[CHRB] Lawyer Detained for Driving Car with Anti-Corruption Slogans upon Arriving at Ding Jiaxi’s Trial (4/11-4/17/2014)

China Human Rights Briefing

April 11-17, 2014

Contents

Arbitrary Detention

• Lawyer Driving Car with Anti-Corruption Slogans from Guangdong to Beijing, Detained upon Arriving at Ding Jiaxi’s Trial
• Shenzhen NGO Workers Detained in Guangdong For Investigating Strike

Special Notice

• CHRD & a Coalition of NGOs Sent Information to UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Advance of May Review

Arbitrary Detention

Lawyer Driving Car with Anti-Corruption Slogans from Guangdong to Beijing, Detained upon Arriving at Ding Jiaxi’s Trial

Sarcastic messages on lawyer Wang Quanping (王全平)’s car mocking the government’s persecution of New Citizens’ Movement members: “The people are welcome to disclose their assets, public servants are exempted.”

Guangdong lawyer Wang Quanping (王全平) was criminally detained on a charge of “creating a disturbance” by Beijing police. Wang had driven to Beijing all the way from Jiangmen City in Guangdong with his car painted with sarcastic messages mocking the government’s persecution of New Citizens’ Movement members for demanding officials to disclose their assets, such as “The people are welcome to disclose their assets, public servants are exempted” (see image). Wang tried to attend the trial for lawyer Ding Jiaxi (丁家喜), itself marred by many legal violations (see report). A group of unidentified men seized Wang at the entrance to the Haidian District People’s Court on April 8. His whereabouts were unknown until Wang’s wife told a lawyer on April 10 that he was in detention. A well-respected human rights lawyer, Wang has defended a number of prominent cases, and judicial authorities previously retaliated against him by suspending his legal license for three months in 2013.[1]

Shenzhen NGO Workers Detained in Guangdong For Investigating Strike

Shenzhen labor rights NGO staff Jian Hui (简辉) and volunteer Wang Shishu (王时树) were seized by local police on April 15 after attempting to investigate a workers strike at a shoe-making factory in Dongguan, Guangdong Province. The two men were taken into custody by Dongguan police and are being held at the Gaobuzhen police station. Jian works for the Chunfeng Labor Dispute Service Center, an NGO which provides services for migrant laborers. Reportedly other employees were detained and released on Monday after several hours of questioning, with police attempting to blame the organization for instigating a strike by workers. Since the strike began, the group has been told to move out by their landlord who has reportedly come under pressure from authorities. Thousands of workers at the Yuyuan shoe factory went on strike over lack of social security protection on April 14. The factory, run by a Taiwanese company, makes shoes for Nike, Adidas, Reebok, and Salomon.[2]

Special Notice

CHRD & a Coalition of NGOs Sent Information to UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Advance of May Review

CHRD and a number of NGOs jointly submitted information to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights before its upcoming review of China in May 2014, highlighting areas of concern regarding non-discrimination, equal rights, social security, education, cultural rights, and others. While the coalition of NGOs welcomes positive steps, including the abolition of Re-education Through Labor and loosening of the “one child policy”, the NGOs are deeply concerned about rights abuses in many areas, including forced eviction, domestic violence, child labor, discrimination in education, healthcare, and other social services against people with rural household registration (hukou), violation of workers’ right to free union, right to freedom of association, and violations of right to cultural and religious expression in Tibet, among others. The coalition challenges the Chinese government’s false claims about holding public consultations when it prepared its own report for the Committee’s review. The full NGO report and all appendices can be read here.

[1]“Lawyer Wang Quanping Criminally Detained for Trying to Attend Ding Jiaxi’s Trial, More Than 100 Lawyers Speak Out in His Defense” (王全平律师旁听丁家喜案被刑拘100多位律师报名为他辩护), April 12, 2014, WQW; “Lawyer Wang Quanping Criminally Detained for Creating a Disturbance for Trying to Attend Ding Jiaxi’s Trial” (王全平律师因围观丁家喜案被以寻衅滋事罪刑事拘留), April 10, 2014, WQW; “Lawyer Wang Quanping Criminally Detained for Trying to Attend Ding Jiaxi’s Trial” (王全平律师因围观丁家喜案被刑事拘留), April 10, 2014, CRLW.

[2] “Shenzhen Activist Jian Hui and Others Taken into Custody for Investigating Labor Strike” (深圳维权人士简辉等在东莞了解罢工遭拘押), April 16, 2014, WQW; “Workers Protest Again After Yuyuan Shoe Factory in Gaobu, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province Gives Insufficient Social Security Benefits” (广东东莞高步裕元鞋厂不足额给工人买社保再次引发抗议), April 14, 2014, WQW.