could disappear by being “put into a bag and thrown to the bottom of the sea in the South, or buried in a pit dug in the desert in the North.” More than 100 people have signed an appeal calling for Shenzhen authorities to disclose Yang’s whereabouts. Yang, a migrant worker originally from Shandong Province, has petitioned for an unfair settlement after he was injured at a factory. In retaliation, Yang has been sent to prison and Re-education through Labor, given many administrative detentions, and held in “black jails” numerous times. In addition, he signed “Charter 08” and has been involve in many rights activities in Shenzhen.[6]
 

Shenzhen-based activist Yang Lin (杨林) has been disappeared for nearly two months.

Uyghur Student Disappeared at Beijing Airport on Way to Turkey

Mutellip Imin (穆塔力浦·伊明), a 24-year-old Uyghur student, has been missing since being stopped by police at a security check point at the Beijing International Airport on July 15, according to Ulghurbiz, a website based in Beijing. Atikem Rozi, using the screen name “Uyghuray,” wrote on the site that Imin had sent her an “SOS” text message in the early morning of July 15. Since then, she has not been able to contact him, and Imin’s family also has received no notification from police about his whereabouts. On July 6, Imin returned to Beijing from Turkey, where he studies the Turkish language at Istanbul University. Before his return, he apparently had learned that one of his friends, a Uyghur student at People’s University in Beijing, had been invited to “drink tea” with national security officers and was interrogated for more than 20 hours, during which time officers repeatedly asked about Imin. Officers hinted that they would pursue him if he were to return to China. Imin had graduated from the Central University of National Minorities in Beijing in July 2012.[7]

Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment & Punishment

Arrested in Recent Crackdown, Activist Liu Ping Mistreated in Detention

Detained Jiangxi activist Liu Ping (刘萍) was physically assaulted the day she was taken into custody in April, and has endured other forms of mistreatment in detention, according to her lawyer, Zheng Jianwei (郑建伟). When the lawyer visited Liu at Xinyu City Detention Center on August 1, Liu told him that an officer tried to choke her, and that two others twisted her arms painfully on April 28. Authorities also have blocked Liu from accessing funds that supporters have sent to the detention center for her. She was even prevented from buying medicine to treat a severe bout of diarrhea. Liu was initially held for “inciting subversion of state power” and then arrested in early June on a charge of “unlawful assembly.” (See a list on CHRD’s website of individuals who have been criminally detained in the crackdown). She is among three activists from Jiangxi Province—along with Li Sihua (李思华) and Wei Zhongping (魏忠平)—whose trial had been reportedly scheduled for July 18 but then cancelled. No new trial date has been announced.[8]

[1] “Taken Into Custody Nearly One Year for Conducting Surveys on Human Rights, Peng Lanlan Is Very Weak” (彭兰岚因征集人权状况调查表被羁押近一年，身体十分虚弱), August 5, 2013, WQW; “The Chinese Government Must End Reprisals Against Activists Demanding Participation in UPR”, July 4, 2013; CHRD; “Petitioners Blocked From Attending Trial of Peng Lanlan” (各地维权访民在北京旁听彭兰岚“妨碍公务”案受阻), June 8, 2013, WQW; “The Case Of Hunan Human Rights Defender Peng Lanlan Suspected of ‘Obstructing Official Business’ Transferred to Court” (湖南维权人士彭兰岚“妨害公务”案被移送到法院), February, 20, 2013, WQW; “Case Of Hunan Human Rights Defender Peng Lanlan Transferred for Prosecution” (湖南维权人士彭兰岚一案被移送检察院), January 20, 2013, WQW; “Hunan Human Rights Defender Peng Lanlan’s Lawyer Met Her in Detention Center for First Time” (湖南维权人士彭兰岚的律师首次到看守所会见), November 28, 2012, WQW; “Hunan Human Rights Defender Peng Lanlan Was Arrested For Conducting Surveys On Human Rights” (湖南维权人士彭兰岚因征集人权调查表被逮捕), November 23, 2012, WQW; “Hunan Rights Activist Peng Lanlan Criminally Detained for Surveying Opinions on Human Rights” (紧急关注：湖南维权人士彭兰岚因征集人权调查表在北京被刑事拘留), August 15, 2012, WQW; “Many Seized by Police While Applying for Public Information Disclosure of ‘National Human Rights Action Plan’” (因参与《国家人权行动计划》的信息公开申请多人被警方扣押), August 14, 2012, WQW

[2] “Tibetan writer and four others sentenced to more than 5 years in prison,” August 7, 2013, TCHRD

[3] “Three Tibetan Monks Sentenced to Two and Half Years’ Prison in Chamdo, One Arrested in Zoege,”August 2, 2013, Phayul.com; “Three Monks of Karma Monastery’s Administration Committee in Tibet’s Chamdo Region Sentenced for ‘Harboring Criminals’” (西藏昌都嘎玛寺管委会3名僧人被以“窝藏罪”判刑), August 1, 2013, WQW

[4] “Quick Update: Ding Hongfen and other 4 Who Rescued Detainees From Black Jail Arrested by Wuxi Authorities” (快讯：丁红芬等4位黑监狱营救者被无锡当局批捕), August 7, 2013, HRCC.

[5] “Xiong Fenglian And Five Other Fuzhou Petitioners Arrested Under Suspicion of ‘Creating A Disturbance’” (福州冤民熊凤莲等6人在北京告洋状被以“寻衅滋事罪”逮捕), August 6, 2013, WQW; “Seven Fuzhou Petitioners Insisting Innocence Were Forcibly Given ‘Release On Bail’” (福州告洋状7位冤民坚称无罪，被强制“取保候审”), July 29, 2013, WQW; “To Support The 19 Fuzhou Petitioners Under Criminal Detention, Families Gathered Every Monday Expecting Their Return” (声援惨遭刑拘19福州冤民，家属每周一聚寻亲盼回家), July 6, 2013, WQW; “Urgent Attention: 19 Fuzhou Petitioners Seeking Redress At U.S. Embassy Were All Detained” (紧急关注：福州19冤民找“奥巴马信访办”诉冤全被拘), June 27, 2013, WQW; “19 Fuzhou Petitioners Petitioned At U.S. Embassy Again” (福州19冤民再闯美使馆陈冤诉难), June 25, 2013, WQW.

[6] “Shenzhen Rights Defender Yang Lin Disappeared, People From Various Areas Co-signed Letter Calling For Authorities’ Disclosure of The Truth” (深圳维权人士杨林失踪 各界联署要求当局公开真相), August 6, 2013, RFA; “Over 100 People Co-signed Letter Calling For Authorities’ Disclosure of Yang Lin’s Whereabouts” (百余名各界人士联名要求公开杨林失踪真相), August 5, 2013, WQW; “Shanghai Citizens Expressed Support For Yang Lin Who Had Been Missing For 41 Days and Urged The Government To Join The ‘International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance’” (上海民众声援失踪41天的杨林，要求政府加入《保护所有人免遭强迫失踪国际公约》), July 27, 2013, WQW; “Shanghai Citizens Expressed Support For Yang Lin, Who Had Been Missing For Over 30 Days” (上海民众声援失踪30多天的深圳维权人士杨林), July 19, 2013, WQW; “Shenzhen Rights Defender Yang Lin Has Been Missing Since June 12” (深圳维权人士杨林自6月12日失踪至今), June 22, 2013, WQW; “Rights Defender Yang Lin Was Threatened During June Fourth: Putting You In A Bag To Throw Into The Sea” (六四期间维权人士杨林被威胁：用一个麻袋把你沉到海底), June 15, 2013, WQW; “Shenzhen Rights Defender Yang Lin Taken Away By Police In Beijing” (深圳维权人士杨林在北京被警察带走), June 4, 2013, WQW

[7] “Urgent Call: Release Mutellip Imin, Resolutely Oppose Enforced Disappearance” (紧急呼吁：释放穆塔力浦、坚决反对强迫失踪), Ulghurbiz.net.

[8] “Liu Ping Severely Beaten, Mistreated in Detention, Indicates She Will Not Commit Suicide” (刘萍关押期间遭遇殴打虐待 表示绝不自杀), August 6, 2013, WQW; “Activist Liu Ping Trial to Open on July 18 on Charge of ‘Unlawful Assembly’” (特别关注：维权人士刘萍“非法集会罪”一案将于本月18日开庭), July 5, 2013, WQW; “Xinyu, Jiangxi Activist Liu Ping Arrested for ‘Unlawful Assembly’” (江西新余维权人士刘萍被以“非法集会罪”逮捕), June 5, 2013, WQW; “Police Send ’Inciting Subversion’ Case of Liu Ping to Procuratorate for Approval, Authorities Reject Lawyer’s Application to Meet Her” (刘萍“煽动颠覆案”警方报请检察院批捕，律师申请会见遭拒), May 30, 2013, WQW; “Human Rights Defense Network Solemnly Protest Citizens Detained by Authorities in Beijing and Jiangxi for ‘Demanding Officials Disclose Assets’” (“维权网”严正抗议北京和江西当局拘捕“要求官员公布财产”的公民), May 8, 2013, WQW; “Jiangxi Human Rights Activist Liu Ping Criminally Detained on Charge of ‘Inciting Subversion of State Power’” (江西维权人士刘萍因“涉嫌煽动颠覆罪”被刑事拘留), May 8, 2013, WQW; “News Flash: Well-known Rights Activist Liu Ping Criminally Detained on Charge of ‘Inciting Subversion of State Power’” (快讯：著名维权人士刘萍因涉嫌煽动颠覆国家政权罪被刑事拘留), May 7, 2013, WQW; “Human Rights Activists in Xinyu, Jiangxi Province Tortured in Custody, Many Still Detained, Including Liu Ping” (江西新余被拘押维权人士遭酷刑，刘萍等多人仍未获释), April 29, 2013, WQW; “Human Rights Activists in Xinyu, Jiangxi Province Tortured in Custody, Many Still Detained, Including Liu Ping” (江西新余被拘押维权人士遭酷刑，刘萍等多人仍未获释), April 29, 2013, WQW; Chinese Authorities Must Release Activists, End Escalating Crackdown on Free Expression, April 19, 2013, CHRD