[CHRB] Tibetans Imprisoned for Splittism; Poet Censored for Urging Huangpu River “Memorial” (3/16-20, 2013)

China Human Rights Briefing

March 16-20, 2013

Contents

Arbitrary Detention

• Three Tibetans Imprisoned for “Inciting Splittism”

• Fujian Petitioner Held Illegally in Government Building for Nearly 5 Months

Freedom of Expression

• Shanghai Poet Censored After Urging “Memorial” for Huangpu River

Rights of Children

• CHRD Submits Information for Review of China’s Compliance with UN Convention on Children’s Rights

Arbitrary Detention

Three Tibetans Imprisoned for “Inciting Splittism”

On March 18, three ethnic Tibetans were sentenced to prison in Qinghai Province on charges of “inciting splittism” in a case reported by official state media. The Haidong Prefecture Intermediate People’s Court handed down six years to Kalsang Dhondup (尕藏当智), five years to Jigme Thabkey (久买谈克), and four years to Lobsang (落桑). In issuing its decision, the court reportedly stated that the three defendants took advantage of self-immolation incidents and sent out texts and distributed photographs related to Tibetan separatist activities.[1]

Fujian Petitioner Held Illegally in Government Building for Nearly 5 Months

A petitioner from Fujian Province has reportedly been held in a government building since being seized in Beijing before the Communist Party Congress last fall. Local officials intercepted and forcibly returned Luo Xianying (罗先英) to her village in Sanming City on November 1, and have since detained her and kept her under 24-hour guard. While Luo’s family says that she suffers from medical problems that have gone untreated, a government official in Suining has claimed that Luo is being brought to see doctors. The official further denied that she was being detained, maintaining instead that Luo was staying at the government building because she has no place to live. Luo Xianying has sought justice over her parents’ pension and a land reclamation grievance, and in the past was attacked and seriously injured in retaliation for petitioning.[2]

Freedom of Expression

Shanghai Poet Censored After Urging “Memorial” for Huangpu River

Shanghai government censors have continuously deleted weibo messages posted by Chinese poet Pan Ting (潘婷), who urged people to “memorialize” the Huangpu River, and also shut down her weibo account. On March 13, Pan posted a message inviting others to participate in a stroll on March 23—but without props, posters, or slogans—in memory of the “once beautiful” river, where corpses of thousands of pigs were recently found floating. The disturbing episode has spurred online criticism and public protests, particularly over government mismanagement in the wake of the incident and official downplaying of possible impacts on public health.[3]

Rights of Children

CHRD Submits Information for Review of China’s Compliance with UN Convention on Children’s Rights

CHRD made a submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in advance of the Committee’s working group meeting in February, which was held in preparation for a review of UN States’ compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The review is set to take place from September 16 to October 4, 2013. CHRD’s submission focuses on several areas of concern related to rights of children in China, including protections against child labor, trafficking in children, corporal punishment, unequal access to education, as well as disabilities and other health and discrimination issues. The submission also includes information on authorities’ harassment and intimidation of children of human rights defenders (HRDs), an increasingly common tactic used to retaliate against HRDs.

Edited by Victor Clemens and Renee Xia

[1] “Three Tibetans sentenced to prison for ‘inciting separatism’,” March 20, 2013, TCHRD; “Haidong Prefecture Intermediate People’s Court Hand Down Sentence in Splittism Case in First-Instance Trial” (海东地区中级人民法院一审宣判一起煽动分裂国家案), March 18, 2013, Qinghai People’s Daily

[2] “Luo Xianying of Fujian Held by Village Government for More Than 4 Months, Appeals to Outside World for Help” (福建罗先英被关乡政府逾4个月，向外界紧急呼救), March 19, 2013, WQW

[3] “Female Poet Pan Ting Has Weibo Account Shut Down Over Urging Walk for Huangpu River in Shanghai After Dead Pig Incident” (女诗人潘婷因上海黄浦江死猪事件发起散步，微博遭封锁), March 15, 2013, WQW