[CHRB] More Than 30 Petitioners Detained for Joining Anti-Corruption Campaign (7/26-31, 2013)

China Human Rights Briefing 

July 26-31, 2013

Contents

Arbitrary Detention

• More Than 30 Petitioners Seized for Supporting Anti-Corruption Campaign
• Activist Detained in Guangdong in Apparent Retaliation for Lawsuit

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

• Detained Lawyer Suffering Debilitating Illness, Has Defended Farmers’ Land Rights

Arbitrary Detention

More Than 30 Petitioners Seized for Supporting Anti-Corruption Campaign

CHRD has been able to verify that, in May and June, Beijing police swept up more than 30 petitioners who had joined the drive calling for top Chinese officials to disclose their wealth while also appealing for the release of other detained anti-corruption activists. Most of these petitioners were released on bail within 37 days—the legal time limit for criminal detention without an arrest being approved—but some remain held on criminal charges.

Around May 18, the day that the International Garden Expo opened in Beijing, police took into custody nearly three dozen petitioners and criminally detained them for “gathering a crowd to disrupt social order” and similar offenses. Among these was Ying Jinxian (应金仙) of Zhejiang Province, who police roused from her sleep around midnight on May 17 and then detained. By June 25—37 days later—all the petitioners who had been seized around the Expo had been released except for Zhao Guangjun (赵广军) of Liaoning, Lü Dongli (吕动力) of Shaanxi, and Zhu Pingping (朱萍萍) of Shanghai. Zhu and Zhao were released recently on bail, while Lü is still in custody at Fengtai District Detention Center, where he has gone on a hunger strike. Another who has been released, Deng Zhibo (邓志波) of Jilin, has been suffering from ascites—accumulation of abdominal fluid—in part because his cirrhosis of the liver went untreated in detention.

Among petitioners seized in Beijing after the sweep in the third week of May, Xu Nailai (许乃来) of Tianjin and He Bin (何斌) of Hubei, who were detained on May 27, remain held for “creating a disturbance ” in Chaoyang District Detention Center. Zhao Zhenjia (赵振甲) of Liaoning was taken away by police on June 9 and is being held in Fengtai District Detention Center. In addition, Zhang Fuying (张福英), from Liaoning, was taken away by police on June 13 and is detained at Beijing No. 1 Detention Center.[1]

Activist Detained in Guangdong in Apparent Retaliation for Lawsuit

Activist Wu Bin (吴斌，who goes by the screen name Xiucai Jianghu, 秀才江湖) was criminally detained in Guangdong Province sometime soon after July 16 in likely reprisal against his rights activism, including his lawsuit against the Futian District branch of the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau for illegally detaining him. Wu is facing a concocted charge of “sabotaging electrical power equipment,” according to lawyer Chen Keyun (陈科云).  He is being held at Haizhu District Detention Center. Previously, police had detained Wu briefly in Shenzhen on June 23 after he demonstrated with others in front of a courthouse in support of detained fellow activists.[2]

Wu Bin (吴斌) demonstrating in support of recently detained fellow activists. His banner reads: “Chinese Dream: Long Live Democracy.”

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

Detained Lawyer Suffering Debilitating Illness, Has Defended Farmers’ Land Rights

Shenzhen-based lawyer Jiang Yuanmin (蒋援民), arrested on April 17 on a “gathering a crowd to disrupt social order” charge after helping farmers defend their land rights, has been suffering severe illness for months, according to his lawyer, Li Fangping (李方平), who met Jiang in detention in Hainan Province on July 29. Authorities at the Sanya City No. 1 Detention Center sent Jiang to a hospital only in mid-June after he had difficulty walking; authorities had until then denied him any treatment, which aggravated his condition. The hospital diagnosed Jiang with chondromalacia patellae, manifested by inflammation in his kneecaps. Currently, Jiang can only walk or stand unassisted for minutes at a time. Authorities have not responded to a request by lawyer Li in May for Jiang’s release on bail. A local procuratorate has reportedly sent Jiang’s case back to police for further investigation twice, the maximum allowed by Chinese law before a detainee is to be released or has their case sent to a court for prosecution. Authorities had reportedly offered to grant Jiang bail if he agreed to stop defending the farmers, but he refused that offer.[3]

[1] “Jilin Rights Defender Deng Zhibo Has Liver Ascites Due To No Treatment During 37-Day Criminal Detention” (吉林维权人士邓志波被刑拘37天肝病得不到医治致肝腹水), July 30, 2013, WQW; “Ying Jinxian From Hangzhou Criminally Detained For ‘Gathering A Crowd To Disrupt Social Order’ In Sleep” (杭州应金仙睡梦中被聚众扰乱公共秩序罪刑事拘留), July 28, 2013, WQW; “Rights Defenders Zhao Guangjun and Zhu Pingping Released On Bail After Being Detained For 30 Days” (维权人士赵广军、朱萍萍被羁押30天后获取保候审), July 26, 2013, WQW; “Many Rights Defenders Including Zhao Guangjun Still Under Detention Or Forced Disappearance” (辽宁维权人士赵广军等多人仍被羁押或强迫失踪中), July 17, 2013, WQW; “Nationwide Petitioners Continue Calling For Disclosure of Top Officials’ Private Assets” (各地上访维权人士继续打横幅要求官员公开财产), May 4, 2013, WQW; “Nationwide Petitioners Protest Against International Garden Expo In Beijing, Some Including Deng Zhibo Disappeared” (各地维权访民抗议园博会在京召开，邓志波等人失踪), May 19, 2013, WQW

[2] “Netizen Xiucai Jianghu Taken Away by Police, Was Calling for Support of Chen Shuwei” （网友@秀才江湖在深圳声援陈书伟被警察带走）, June 24, 2013, WQW; “Netizen Youcai Jianghu (Wu Bin) Faces Being Driven Out of Guangzhou” （网络活跃人士秀才江湖（吴斌）在广州遭驱赶), July 18, 2013, WQW

[3] “Life of Shenzhen Lawyer Jiang Yuanmin, Who Has Defended Rights for Farmers Who Lost Land, in Danger” (为失地农民维权被逮捕的深圳律师蒋援民生命堪忧), July 29, 2013, WQW