Uwazi

On June 5, 2020, the People’s Court of Heshigten Banner of Southern (Inner) Mongolia tried two Mongolian activists, Mr. Tsogjil and Mr. Haschuluu, who organized local Mongolian herders to protest the government’s illegal appropriation of their grazing land. Jail sentences of eight months and four months were handed down to Tsogjil and Haschuluu respectively for “rallying the public to petition the government, obstructing official business, videotaping and posting untrue stories, and transferring edited video footage to foreign organizations.”

“Defendant Tsogjil, male, born on March 4, 1979” and “defendant Haschuluu, male, born on October 23, 1978” were sentenced for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” according to the criminal verdict issued by the Heshigten Banner People’s Court.

“Criminal tools used: one long banner and one cellular phone that were already confiscated,” the verdict added.

“They are totally innocent,” Mr. O. Sechenbaatar, who himself was released from a year of house arrest recently after being detained for two weeks for supporting the protest in the neighboring Ongniuud Banner, said in an audio statement. “What they did was nothing but to legally file complaints about the local government’s illegal land grab and stage protests to urge the local Public Security Bureau to release detained herders and activists including myself.”

Under the Chinese authorities’ “bail pending trial” for over a year, the two activists were deprived of their basic rights to mobility and communication after being released from their initial detention last year.

“The trial was carried out pretty much behind a closed door,” O. Sechenbaatar told the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center. “The crimes they were accused of committing were rallying people to demand the release of detained herders; inviting Ms. Yanjindulam (also knowns as Naranhuaar), a herder's leader, to join the protest; posting protest video footage on WeChat and sending information to foreign hostile forces.”

Tsogjil, a native of Heshigten Banner, had actively been advocating Southern Mongolians’ rights to use their native language; access their land, water, and other resources; and maintain national identity. He founded and managed at least five discussion groups with a total membership of nearly 2,500 Mongolian herders and grassroots activists on China’s only available social media outlet WeChat.

Before his arrest in April 2019, Tsogjil rallied the Mongolian herders for the release of the detained writer O. Sechenbaatar in one of his WeChat discussion groups called “Language, Livestock, and National Boundary.” “I ask our fellow herders from each and every village to gather in front of the banner government tomorrow to demand the immediate release of O. Sechenbaatar,” he wrote.

“O. Sechenbaatar went to jail for defending our land and rights. We all must wake up and take up the fight to protect our homeland,” Tsogjil said in the discussion group. “The authorities can arrest one of us, a few of us, but cannot arrest all of us.”

“Haschuluu was accused of committing similar crimes, including his involvement in last year’s public protest in front of the banner government and demanding my release,” O. Sechenbaatar said.

“What is truly revealing is the family members of the two were told by the court that the decision was handed down from the above. This means the government is above the law, and the law is a tool for the government officials to punish those who protest the government’s abuse of power,” O. Sechenbaatar added.

According to online discussions posted by local herders from Heshigten Banner, Haschuluu lived with his 80-year-old mother who is left without anyone's care after his trial despite her poor health.

On 5 June 2020, Mr. Tsogjil and Mr. Haschuluu, herders and community-based defenders, were sentenced to jail for protesting protesting against Government land-grabbing by a court in Heshigten Banner, China.

After releasing Liu Xianbin, authorities still watched him.

On June 27, Liu completed a 10-year prison sentence. His family received a phone call at 10:00 a.m., saying he would return home soon. Yet, he did not arrive home until 8:00 p.m. because he had to take a COVID-19 test.

State security officers and pandemic prevention personnel picked him up at 4:00 p.m. and took him home. His family had been waiting for the whole day. They were very mentally and physically exhausted.

The next day, the family saw a police vehicle outside of their apartment complex. A few state security officers sat in the car. The family thought it was odd for the officers to be monitoring the area.

A month before, government officials installed surveillance cameras around his home. They also placed cameras at the entry of the complex.

An insider said, �State security officers stay at the entry of his building and have been there the whole day. I have no clue whether Liu Xianbin is under house arrest or residential surveillance.... The practice is not normal, and it seems that Liu Xianbin is being tightly controlled.�

Liu is a supporter of democracy and human rights. He participated in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. He has also defended prisoners of conscience.

Since 1991, Liu has spent more than 20 years in prison on various charges. His first charge was �counter-revolutionary propaganda and incitement." He received this charge for his participation in the Tiananmen Square protests. He was released in 1993.

In 1998, he formed a democratic party, so he received a 13-year sentence, but he was released early in 2008.

Two years later, he was arrested on a charge of inciting subversion of state power. A local court sentenced him to 10 years in prison on March 25, 2011. They also stripped him of political rights for two years and four months.

On 27 June 2020, Liu Xianbin, pro-democracy defender, was placed under surveillance by the police after serving a ten-year jail term in Suining, China.

Police used pepper spray and arrested at least 14 people in a Hong Kong mall during a �shopping protest� on Thursday against Beijing�s impending national security law .

The suspects, nine males and five females, aged 14 to 55, were arrested for illegal assembly, police said, after protesters marched around the Yoho Mall shopping centre in Yuen Long chanting slogans, which caused customers to flee and stores to close on what was a public holiday.

Trouble flared again in the evening after two protesters who were waving a colonial flag and chanting slogans in the mall�s atrium were taken away by plain-clothes officers, sparking the anger of a small group of demonstrators nearby.

The officers then fired pepper spray to keep the group at bay. Riot police quickly arrived to provide back up and also used pepper spray.

Beijing is drafting legislation for Hong Kong, which will ban secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign and external influences to threaten national security. The controversial law, of which only a broad outline has been revealed, could be passed as early as June 30.

Among those hit with pepper spray was opposition district councillor Lam Chun. First aiders helped four people sprayed with the chemical.

The Yuen Long councillor said he was just trying to find out why the pair were taken away. �One was just chanting slogans. There were no more than 50 people [as permitted by coronavirus social-distancing rules]. We don�t even know why they were arrested,� Lam said.

�We couldn�t even ask police why they were arrested, they responded with pepper spray. That�s the situation Hongkongers are facing now.� Thursday is a public holiday in Hong Kong to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival . The demonstration started at about 1.30pm, when a man in the mall chanted slogans and displayed a banner that read �Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our time�, a popular mantra at the height of last year�s anti-government protests , which were sparked by a now-withdrawn extradition bill .

Others watched from upper floors, and some joined in with shouts of their own. They then marched through the mall chanting slogans.

�Give me back my justice,� they yelled. �Hong Kong independence, the only way.�

Police in riot gear arrived at the mall at 2pm to break up the crowd and left soon after. But protesters later regrouped and continued with their routine.

Shortly after 3pm, plain-clothes police officers revealed their identities and stopped more than a dozen people. Some were taken away after police reinforcements arrived.

On 25 June 2020, 14 pro-democracy defenders were arrested by the police for protesting against the looming national security law in Hong Kong, China.

Authorities in the central Chinese province of Hunan have secretly indicted the "Changsha Three" non-governmental organization (NGO) workers, family members and rights groups said.

Cheng Yuan, Liu Dazhi, and Wuge Jianxiong were indicted in secret for "subversion of state power" by prosecutors in Hunan's provincial capital, Changsha, on June 24.

The three were detained last year, as they worked for a non-government group called Changsha Funeng.

Cheng Yuan's wife Shi Minglei learned of the charges only after calling the Changsha Procuratorate for an update on July 10, the overseas-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) network said in an e-mail.

Shi was informed that the indictments had been issued and the case transferred to the Changsha Intermediate People's Court to await trial, it said.

The move came after the firing of six defense attorneys and the three Changsha Funeng staff in March.

"[Cheng, Liu and Wuge] have not received a single visit from their family-hired attorneys since being taken into custody on July 22, 2019 nor allowed any communication with their families," CHRD said.

They are being currently being held at the Kaifu District Detention Center in Changsha, it said.

Shi told RFA on Friday that the case against her husband and his co-defendants had been marked by procedural violations, and was akin to an extrajudicial procedure.

"This case hasn't gone through the system in the usual way at all," she said. "It is dithering about outside of the system."

"We have tried to get in touch with the judge, Zhao Zhe, and we have called his office number, but nobody ever picks up," Shi said. "When we went to the detention center, we unexpectedly ran into a government-appointed defense attorney."

Pressure to 'confess'

Authorities in China have repeatedly put pressure on political prisoners to accept government-appointed lawyers, and to achieve a more lenient sentence by "confessing" to the charges against them.

In some cases, they have issued letters "firing" the defense attorneys hired by their families.

"So I called the government-appointed lawyer, and they said that the pretrial meeting had already happened," Shi said. "I think this means that they're going to go ahead with a secret trial very soon, maybe next week."

"The so-called government lawyer had no independence to speak of," she said, adding that non-government lawyers had been reluctant to take on the case. "So I really don't expect a proper defense."

Human rights and political cases can lead to trouble for law firms and the suspension of lawyers' licenses to practice.

Changsha Funeng founder Yang Zhanqing, who is now in the U.S., said the Changsha Three were detained as part of a general crackdown on the organization.

"Cheng, Liu, and Wuge had been very low profile, and very rarely made any kind of public comment on their work," Yang said. "They even tried to minimize police harassment by doing all of their legal advocacy work in an individual capacity."

"They never spoke on behalf of Changsha Funeng."

Yang said the main reason the authorities had targeted the three men was the fact that their rights work had received overseas funding, which the ruling Chinese Communist Party regards as "collusion with hostile foreign forces," and a threat to its national security.

On 24 June 2020, Cheng Yuan, Liu Dazhi, and Wuge Jianxiong, detained NGO workers, were formally indicted on subversion charges after their lawyers were fired by prosecutors in Changsha, China.

Human rights lawyer Chen Jiahong (???) (aka Chen Wendan, ???), was put on trial in a closed-door hearing on �inciting subversion� charges at the Yulin City Intermediate Court, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on June 24. It�s unclear whether Mr. Chen had legal representation during the trial, as he had been pressured to fire the lawyers of his choice in March after telling one he had been mistreated in detention. The trial came more than one year after he was taken into custody. The charges against him have been linked to his online speech critical of the government, his condemnation of the abolition of presidential term limits, as well as his pro-democracy views. Mr. Chen had been held at the Yulin City Detention Center.

On 24 June 2020, Chen Jiahong, human rights lawyer, was tried for subversion after spending over a year of pre-trial detention and being forced to fire his lawyer by a court in Yulin, China.

The Suzhou Intermediate Court in Jiangsu Province sentenced human rights defender Ge Jueping (???) to 4.5 years in jail on �inciting subversion of state power� charges on June 24. Mr. Ge has already been subjected to a 3-year and 8-month prolonged pre-trial detention, including being put under �residential surveillance in a designated location.� His trial took place more than a year ago on May 13, 2019. Mr. Ge, who suffers from serious illnesses, including hypertension, heart palpitations, parotid gland cancer, has not received proper medical treatment at the detention center.

On 24 June 2020, Ge Jueping, detained pro-democracy defender, was handed down 4-years jail term on catch-all charge despite poor health conditions by a court in Suzhou, China.

China's state security police have formally arrested dissident Xu Zhiyong for subversion after he called publicly on President Xi Jinping to resign.

Xu, who has already served jail time for his spearheading of the New Citizens' Movement anti-corruption campaign, penned an open letter to Xi while in hiding following a gathering of pro-democracy activists and lawyers in December 2019, calling on him to step down.

He is currently being held incommunicado in "residential surveillance at a designated location" (RSDL) pending the completion of the investigation.

RSDL allows police to hold anyone they say is suspected of crimes linked to national security without contact with family or a lawyer for up to six months.

Xu is currently being investigated for "incitement to subvert state power by a team of state security police based in the eastern province of Shandong that has been pursuing a number of participants in December's gathering in the southeastern port city of Xiamen.

Human rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi is a co-defendant in the same case, RFA has learned.

Xu Zhiyong's sister was notified by the Shandong police on June 20 that Xu had been formally arrested, but his location remains unknown.

Xu Zhiyong's friend and independent documentary director Hua Ze meanwhile said the "meeting" was merely a gathering of friends.

"The police are treating this as if it is a big case, and claiming that there is an organization at work, but actually it was just a group of friends getting together," Hua said.

"They were just talking about how to help some of the current [detained activists'] cases, and follow up on them," she said.

Liu Jiacai, a rights activist from the Yangtze river city of Yichang who is often targeted by state security police, said he is currently safe at home after being taken out of town for the sensitive June 4 anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre.

"Xu had written a lot of articles since the start of the coronavirus pandemic," Liu said. "Anyone who attended the Xiamen gathering is now being suppressed by the authorities, and many people no longer dare to speak out."

"But Xu kept insisting on speaking up ... I feel bad that he was detained, as his friend and fellow activist," he said.

Liu said the Xiamen gathering was a meeting of like-minded friends who discussed social phenomena and China's future.

"We did not violate the Constitution or the current laws of China, but the authorities have persecuted us anyway," he said.

Fears over possible torture

Ding Jiaxi�s wife Luo Shengchun says she fears her husband, who is also being held under RDSL detention, may be being tortured.

"My sense is that he is being subjected to torture," Luo told RFA. "The people who came out [after being interrogated as part of the investigation] wouldn't talk about it; they had been silenced."

"This is clearly about framing Ding Jiaxi; they haven't been able to find any evidence of criminal behavior, but they will keep on finding excuses to keep him in detention because he refuses to plead guilty," she said.

Luo said she is certain that Ding Jiaxi will never cave in to police pressure to "confess" to the charges against him.

"This is a red line for him, because he is innocent," Luo said. "They came before to try to persuade him, and he told them they should be trying to persuade the bad guys not to do bad things, not trying to persuade the good guys not to do good things."

Writers' group PEN America, which recently honored Xu with the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award, on Monday condemned Xu's formal arrest.

"Xu Zhiyong is under arrest for criticizing the government, plain and simple," PEN CEO Suzanne Nossel said in a statement. "By proceeding with these meritless charges of �subversion,� the government is using the law as a tool to legitimize its suppression of dissidents. But criticisms are not crimes, no matter how much Beijing insists otherwise."

She added: "We have zero confidence that Xu will receive a fair trial. We insist that the government drop these absurd and abusive criminal charges against him, and acknowledge his right to express his ideas and opinions without fear of a jail cell."

Critical flaws in proposed resolution

The news of Xu's formal arrest emerged as the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) held a brief debate in Geneva on June 22 over a draft resolution presented by China, raising "serious concerns" about the future of the Human Rights Council and, more broadly, the multilateral UN human rights system, rights groups said.

The overseas-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) network said there were "critical flaws" in the resolution, which would limit the council's ability to hold member states to account for human rights violations.

"The draft resolution, once put into effect, would codify language directly taken from Chinese Communist Party propaganda � namely, China�s promotion for a �shared community of future� modeled on its authoritarian governance at home � and its attempt to silence criticisms of rights abuses in the Human Rights Council platforms," the group said in a statement.

Xu had also penned a New Year's message to China's citizens in 2020, calling on them to think about whether they want to carry on with an authoritarian government or movement towards democratic constitutionalism, an idea that President Xi has said has no place in his vision for China.

Dozens of people linked in some way to the New Citizens' Movement group have been detained and jailed in recent years.

Xu was handed a four-year jail term in January 2014 on public order charges after staging a street protest calling for greater transparency from the country's richest and most powerful people.

Ding Jiaxi, who has previously served jail time for calling on top officials of the ruling Chinese Communist Party to reveal details of their wealth, was stopped by police at Beijing International Airport in May 2018, as he tried to board a plane to visit his wife and daughter in the U.S.

He was also among more than 300 rights attorneys, law firm staff, and associated activists detained, questioned, and subjected to surveillance and travel bans amid a nationwide crackdown since 2015.

Ding was earlier detained in April 2013 and handed a three-and-a-half year jail term a year later by Beijing's Haidian District People's Court for �gathering a crowd to disrupt public order,� after he called publicly on Chinese officials to reveal details of their wealth, as part of the New Citizens� Movement.

On 21 June 2020, Xu Zhiyong, detained pro-democracy defender, was formally arrested by the police, while his whereabouts remain unknown in Shandong Province, China

Authorities in Shanghai have formally arrested a lawyer-turned-citizen journalist who reported on the emerging coronavirus epidemic in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

Zhang Zhan, who lives in Shanghai but who traveled to Wuhan in early February, was taken away from Wuhan's Caiguang Hotel near Hankou railway station on the night of May 14.

She was held by police near her home in Shanghai's Pudong district on suspicion of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," a charge frequently used to target peaceful critics of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

Zhang was then formally arrested on that charge on June 19 on the orders of the Pudong state prosecutor, RFA has learned. She is currently being held in the Pudong Detention Center.

Repeated calls to Zhang's mother rang unanswered on Monday.

But a friend of Zhang's surnamed Zhu said she had denied the charges when she met with her defense attorney two weeks earlier.

"Zhang Zhan has been formally arrested for picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," Zhu said. "Shortly after Zhang Zhan was detained, a lawyer went to Pudong Detention Center to meet with her, and she told him she was pleading not guilty."

Zhu said Zhang's mother had received a notification of her daughter's arrest, but was too frightened to talk to journalists following heavy pressure from state security police, and hadn't publicized the arrest details.

Zhu said her friend had traveled to Wuhan after lockdown began purely to report on the situation there.

"She found a way to get into Wuhan after the city was locked down," Zhu said. "That was such a big risk to take; she has an extraordinary spirit not available to most people, to the extent that she was willing to risk arrest, and even her life."

'She is very strong-minded'

An overseas-based friend of Zhang's surnamed Lang said he was sad to learn of her arrest.

"I had been expecting it, though, because this isn't her first rodeo," he said. "She was previously detained for supporting the anti-extradition movement [in Hong Kong]."

"I am worried about her, because she is a practicing Christian with a strong tendency towards martyrdom," he said. "She is very strong-minded."

Zhang, 40, was detained by police in Shanghai in September 2019 for holding up an umbrella in solidarity with the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement on the streets of Shanghai, and demanding an end to Communist Party rule.

She was released after 65 days in detention, during which time she went on hunger strike twice.

Zhang moved to Shanghai from the northern province of Shaanxi in 2010, and formerly worked as a lawyer before official retaliation took away her license to practice.

In Zhang's last YouTube video posted on May 13, she had reported on the impact of a huge fall in passenger numbers on the livelihoods of Wuhan's taxi drivers, as well as loss of employment in the wake of the lockdown among the city's residents.

She also spoke out against the intimidation of local people by the urban management police, or chengguan, and about a sense of despair at life in China.

Thousands targeted for speaking out

The Chinese government has targeted thousands of people for speaking out about the coronavirus epidemic in the country since it began in late December in the central city of Wuhan.

After President Xi Jinping said he would lead "a people's war" on the epidemic on Jan. 20, police handled 5,111 cases of "fabricating and deliberately disseminating false and harmful information," according to a Feb. 21 statement from the ministry of public security.

Between Jan. 1 and March 26, nearly 900 internet users were penalized by police for their online speech or info-sharing about the coronavirus epidemic, across almost every province, region, and municipality in China.

Charges used to question, detain, and arrest people included "rumor-mongering," "fabricating false information," �sowing panic,� �disturbing public order,� and "breach of privacy."

Cases in which people were accused of "spreading misinformation" or "disrupting public order" accounted for more than 96 percent of cases, according to the overseas-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) network.

CHRD said on Monday it has documented "a dozen cases" of detainees or prisoners of conscience being denied access to their lawyers and families, including virtual meetings, on coronavirus grounds.

The group called on the government to stop using the pandemic as a pretext to restrict people's rights.

"In some instances, Chinese officials have stated that the suspensions are �indefinite� or until the pandemic is over, even if lockdown restrictions elsewhere have already begun to be lifted and authorities have declared that public health milestones have been met," CHRD said in a statement on its website.

Among those affected are ailing citizen journalist and rights activist Huang Qi, veteran dissident Qin Yongmin, Tibetan activist and businessman Tashi Wangchuk, and activist Chen Jianfang.

Detained lawyers Hao Jinsong and Li Yuhan have also been denied meetings with their defense lawyers, as have detained activists Liu Jinxing, Shen Liangqing, Xie Wenfei, Xu Kun, and Zhang Baocheng, CHRD said.

On 19 June 2020, Zhang Zhan, detained lawyer-turned-citizen journalist, was formally indicted on vague charges by the state prosecutor of Shanghai, China.

A Chinese court has secretly convicted and handed down a four-year jail sentence to one of China�s most outspoken human rights lawyers, Yu Wensheng, on the charge of �inciting subversion of state power�, according to his wife.

Yu�s wife, Xu Yan, told the Guardian that she was informed by phone by the prosecutor�s office in Xuzhou city in the eastern province of Jiangsu that her husband�s term was ordered in a closed door sentencing on Wednesday morning. The Xuzhou city intermediate people�s court also deprived Yu of his political rights, meaning he is barred from serving in public positions, publishing and speaking publicly, for three years.

His sentencing comes after his secret trial in May 2019, which took place without the knowledge of his family.

During Yu�s more than two years in detention, he was barred from meeting his family and the lawyers they hired, and there were widespread fears that he was tortured in custody. In April last year, the UN working group on arbitrary detention said Yu should be released.

His wife said Yu was �in a very isolated situation� as none of his relatives, including herself, or lawyers appointed by the family were present at the trial.

�He can�t accept this outcome. He would appeal,� his wife said. �I demand his unconditional release.�

As one of the staunchest government critics in the country, Yu had repeatedly weighed in on politically sensitive issues despite intensifying efforts to stifle dissent under China�s leader Xi Jinping.

Yu, 52, was picked up by police near his home in Beijing on 19 January 2018 as he walked his son to school and later charged with inciting subversion of state power. The day before, he published an online post calling for the removal of Xi and for reforms in the legal and political systems. Three months earlier, Yu also demanded Xi�s resignation in an open letter, accusing China under his rule as �marching backwards�. Yu�s legal licence was revoked shortly before he was taken away.

Yu had long been seen as a thorn in the side of the authorities. He had tried to sue authorities for failing to shield Chinese citizens from pollution and represented activists and dissidents, including Wang Quanzhang, a fellow attorney who vanished into detention in the summer of 2015 and was later sentenced to four-and-a-half-years in jail for subversion. Wang was released in early April this year but was barred from being reunited with his family for weeks.

Yu had also been detained for more than three months in 2014 after voicing his support for pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong and was tortured in detention.

Amnesty International�s Asia-Pacific regional director, Nicholas Bequelin, said Yu�s sentencing is �nothing but political persecution dressed up as legal process�.

�The secret sentencing of yet another human rights lawyer marks a new low for what is left of the rule of law in China,� he said.

US-based rights group Chinese Human Rights Defenders said Yu joined �a long list of Chinese human rights lawyers, activists, dissidents, and journalists� convicted on national security charges for exercising and defending human rights.

�China is in the process of imposing a national security law on Hong Kong to further the suppression of free expression and assembly in the territory,� it said.

The Hong Kong-based Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group and 17 other international rights groups and individuals issued a joint statement to condemn Yu�s sentencing and urged his immediate release.

On 17 June 2020, Yu Wensheng, detained human rights lawyer secretely convicted to four-year jail term by a court in Xuzhou, China.

Responding to today�s targeting of nine more activists in connection with Hong Kong�s June Fourth Tiananmen vigil, in addition to four arrests carried out yesterday, Director of Amnesty International Hong Kong Man-Kei Tam said:

�The targeting of is the latest assault on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in the city. With China's Orwellian national security law coming, the Hong Kong authorities appear emboldened to ramp up repression of critical voices.

�The June Fourth vigil is a moment for people in Hong Kong to remember those killed in the Tiananmen crackdown 31 years ago, and for the authorities to use this peaceful event as a means of targeting critics is sickening.

�A year to the day after Hong Kong Police infamously targeted protesters with excessive force during mass demonstrations, the crackdown on Hong Kong�s freedoms is unrelenting.

�But as shown by those who peacefully took to the streets today to mark the 12 June anniversary, people will continue to peacefully advocate for those freedoms and will not be cowed by repression.�

Background

Between 11 and 12 June, police informed 13 individuals that they will receive a summons to appear in court in late June for �inciting� others to take part in unauthorized assemblies on 4 June.

Ten of those targeted are members of the HK Alliance, which has organized the annual vigil in Hong Kong�s Victoria Park to commemorate the Tiananmen crackdown.

Last week, Hong Kong police banned the vigil for the first time in 30 years, citing COVID-19 measures. The ban did not stop thousands from convening in the park, and even more holding smaller events elsewhere.

The 13 people targeted include the chairperson of Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China (HK Alliance) Lee Cheuk-yan; vice-chairpersons Albert Ho Chun-yan and Chow Hang-tung; secretary Richard Tsoi; core members Cheung Man-kwong, Mak Hoi-wah, Andrew Wan Siu-kin, Chiu Yan-loi, Leung Yiu-chung and Leung Kam-wai; vice president of the Labour Party Steven Kwok Wing-kin; vice convenor of the NGO Civil Human Rights Front Figo Chan Ho-wun; and founder of media group Next Digital Jimmy Lai.

On the evening of 3�4 June, 1989 in Beijing�s Tiananmen Square, hundreds � possibly thousands � of people were killed when troops opened fire on students and workers who had been peacefully calling for political and economic reforms as well as an end to corruption. No one knows the exact number of fatalities since the Chinese authorities have stifled and censored discussion of the crackdown for the past three decades.

On 11 June 2020, 13 NGO staff were summoned by the police for allegedly organising an assembly in violation to COVID-19 restrictions to commemorate Tienanmen massacre in Hong Kong, China.

On June 10th, almost a year after the brief occupation of the Legislative Council building (LegCo) during a pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong, two journalists at the scene have been slammed with new charges of rioting which in the law carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence, but is in this case is limited to seven years due to the fact it is judged by the District Court in Hong Kong.

Ma Kai-chung, a reporter from the online media Passion Times and Wong Ka-ho, the deputy chief-editor of the City University of Hong Kong�s student journal, will both be tried in August alongside 10 protestors and were initially only charged with �illegally entering and remaining in the Legislative Council chamber�, an offense which carries a maximum 3-month prison sentence.

�These two journalists were only performing their professional duty by documenting the occupation of the Legislative Council building and should never be indicted, and especially not charged with a crime that carries a 10-year jail term�, says C�dric Alviani, Reporters Without Borders� (RSF) East Asia bureau head, who calls on the Hong Kong Secretary for Justice to �immediately drop the absurd rioting charge.�

On the night of July 1st 2019, a date that marked the 22nd anniversary of the former British colony�s handover to China, a small group of protesters stormed the Legislative Council building, whilst over half a million Hong Kong residents took to the streets protesting against a now withdrawn bill that would have allowed extradition to the mainland.

According to the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), Hong Kong�s press freedom dropped to a record low in 2019, largely as a result of police violence. RSF has raised the issue of violence against journalists in a letter last July addressed to Carrie Lam, head of the Hong Kong executive, but received only a canned response.

The Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong has fallen from 18th place in 2002 to 80th place in this year�s RSF Press Freedom Index. The People's Republic of China stagnates at the bottom of the index in 177th place out of a total of 180 countries.

On 10 June 2020, Ma Kai-chung and Wong Ka-ho, media workers, were charged with riot for reporting Hong Kong protest a year before by a Hong Kong court in China.

Pro-democracy Xiao Yuhui was taken away by Guangdong police after forwarding a petition addressed to President Trump.

On May 27, police in China took Xiao into custody shortly after he had passed the petition on to his friends. At least one other person was arrested after spreading the petition, but she was released on bail on May 30.

Xiao was released on May 31.

This is not the first time Xiao has been in custody. In October 2016, police detained him for owing more than 18,000 yuan in credit card fees. In June 2017, he received a nine-month sentence for suspected credit card fraud.

He also has taken part in a variety of activist activities. He attended an anti-national education rally in Hong Kong in 2012. On March 8, he planned to distribute voting cards at a subway station and was interviewed by state security. He has followed China�s family planning policy for a long time and has been forbidden from leaving the country.

The petition, titled, �One Person, One Letter to Save Hong Kong,� was first started by Hong Kong�s Apple Daily. It urged Trump to intervene on behalf of Hong Kong after Beijing pushed forward a national security law for the region.

Agreements reached between China and Britain as Hong Kong transitioned into Chinese control in 1997 required Hong Kong maintain its own judicial, legislative, and economic systems. Hong Kong also follows a partially-democratic model, in which residents are allowed to elect some of their officials. These elements permitted Hong Kong residents more freedom than people in mainland China, making it relatively safe for activists and religious people.

However, the new national security law has furthered concerns that those freedoms are being eroded. A version of the law implemented in mainland China is often used to target religious people and dissidents.

As of May 30, the , �One Person, One Letter to Save Hong Kong� petition had more than 110,000 signatures.

American policymakers have taken action on behalf of Hong Kong�s rights in the past few weeks. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared Hong Kong no longer autonomous from China, a significant move that could have trade ramifications. On May 29, Trump gave a speech, saying:

�Several of the most significant actions we are taking pertained to deeply troubling situations unfolding in Hong Kong. This week China unilaterally imposed control over Hong Kong�s security. This was a plain violation of Beijing's treaty obligations, with the United Kingdom, in the declaration of 1984 and explicit provisions of Hong Kong's Basic Law. It has 27 years to go.

The Chinese government's move against Hong Kong is the latest in a series of measures that are diminishing the city's long-standing and very proud status.

This is a tragedy for the people of Hong Kong, the people of China, and indeed the people of the world.

China claims it is protecting national security. But the truth is that Hong Kong was secure and prosperous as a free society. Beijing's decision reverses all of that. It extends the reach of China's evasive state security apparatus into what was formerly a bastion of liberty.

China's latest incursion, along with other recent developments that degraded the territory�s freedoms, makes clear that Hong Kong is no longer sufficiently autonomous to warrant the special treatment that we have afforded the territory since the hand of it.

China has replaced its promise formula of �one country, two systems� with �one country, one system.� Therefore, I am directing my administration to begin the process of eliminating policy exemptions that give Hong Kong different and special treatment.

My announcement today will affect the full range of agreements we have with Hong Kong, from our extradition treaty to our export controls on dual-use technologies and more with few exceptions.

We will be revising the State Department's travel advisory for Hong Kong to reflect the increased danger of surveillance and punishment by the Chinese state security apparatus.

We will take action to revoke Hong Kong's preferential treatment as a separate customs and travel territory from the rest of China.

The United States will also take necessary steps to sanction PRC and Hong Kong officials directly or indirectly involved in eroding Hong Kong's autonomy and so just if you take a look, smothering absolutely smothering Hong Kong's freedom.

Our actions will be strong. Our actions will be meaningful.

More than two decades ago, on a rainy night in 1997, British soldiers lowered the Union Flag and Chinese soldiers raised the Chinese flag in Hong Kong. The people of Hong Kong felt simultaneously proud of their Chinese heritage and their unique Hong Kong identity.

The people of Hong Kong hoped that in the years and decades to come, China would increasingly come to resemble its most radiant and dynamic city. The rest of the world was electrified by a sense of optimism that Hong Kong was a glimpse into China's future. Not that, Hong Kong would grow into a reflection of China's past.�

On 27 May 2020, Xiao Yuhui, pro-democracy defender, was arrested by the police for joining an online petition demanding democracy in Hong Kong in Guangdong Province, China.

Police in Hong Kong have fired tear gas and water cannon at protesters rallying against China's plans to impose a new security law on the territory.

Thousands of demonstrators have been marching through the city centre. Police say 120 have been arrested.

Earlier, 200 senior politicians from around the world issued a joint statement criticising China's plan.

But China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the legislation should be brought in "without the slightest delay".

China is seeking to pass a law that would ban "treason, secession, sedition and subversion" in the territory.

Activists fear it is an attempt to limit freedoms and silence Beijing's opponents.

Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam, who is seen as part of the pro-Beijing political establishment, has pledged full support for the proposed law and said the city's rights would remain unchanged.

China has dismissed concerns the legislation would harm foreign investors in Hong Kong, an important financial centre, and lashed out at "meddling" countries. How are the latest demonstrations unfolding?

Protesters gathered in the busy Causeway Bay and Wan Chai districts of the city on Sunday, chanting slogans against the government and waving banners.

Riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at demonstrators, who were wearing face masks to protect against the spread of coronavirus.

The rally comes despite earlier warnings from authorities against unauthorised assembly and a ban on large public gatherings to enforce social distancing.

Some protesters threw objects such as umbrellas and water bottles at officers, and used bins and other debris to set up road blocks.

Reports say Sunday's protest followed a similar pattern to many of last year's demonstrations, many of which turned violent.

More than 8,400 people have been arrested in Hong Kong since pro-democracy protests erupted last year.

The "draft decision" - as it is known before approval by China's National People's Congress - includes an article that says Hong Kong "must improve" national security.

It adds: "When needed, relevant national security organs of the Central People's Government will set up agencies in Hong Kong to fulfil relevant duties to safeguard national security in accordance with the law."

That means China could potentially have its own law enforcement agencies in Hong Kong, alongside the city's own.

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned the plans, which he described as a "death knell" for the city's freedoms. The UK, Australia and Canada have also expressed their "deep concern".

Relations between Washington and Beijing are already strained over trade disputes and the coronavirus pandemic.

The US is currently considering whether to extend Hong Kong's preferential trading and investment privileges. President Trump has also weighed in, saying the US would react strongly if the law went through - without giving details.

Speaking on Sunday, Mr Wang accused countries said "some political forces in the US" were pushing the two countries "to the brink of a new Cold War".

The Chinese government argues the law is necessary to "prevent, stop and punish" protests such as those that rocked Hong Kong last year. They were sparked by a bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.

The statement was drafted by former Hong Kong Governor Christopher Patten and former British Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind, and signed by 186 policy makers and politicians from 23 countries.

It describes Beijing's plans as a "flagrant breach" of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, under which Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

"If the international community cannot trust Beijing to keep its word when it comes to Hong Kong, people will be reluctant to take its word on other matters," the signatories wrote.

They include 17 members of the US Congress, and 44 UK MPs.

The NPC is expected to vote on the draft law at the end of its annual session, on 28 May. It will then be forwarded to the NPC's Standing Committee, China's top legislature, which is expected to finalise and enact the law by the end of June.

On 24 May 2020, at least 120 pro-democracy defenders were arrested by the police, who used tear gas and water cannon against thousands during a protest against the new security law in Hong Kong, China.

Human rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong was harassed ahead of the convening of two of China�s governing bodies this week.

Yesterday, some of China�s top politicians met, including Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping. Afterward, the National People�s Congress convened. These two sets of meetings comprise one of China�s most major annual political events.

Before the meetings took place, officials harassed and monitored Jiang Tianyong, a human rights attorney. Jiang�s family said national security officers constructed tents so they could monitor Jiang continuously. Cameras were installed at the front door and at the intersection of roads. On Wednesday, an officer approached the door, punched it, shook the fence, and peeped inside the house.

It is not unusual for China to harass activists ahead of major events.

Jiang has previously served prison time for his work defending those targeted by the Chinese government. Even now that he has been released, officials watch him closely and have surrounded him when he has tried to go to restaurants.

He suffers from swollen legs and pain in his waist, but the officials will not let him seek medical treatment in Beijing.

On 20 May 2020, Jiang Tianyong, human rights lawyer, was intimidated and monotired by security forces ahead of Government meeting in Beijing, China.

Wei Zhongping, an activist, has been closely monitored in the past six months since he was released and was warned by authorities about his online speech. On Thursday, May 14, he was summoned by police on the charge of picking quarrels and provoking trouble and was still detained at dusk.

Wei had dropped off meals at the home of Liu Ping, another activist, on Thursday morning and was subsequently taken to the Ludong police station in Xinyu by auxiliary police. A police officer showed the summons paper, claiming it is due to his involvement in picking quarrels and provoking trouble. He was detained until that night. The neighborhood committee had also called Wei on the phone the day of his arrest, reminding him that he should report where he goes. Liu estimated that these two occurrences are related.

Liu said, �If he was released, he would contact us immediately. We hope that it can draw others� attention because we are vulnerable. We have been closely monitored since being released, and we can not send anything we want via our cell phones. The neighborhood committee checked in on us multiple times on the excuse of caring for us, asking where we will go.�

She also said that Xinyu�s state security officers with police and leaders of the neighborhood committee came to Wei�s home a couple of weeks ago, warning him, but she didn�t know details. Earlier on, state security officers and police came to Liu�s place as well, warning her not to post anything sensitive, and her WeChat account is often blocked. Liu posted something about the coronavirus on WeChat, and as a result, she received a warning.

Wei was beaten during his last detention, leading to a broken nose and ribs. He filed complaints but never received an explanation. As a result of the abuse, he has poor health and no money for doctor appointments.

On April 28, 2013, Wei, Liu, and fellow activist Li Sihua were arrested because they held banners at the entry of the complex where Liu lives, calling for the release of detained citizens. The three became known as the �Three Xinyu Gentlemen.� On May 7, they were criminally detained by the Xinyu police on the charge of inciting subversion of state power. Later, the charge was changed to �picking quarrels and provoking trouble,� �assembling a crowd to disturb public order,� and �utilizing a cult to obstruct law enforcement.� On June 18, 2014, Wei and Liu were both sentenced to six-and-a-half years and Li to three years. Wei and Liu were released on Oct. 27, 2019.

Wei, a 57-year-old originally from Xiaogan, Hubei, used to work for a steel company in Jiangxi province. He, as an independent candidate, participated in the election of deputies to the National People�s Congress in 2006. In 2009, he met Liu during a labor dispute lawsuit and sued the Xinyu Municipal Labor Supervisory Department for administrative violation on her behalf. He also worked to repeal his steel company�s retirement system.

On 14 May 2020, Wei Zhongping, pro-democracy defender, was arrested by the police after six-month surveillance over alleged illegal activities conducted in Xinyu, China.

Chinese authorities must immediately release journalist Zhang Zhan, drop any charges against her, and ensure that the media can cover the coronavirus pandemic without fear of arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Zhang, an independent video journalist who had been posting reports from Wuhan on Twitter and YouTube since early February, went missing in the city on May 14, one day after she published a video critical of the government�s countermeasures to contain the virus, according to news reports.

On May 15, the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau issued a notice stating that Zhang had been arrested and detained for �picking quarrels and provoking trouble,� and was being held at the Pudong Xinqu Detention Center, according to those reports.

If convicted, she could face up to five years in prison, according to the Chinese criminal code.

�China professes pride in its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, but appears deathly afraid of allowing independent journalists like Zhang Zhan to freely tell the story of what is happening,� said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Steven Butler, in Washington, D.C. �Chinese authorities should free Zhang immediately and allow her to continue the important work of documenting the impact of the disease.�

Since arriving in Wuhan in early February, Zhang posted videos including interviews with local business owners who were severely impacted by the pandemic, and with workers who struggled to find work in the city.

CPJ called the Wuhan Public Security Bureau for comment, but no one answered. An officer at the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau told CPJ to call the Pudong Xinqu Detention Center for information about Zhang�s arrest. CPJ called the center, but no one answered.

Video journalist Chen Quishi, who traveled to Wuhan to report on the pandemic in late January, went missing after telling his family that he planned to visit a temporary hospital on February 6, as CPJ documented at the time.

Freelance journalist Li Zehua, who also went missing in the city after posting two live-stream videos claiming that state security agents were pursuing him on February 26, reappeared two months later claiming that he was quarantined by police because he had been to �sensitive epidemic areas,� according to news reports.

On 14 May 2020, Zhang Zhan, blogger went missing, and was arrested by the police on the next day for online criticising Government measures to tackle the pandemic in Wuhan, China.

Hong Kong police arrested more than 250 people in Mong Kok on Sunday night following a day of anti-government protests across the city.

A source said about 200 of those were detained on suspicion of unlawful assembly. Earlier in the day, hundreds of protesters gathered in at least 10 shopping malls to chant slogans and sing Glory to Hong Kong, the anthem of the anti-government movement .

Police said they arrested one man who had materials capable of making petrol bombs.

In the evening, a small group of protesters in the busy Mong Kok shopping district attempted to block roads by setting trash and rubbish bins on fire but were quickly dispersed by police.

Officers in riot gear then took up guard on the street, firing pepper spray on a number of occasions, including twice at reporters, and taking away several people.

Democratic Party legislator Roy Kwong Chun-yu, who turned up in Mong Kok to negotiate with police, was subdued by several officers as he crossed a street, with one pressing his knee onto the politician�s head. The party wrote on its Facebook page that Kwong was to be charged with disorderly behaviour and brought to Hung Hom Police Station. Earlier, protesters circulated messages online, urging people to gather in malls by 3pm. The shopping centres included Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui, Cityplaza in Taikoo Shing and Moko Mall in Mong Kok. Since April 26, when hundreds gathered in Cityplaza to chant slogans, Hong Kong has seen a revival of protests, which had died down because of the Covid-19 pandemic .

The protesters had earlier planned a march from Tsim Sha Tsui to Mong Kok demanding the resignation of Hong Kong�s embattled leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor. But the event was postponed indefinitely after police objected on the grounds of restrictions on public gatherings to curb the spread of the virus.

In Tsim Sha Tsui, dozens of officers had been on patrol from the early afternoon. At least a dozen people were searched and two were taken to police vehicles. At about 3pm, a crowd of people, including some with placards, gathered on the steps leading to Harbour City. The crowd retreated into the mall after officers marched towards the building, but police did not initially enter the mall and protesters continued to chant slogans.

Shortly after 4pm, police entered the shopping centre, saying there was a public gathering of more than eight people inside. A few people were stopped inside as police cordoned off parts of the mall.

Among those taken away was a 12-year-old boy who claimed to be a student reporter. He was later released after police warned his mother against allowing him to take part in �illegal child labour�.

The boy said: �Police asked me twice if I was working as an illegal child worker, but I explained I was only a volunteer.�

The boy said he was volunteering for Student Depth Media, a student-run news organisation set up this February. The group also issued a statement on its Facebook page and said the boy was working for it on a voluntary basis, and labour laws did not apply. It also said a 16-year-old girl who worked for the group had been taken away by police too.

In Mong Kok, police armed with non-lethal guns also entered Moko Mall in the afternoon, and fired what was believed to be a pepper ball to disperse protesters.

One man was arrested after officers seized items including petrol, towels and several lighters after intercepting a group of protesters, the force later said on its Facebook page.

Police said they did not rule out the possibility the materials, purportedly for making petrol bombs, would be used, seriously endangering public safety.

Officers also entered other malls and told people to leave.

Earlier in the day, police asked media personnel to disperse from Tsim Sha Tsui, warning that they might be violating the ban on public gatherings of more than eight people, a restriction put in place to help halt the spread of Covid-19. A Post reporter was searched despite showing his press card.

During the search, an officer told him: �Don�t play with your phone, smartphones are fragile these days.�

Another officer filmed the journalist after he was asked to remove his mask. He was later let go.

Among the crowd at Harbour City was a family of four celebrating Mother�s Day.

The mother said she was not aware a protest was planned but it did not affect her. �I explained to my daughters what [the protesters] were trying to say,� she said.

A 19-year-old student, who did not want to be named, said he expected protests to become more frequent as the coronavirus came under control locally.

�With or without the ban, people will come out, and those who are out are prepared to be arrested,� he said.

Some shops at Harbour City closed early, but others served customers with shutters closed.

In a statement, a police spokesman said protesters had gathered in various shopping malls across the city, holding banners, shouting slogans and undermining public order.

�Police received reports from the public and entered the malls to enforce the law,� he added, noting that gatherings of more than eight people in public places were prohibited. Protests first broke out in June last year, sparked by a now-withdrawn extradition bill. The demonstrations later evolved into a wider anti-government movement, with clashes between radical protesters and police turning increasingly violent. With the onset of the coronavirus crisis, the campaign began losing momentum.

On 10 May 2020, at least 250 pro-democracy defenders were arrested by the police for staging an anti-Government protest in Hong Kong, China.

Human rights lawyer Zhang Xuezhong was "taken away" by authorities on Sunday after writing an open letter criticising the Chinese government's Covid-19 response, the South China Morning Post reported, citing multiple sources.

According to SCMP, the 43-year-old constitutional scholar was forcibly removed from his Shanghai home on Sunday night after posting the letter on popular social media platform WeChat. The letter was addressed to deputies of China's National People's Congress and called out the country for its lack of a modern constitution and for its stifling of social freedoms, highlighted by the pandemic.

In his letter, seen by SCMP, Zhang said that the handling of the coronavirus pandemic was emblematic of deep-rooted issues within the country's leadership.

"The outbreak and spread of the Covid-19 epidemic is a good illustration of the problem," he wrote.

"Since January 3, 2020, the [Chinese] foreign ministry had been regularly notifying the US government about the epidemic, but the disease control department was not notifying the people of [China] at the same time. Such an irresponsible attitude towards their people's safety is rare," he continued.

"There were few independent professional media to investigate and report on the outbreak, nor did medical professionals provide independent advice to the public � It only shows that the government's long-term tight control of society and people has almost completely destroyed the organisation and self-help capabilities of Chinese society."

Zhang also admonished China's treatment of Li Wenliang, a doctor and coronavirus whistleblower who tried to warn his colleagues about a potential coronavirus outbreak in December. Li was forced by Chinese authorities to sign a letter acknowledging that he was "making false comments"; he later died from the coronavirus.

"Twenty-two days before [the country's first major lockdown] in the city, Wuhan was still investigating and punishing citizens who had disclosed the epidemic, including Dr. Li Wenliang � showing how tight and arbitrary the government's suppression of society is," Zhang said.

Zhang acknowledged that his letter would spark controversy, but encouraged others to speak out.

"The best way to fight for freedom of expression is for everyone to speak as if we already have freedom of speech," he wrote in his WeChat post alongside his letter.

According to SCMP, Zhang was removed from his teaching position at East China University of Political Science and Law in 2013 because of critical statements he made about the Chinese constitution. SCMP said calls to Zhang's mobile phone and messages sent to his WeChat account went unanswered on Monday.

China is known for censoring criticism of its policies, and dissenters have been jailed or disappeared after making complaints. Chinese government censors are working in overdrive to protect the party narrative its been drilling down on the country's response to the novel coronavirus, which originated in the city of Wuhan before spreading worldwide.

Last week, The New York Times reported that the Chinese government was silencing coronavirus survivors who want answers on what went wrong with the country's early coronavirus response.

The international community has also increased pressure on China for an independent investigation into the origins of the virus, as well as the country's response to the outbreak early on. The European Commission, Sweden, Australia, and others have been calling on China for more transparency in recent weeks.

On 10 May 2020, Zhang Xuezhong, human rights lawyer, went missing after being taken by the police for having shared on social media a letter critical to the Government COVID-19 response in Shanghai, China.

Hong Kong police used pepper spray on Friday to disperse over a hundred protesters in a shopping mall who were singing and chanting pro-democracy slogans.

The demonstrators sang the protest anthem "Glory to Hong Kong" and chanted "Glory to Hong Kong, revolution of our times" in the New Town Plaza mall in Hong Kong's New Territories.

As protesters gathered in the mall, riot police stopped and searched some and later told them to leave, saying they were violating social-distancing rules. The police then sprayed tear gas to disperse the crowd before cordoning off the atrium of the mall.

The protest was one of several that went ahead on May 1, Labor Day, despite rules that forbid public gatherings of more than four people.

Small groups of protesters also gathered near Kowloon's Mong Kok and Kwun Tong subway stations.

Organizers initially planned citywide protests but many were canceled, with the organizers urging people to support pro-democracy restaurants instead.

Friday's protests were the latest in a string of demonstrations over the past week in which protesters gathered in shopping malls. They follow the arrest of 15 pro-democracy activists and former lawmakers last Saturday.

The demonstrations are a continuation of a movement that began last June to protest an extradition bill that would have allowed detainees in Hong Kong to be transferred to mainland China. Although the bill was later withdrawn, the demonstrations continued for months before a lull starting in January as the coronavirus pandemic broke out.

On 1 May 2020, over a hundred pro-democracy defenders were attacked by the police including with tear gas while peacefully demonstrating in Hong Kong, China.

Chinese authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Chen Jieren and his family members and associates, who have been prosecuted over Chen�s exercise of his right to free expression. A Chinese court handed down a 15-year prison sentence on April 30, 2020 to Chen Jieren (???) apparently to punish him for his political speech on WeChat and other social media platforms. After being sacked from various state newspapers including Southern Weekend, China Youth Daily, Beijing Daily, and People�s Daily, Chen published online commentaries and investigative reports on social media, including WeChat and Weibo channels called �Jieren Observation Viewpoint� and �Jieren Observation Heights.�

Guiyang County Court in Hunan Province convicted Chen Jieren of �picking quarrels and provoking trouble,� �extortion and blackmail,� �illegal business activity,� and �bribes� and handed down a 15-year prison sentence and 7.01 million RMB (990,000 USD) fine. The court also convicted his brother Chen Weiren (???) of �picking quarrels� and �extortion and blackmail� charges and sentenced him to four years in prison and a fine of 10,000 RMB (1,400 USD). An associate, Liu Min (??), was exempted from criminal penalties after being convicted of �picking quarrels.�

The Court statement said that Chen �used the information network to publish false or negative information, maliciously exaggerate certain mass incidents, attack and vilify the [Chinese Communist] Party and the government, judicial organs and their staff, instigate troubles, and extort public and private property.�

Hunan authorities violated Chen Jieren�s right to a fair trial. Chen and several of his family members and associates disappeared a few days after he disclosed on his social media channels alleged corruption by local CCP officials in late June-early July 2018. His detention was only confirmed on July 7. On July 16, 2018, Chenzhou City Supervisory Commission told Chen�s lawyers that Chen and his brother were under investigation by the Supervisory Commission and being held in �residential surveillance at a designated location� (RSDL). The brothers� lawyers were denied visits during the RSDL period. On November 12, 2018, Chen Jieren was criminally detained and formally arrested on November 20.

In August 2018, Chinese state media launched a smear campaign, accusing Chen of various crimes and quoted police as saying that his online speech �sabotaged the reputation of the Party and the government and damaged the government�s credibility.� State media published Chen�s �confession� while he was incommunicado in a secret detention facility under RSDL.

Chen graduated from Tsinghua University Law School and previously worked as a reporter for Chinese state newspapers. Chen was fired from China Youth Daily in 2003 for uncovering a prostitution ring involving students at Wuhan University which caused a scandal; he was demoted as editor-in-chief of China Philanthropy Times for criticising a government portal in 2006; and in 2011, sacked from his position in at People�s Daily Online�s Jiangsu Window for �too much criticism of the government.�

Chen�s heavy punishment sends a chilling signal to online independent commentators and citizen jounalists. In 2018, China�s Cyberspace Administration launched a crackdown on �self-media� and ordered hundreds of thousands of social media accounts to be deleted for spreading �politically harmful information� or �vulgar� content. Individual accounts on social media are widely used to post news stories or comments in China. Such publication venues are not registered with the government, though heavily censored, have allowed some independent reporting for at least a short period of time.

China is one of the worst countries in the world for press freedom. It was ranked #177th out of 180 on Reporters Without Border�s 2020 �World Press Freedom Index.� According to a 2019 report from the Committee to Protect Journalists, China is the 5th most censored country in the world. Both press freedom watchdogs have called for Chen Jieren�s release.

On 30 April 2020, Chen Jieren, media worker, was sentenced to 15-year imprisonment for his online cricitism of the Government by the Court of Guiyang County, China.

Hong Kong independence activist Edward Leung Tin-kei has lost an appeal against his six-year jail sentence for rioting in one of the city�s busiest districts four years ago.

The Court of Appeal on Wednesday also ruled against Lo Kin-man and Wong Ka-kui, who were jailed for seven years and 3� years respectively for rioting on the same night of February 8, 2016, in Mong Kok.

In rejecting the applications, Mr Justice Jeremy Poon Shiu-chor said the trial judge was entitled to pass punitive and deterrent sentences on the trio, whose rioting offences had an immediate and extremely serious impact on the rule of law.

�Sentencing for the offence of riot must reflect the law�s determination to maintain public order, and send a clear message to society and the public that the law does not condone the breach of public order by means of violence,� Poon said, adding that one�s personal belief could not be a mitigating factor.

Poon, chief judge of the High Court, said the offences Leung, 28, committed were extremely serious as he had witnessed how the events unfolded but chose to remain at the scene despite the escalating violence.

He said that, while the trial judge did err in assessing Leung�s liability in the unrest, his overall jail term was not manifestly excessive given the severity of the offence.

The court also dismissed the appeals by Lo and Wong against their sentences, and Lo�s separate appeal against his conviction.

Leung�s lawyers said they would study the appeal court�s judgment before determining whether to lodge a final appeal at the top court. He was expected to serve out his sentence in January 2022.

Leung was the poster boy for the city�s pro-independence movement and the former convenor of the group Hong Kong Indigenous.

He rose to prominence while running in the 2016 Legislative Council elections, but was subsequently banned from taking part for advocating Hong Kong independence, and was jailed in 2018 for his role in the riot.

Leung and Lo were both convicted of rioting during the Mong Kok unrest, which erupted on the first night of the Lunar New Year. Leung and Wong also pleaded guilty respectively to assaulting a police officer and rioting.

During the trial at the Court of First Instance, prosecutors said the riot started out as a scuffle between hawker control officers and street vendors, but quickly descended into violence, during which some 500 protesters set fires on the streets and threw bricks and other objects at police.

A jury found Leung guilty of taking part in a riot on Argyle Street, where he also attacked a traffic officer with a wooden board. The jury also found Lo guilty of rioting on Portland Street at an earlier time.

Madam Justice Anthea Pang Po-kam, who jailed the trio, said the mass unrest was �organised violence� which could not be mitigated by a person�s political aspirations.

At the appeal court, lawyers for the trio argued their sentences were excessive.

Leung�s lawyers said Pang had wrongfully taken into account various aggravating factors in her sentencing consideration, including Leung�s presence in the riot on Portland Street although he was not convicted of taking part.

But the contention was rejected by Poon and appeal justices Carlye Chu Fun-ling and Derek Pang Wai-cheong.

The judges observed that, having witnessed how protesters clashed with police on Portland Street, it was only reasonable for Leung to infer that protesters on Argyle Street would launch similar attacks on officers there, but he still chose to take part.

While accepting that the trial judge was wrong in making Leung liable to an arson incident near the scene despite his lack of involvement, the judges said Leung�s sentence was justified given he had joined a group attack against officers for no reason.

�Even if [Leung�s] motive was to protect local traditions and culture, this could not lessen his culpability for rioting and unjustified use of serious violence on a police officer,� Poon said as he explained the ruling on behalf of the court.

The disturbance in Mong Kok saw 91 people, aged 14 to 70, arrested for rioting, taking part in an unlawful assembly, assaulting police officers or other offences. Of those, 64 were charged and 33 convicted.

Leung still had some supporters while in prison. Last year, he made an emotional appeal from behind bars, urging Hong Kong protesters �not to be dominated by hatred� amid the escalating unrest triggered by the now-withdrawn extradition bill.

On 29 April 2020, Edward Leung, jailed pro-democracy defender, was rejected the appeal against harsh jail sentence by the Court of Appeal in Hong Kong, China.

Meanwhile, police detained activist Xie Wenfei on April 29 on suspicion of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble."

Xie is a veteran rights activist in China's Hunan province. He recently has criticized the detention of three young volunteers who archived censored information about COVID-19 online, and questioned the disappearance in Wuhan of citizen journalists Chen Qiushi and Fang Bing. He also signed an online petition to honor the COVID-19 whistleblower Dr. Li Wenliang.

"This is not the first arrest," his brother Xie Qiufeng told VOA. "The police didn't tell me anything specific. I think it's about what he had posted on WeChat again."

Born in 1977, Xie Yunfei is a veteran activist who has been detained many times for exercising his rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly over the years. He previously served a 4.5-year prison sentence for supporting the 2014 Occupy Central protests in Hong Kong.

Xie's friend Ou Biaofeng, who is also an activist, told VOA that he's not surprised about Xie's arrest.

Ou said that in recent years, the government has severely reduced the space for civil liberties by rounding up rights lawyers, labor activists and citizen journalists. He added that anyone who expresses a slightly different opinion online will have their account blocked immediately.

"The pro-democracy movement in China has entered a freezing winter because of the crackdown," he said. "The pressure is just enormous. Also, for the past year or two, there's been less and less support of civil movements. It's quite sad."

The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders ranked China near the bottom of its 2020 press freedom index. The group said President Xi is tightening control over news and information and trying to export the country's oppressive surveillance systems.

On 29 April 200, Xie Wenfei, long-term pro-democracy activist, was arrested by the police after criticising the detention of fellow defenders over COVID-19 information sharing in Hunan Province, China.

The Chengdu City Lawyers� Association, a state-run agency, handed out a �professional reprimand� to discipline human rights lawyer Lu Siwei (???) on April 24, 2020. The Discipline Oversight Committee of the Association said in a written document that lawyer Lu violated the rules by representing another human rights lawyer, Chen Jiahong, based in Guangxi region, who has been detained and charged with �inciting subversion of state power.� The written reprimand will stay on lawyer Lu�s record, which may affect him during the annual review of his qualifications for keeping his lawyer�s license.

Lawyer Chen Jiahong was detained in April 2019, soon after he had posted a video on social media in which he criticized the Chinese Communist Party and President Xi Jinping, and called for China to move towards a more democratic and constitutional government. His lawyer Lu Siwei had tried to visit him but was blocked until a meeting was finally granted in December 2019. During the meeting, Chen disclosed that he had been subjected to deprivation of sleep, poor quality food, and other forms of mistreatment for refusing to admit guilt under coercion. On March 12, 2020, a Guangxi court notified lawyer Lu that Chen had �dismissed� him. Detaining outspoken lawyers and administratively penalizing these lawyers� lawyers have become routine practice in China. It violates international human rights standard on the right to a fair trial and interferes in the independence of lawyers.

On 24 April 2020, Lu Siwei, human rights lawyer. received disciplinary sanction from Chengdu City Lawyers� Association for defending a fellow lawyer in Chengdu, China.

On April 22, 2020, Dongbao District Court in Jingmen City convicted activist Liu Yanli (???) of �picking quarrels and provoking trouble� and sentenced her to four years in prison. Hubei police had criminally detained the activist on the �picking quarrels� charges on November 22, 2018 for �insulting and attacking the Chinese Communist Party� by criticizing former and current state leaders, including Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and Xi Jinping. She was tried on January 31, 2019 and sentenced over a year later on April 22, 2020. She is currently detained at Jingmen City Detention Center. Liu, 44, has been active on her Qzone and WeChat account making comments on democracy and politics since September 2009. Police repeatedly harassed her for her online speech. On September 26, 2016, she was criminally detained for eight months on suspicion of �libel� after she posted and reposted over 10 messages about Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and Xi Jinping on her WeChat Moments. On May 25, 2018, she was placed under �residential surveillance� for six months for �libel�.

On 22 April 2020, Liu Yanli, detained WHRD, was sentenced to 4-year jail term for criticising state leaders by the court of Jingmen City, China.

Family members of Huang Qi, a human rights activist who was re-sentenced to prison for leaking state secrets last year, have been blocked from visiting him on the grounds of the epidemic. Huang�s mother, Pu Wenqing, was also denied a phone call with her son by prison officials.

A friend of Huang Qi's mother, Pu Wenqing, said on Wednesday, April 22 that yesterday, Pu Wenqing called the prison section chief Mr. Yang of Bazhong prison and was told that Huang Qi was serving a sentence in Area Four of the prison, which is for the old, weak and disabled. Due to the epidemic situation, no visit is allowed now. In addition, Pu Wenqing asked for a phone call with his son, but the prison authority said it would have to wait for the leader's approval, and didn't tell her about Huang Qi�s health. He is seriously ill and his family is very worried about his condition.

The friend said, "Pu Wenqing is worried about her son. She hopes she can go to see Huang Qi, or he can make a phone call. And only after speaking with her son on the phone will she stop worrying and feel relieved. She is worried about her son."

Considering Pu is over 80 years old and in poor health, she should be allowed to talk on the phone with her son. After the epidemic is over, visitation should also be permitted.

On July 29, 2019, Huang Qi was sentenced by the Mianyang Intermediate Court to 12 years for intentionally disclosing state secrets and illegally providing state secrets abroad, with four years of deprivation of political rights. He was held in detention for more than two years before being sentenced, during which he was tortured and forced to confess.

Before the latest arrest, Huang Qi, who set up the website "6.4 net" in 1999, has been jailed two times for his speech. In May 2003, he was sentenced by the Chengdu Intermediate Court for five years for inciting subversion of the state power. He was also sentenced by the Wuhou District Court of Chengdu City for three years for the crime of �illegally holding state secrets� in November 2009.

On 21 April 2020, Huang Qi, detained pro-democracy defender allegedly in poor health conditions, was prevented by the police from meeting his mother (Update)

Hong Kong police have arrested 15 high-profile democracy activists on charges of illegal assembly.

The arrests took place just hours after China�s top representative office in the semi-autonomous city declared it is not bound by Hong Kong�s constitutional restrictions that bar Chinese government from interfering in local affairs.

Police arrested prominent figures, including the media tycoon Jimmy Lai and 81-year-old Martin Lee, the founder of the Democratic party and a senior barrister, in the biggest crackdown on the pro-democracy movement since the sometimes violent anti-government protests that have rocked the former British colony since June last year.

The 15 people arrested allegedly organised and took part in unlawful assemblies and police do not rule out that more will be arrested, Supt Lam Wing-Ho said.

Also among the detained were the barrister Margaret Ng, lawyer Albert Ho, labour rights activist Lee Cheuk-yan, former legislators Leung Kwok-hung and Au Nok-hin, and younger activists such as Figo Chan, the vice-convener of the Civil Human Rights Front, which organised several mass protests approved by police last year.

The 15 were accused of joining three unapproved protests on 18 August, 1 October and 20 October last year, local media reported.

Pro-democracy lawmakers say the arrests are an attempt to silence the movement after Chinese officials told Hong Kong to enact national security legislation. Claudia Mo said Beijing was also trying to �terrorise Hong Kong opposition� ahead of the legislative council election in September.

The veteran China watcher, Johnny Lau, said Beijing is trying to hit hard at Hong Kong while the world is busy dealing with Covid-19.

�In Xi Jinping�s eyes this is an opportunity to shuffle the cards and to assert its narrative,� he said. �If the foreign countries turn a blind eye and fail to rein in [China�s power], they would also suffer.�

The arrests came just hours after China�s liaison office asserted in a strongly-worded statement that it and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) � China�s top bodies overseeing the city�s affairs � are �authorised by the central authorities to handle Hong Kong affairs.�

Earlier this week, the liason office�s chief, Luo Huining, called for controversial national security laws to be urgently passed as accusations of overreach by Beijing into the city�s legislative council and judiciary escalate.

Hong Kong was promised a �high degree of autonomy� for at least 50 years after China resumed control in 1997, under the Sino-British joint declaration. The city�s post-handover mini-constitution, the Basic Law, bars the mainland Chinese government from interfering in Hong Kong affairs, and article 22 states that no department under the Chinese central and local governments �may interfere in the affairs which the Hong Kong special administrative region administers on its own in accordance with this law.�

But the liaison office statement, published late on Friday, asserts that �a high degree of autonomy is not complete autonomy.� It stresses that Hong Kong�s right to self-rule is �authorised by the central government.�

The statement argues that the liaison office and the HKMAO �are not what is referred to in article 22 of the Basic Law, or what is commonly understood to be �departments under the central people�s government�.� It adds that the offices derive their authority both from China�s constitution and the Basic Law.

This week, pro-democracy lawmakers accused the Chinese government of �blatant intervention� and violation of article 22 of the Basic Law after the HKMAO said some lawmakers were guilty of misconduct in public office for delaying bills, failing to appoint a House committee chairman and paralysing the legislature by filibustering.

The liaison office statement said people who made such allegations were distorting the Basic Law and misleading public opinion, adding that �loyalty to the country is a necessary requirement� for lawmakers.

China law expert Prof Jerome Cohen at the New York University descibed China�s statement is �astounding and incendiary�. Test and trace: lessons from Hong Kong on avoiding a coronavirus lockdown Read more

�If taken seriously, it collapses the whole one country, two systems edifice that was constructed over so many years since the joint declaration,� he said.

Prof Michael Davis, a global fellow at the Wilson Center and former law professor at the University of Hong Kong, said China�s aggressive language would �result in further pushback� from Hong Kong society, which has already experienced its most severe political crisis.

�The danger is that Hong Kong�s autonomy will be squandered and this has implications for all countries that have relied on the promises made to Hong Kong,� he said. �This fear that Hong Kong�s autonomy will be lost, along with it the rule of law, is what has driven the many protests in Hong Kong and international concern.�

Alvin Cheung, a legal scholar specialising in Hong Kong issues at New York University, said: �[The fact that] Beijing is not even pretending to keep up appearances heralds a dark new stage in Hong Kong�s post-1997 development � It suggests repression will intensify further.�

A Foreign & Commonwealth Office spokesperson said in a statement that the UK government was concerned about the arrests and stressed that the right to peaceful protest was �protected in both the joint declaration and the Basic Law�.

�It is essential that any protests are conducted peacefully, and that the authorities avoid actions that inflame tensions. The authorities should focus on rebuilding trust through a process of meaningful political dialogue,� the statement said.

Chris Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong, said while the world�s attention is focused on the covid-19 epidemic, Beijing has taken �yet another step towards burying one-country, two-system� and the arrests show that �Beijing is determined to throttle Hong Kong�.

He said the liaison office�s claim that it is not bound by the basic law is �a reckless argument which shows that Xi Jinping is determined to abandon the policies pursued by his predecessors, even at the cost of destroying Hong Kong�s way of life�.

�It should be rejected immediately by all those governments and parliaments around the world who know the importance of safe-guarding the high degree of autonomy which is guaranteed by the Basic Law.�

Lee, often dubbed the �Father of Democracy� in Hong Kong and a drafter of the Basic Law, said after he was released on bail that he had �no regrets� and felt �proud to walk the road of democracy with the outstanding youths in Hong Kong�.

On 18 April 2020, 15 pro-democracy defenders were arrested by the police on charges of illegal assembly for joining protests in 2019 in Hong Kong, China.

On 17 April 2020, the Cangshan District Court in Fuzhou city, Fujian province found human rightsdefenders Lin Lanying (???), Lin Yingqiang (???), and Tang Zhaoxing (???) guilty of�picking quarrel and provoking trouble�. Lin Yingqiang and Tang Zhaoxing were both sentenced tothree years in prison whilst Lin Lanying was sentenced to one year and ten months. He Zongwang(???), a human rights defender who was detained along with the three in September 2018, wastried separately and sentenced in August 2019.Lin Lanying is a long time petitioner and woman human rights defender in Fuxhou, focusingprimarily on actions to support prosecuted or imprisoned human rights defenders. Lin Yingqiang isa petitioner and land rights defender in Fuzhou. Since 2004, he has initiated and participated inadvocacy and public protests to support local farmers who have had their land appropriated by theauthorities without adequate compensation. Tan Zhaoxing is a petitioner and human rightsdefender in Fuzhou and has participated in advocacy and public actions to support and raiseawareness about the persecution of local political activists and human rights defenders. HeZongwang is a petitioner and human rights defender in Fuqing city, Fujian province. Heparticipated in advocacy and public protests, including those aimed at raising awareness of socialinjustice and persecution of human rights defenders. Both Lin Yingqiang and He Zongwang havebeen previously detained for their works as human rights defenders. On the morning of 12 September 2018, a group of more than 30 local human rights defendersgathered in front of the Fuzhou No. 1 Detention Centre to welcome the release of imprisonedhuman rights defender Yan Xingsheng (???). They gave flowers to him, took group photos, andset off firecrackers which is a traditional practice aimed at warding off negative energy and oftenused for the occasion of prison release. As the group of defenders began to disperse, they werecorralled and detained by police officers waiting nearby. Over the course of a month, most of thedetained human rights defenders were released, except for Lin Lanying, Lin Yingqian, TangZhaoxing and He Zongwang.Lin Lanying, Lin Yingqiang and Tang Zhaoxing were initially criminally detained on the charge of�gathering a crowd to disrupt public order� and later formally arrested on the charge of �pickingquarrel and provoking trouble�, a vague public order offence often used to prosecute human rightsdefenders and peaceful protesters in recent years. They were tried on 22 November 2019. HeZongwang was prosecuted separately and tried by a different court in Fuzhou for �picking quarreland provoking trouble� and �fabricating and intentionally disseminating false information�. He wassentenced on 30 August 2019 to four years in prison.In the official verdict issued on 17 April 2020, the Cangshan Court wrote that the three defenders,joined by other petitioners, had engaged in seven public assemblies in 2018 in front of courts,detention centres, and convention centres while international conferences were being held. Duringthe trial in November 2019, the lawyers defending the three defenders argued that the prosecutor�sassertion that these actions had �stirred up disturbances� and �seriously disturbed public order�was not backed up by the �evidence� they presented, including video footage of some of theprotests in question. The defence lawyers argued that the prosecution of their clients was a reprisalagainst their peaceful activism. Front Line Defenders condemns the court verdicts given on 30 August 2019 and 17 April 2020,and the sentencing of Lin Lanying, Lin Yingqiang, Tang Zhaoxing and He Zongwang to prison, as itbelieves that they are a direct reprisal against their legitimate human rights work, and the exerciseof their freedom of assembly and of expression, which are guaranteed by the Chinese Constitution.

On 17 April 2020, Lin Lanying, Lin Yingqiang, and Tang Zhaoxing, detained pro-democracy defenders, were found guilty by Cangshan District Court under catch-all charge for staging a solidarity demonstration with imprisoned HRDs in Fuzhou, China.

Three Chinese volunteers who helped to publish censored Covid-19 articles on Github, the world�s largest open-source website, have been detained by police at an unknown location, according to a source close to them.

The trio � Cai Wei, his girlfriend, a woman surnamed Tang, and Chen Mei � were contributors to a crowd-sourced project known as Terminus2049 that began in 2018 and collected articles that had been removed from mainstream media outlets and social media.

Microsoft-owned Github lets programmers collaborate on code, but has increasingly become a haven for Chinese activists who want to circumvent the Great Firewall to publish censored content.

There are other archives on GitHub that collect coronavirus-related articles and personal accounts found on mainstream and social media, and some of these projects say they hope to keep a record to help people better �understand the epidemic and the people affected by it�.

Terminus2049 appeared to be blocked in mainland China on Saturday.

The three Beijing-based volunteers went missing on April 19, the source, who declined to give her name for fear of retaliation, told the South China Morning Post. Their families and friends then called the police, who initially denied knowledge of their whereabouts.

�About five days later, the families of Cai and Tang received official notices from the Chaoyang district bureau of the Beijing police,� the source said. �During the first few days they did not admit they took them.�

According to the notices, Cai and Tang were being kept under police surveillance at an unnamed location for �picking quarrels and provoking trouble�.

Chen�s family has not yet received any notification from the police.

�They had regular contact with their families and friends. Now that they have been taken, their families and friends are distraught beyond imagination,� the source said.

The Chaoyang police bureau could not be reached for comment.

Among the articles and personal accounts published by the project, one of the most well known is an interview with Ai Fen, a whistle-blower doctor at the Wuhan Central Hospital. The article was published by China�s People magazine in early March but was removed within hours.

Ai, who said she had been muzzled by the authorities for raising the alarm without permission at the start of the outbreak, posted an image of a diagnostic report on social network WeChat on December 30, showing that a patient had a pneumonia infection caused by a Sars-like coronavirus.

Some of the information she released was also shared by Li Wenliang, the doctor who was detained by the authorities and who later died from Covid-19.

After the removal of Ai�s article, angry members of the public published dozens of different versions on social media, using emojis, code words and different languages � even invented ones such as Elvish and Klingon � to bypass the censors.

Earlier this week, citizen journalist Li Zehua re-emerged after going missing for two weeks. He said he had been held in a quarantine centre in Wuhan before being sent to isolation in his hometown.

But the whereabouts of Chen Qiushi and Fang Bin, two other citizen journalists who disappeared in Wuhan in early February, remain unknown.

Chen, a lawyer and citizen journalist, arrived in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak in China, on the last train before the lockdown.

He also attended a protest in Hong Kong last year and posted videos of pro-democracy rallies, after which the authorities shut down his Chinese social media accounts and ordered him to return to the mainland.

On 17 April 2020, Cai Wei, Tang, and Chen Mei, bloggers, were detained by the police for online sharing of censored articles on COVID-19 in Beijing, China.

Prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang, who was jailed for four and a half years for subversion, has been released from prison but barred from reuniting with his wife and son in Beijing amid the coronavirus pandemic.

His wife, Li Wenzu, fears that the authorities are using the pandemic as an excuse to hold him under de facto house arrest indefinitely. She said Wang has been released from prison but authorities had sent him to his home town, Jinan, in the north-eastern province of Shandong (400km south of Beijing) for quarantine.

Chinese authorities have been using compulsory quarantine as a pretext to detain or restrict the movements of government critics.

�The government is continuing to restrict his personal freedoms and forcing us to be separated,� Li told the Guardian. �This behaviour is shameless, I�m absolutely opposed to this and am very angry.

�I fear the government is using the pandemic as an excuse to detain him. Would it be just 14 days as they say? I can�t trust them. So long as my husband has no freedom, I�ll continue to fight until he comes back.� Chinese human rights lawyer �totally changed man� after being jailed Read more

Wang called his wife from the prison yesterday telling her to refrain from going to meet him in prison. In a recording she posted on Twitter, Wang said he had to be quarantined �for some time� due to the pandemic. When Li, who has been frequently harassed by the authorities, angrily asked whether he was prompted to say that under duress, he said: �We�ll be back together, but there�ll be a process.�

�The Linyi prison� forced Quanzhang to �persuade� me into accepting the arrangement of sending him to Jinan. I absolutely oppose it,� Li said on Twitter: �Wang Quanzhang needs real freedom, our family needs to be reunited.�

In a practice dubbed �non-release release� by respected China law expert Jerome Cohen at the New York University, Chinese rights activists are often released from prison into de facto house arrest or enforced restriction to their native village, where they remain for years.

�What will Wang Quanzhang�s �release� on April 5 amount to?� asked Cohen in his blog.

Wang, a lawyer who had taken on politically sensitive cases and defended activists and members of the banned religious group Falun Gong, was sentenced to jail in January 2019 on the blanket charge of �subversion of state power�.

He was one of more than 300 lawyers and activists detained in a wave of crackdowns that started in July 2015. He was the last lawyer of the group to be convicted, with his trial taking place three-and-a-half years after he was taken away by the authorities.

On 4 April 2020, Wang Quanzhang, human rights lawyer, was released after 4,5 years in jail and sent away from home for allegedly COVID-19 quarantine in Jinan, China.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a nonprofit advocating for press freedom, has urged Beijing to free journalists and political commentators and stop censoring information about the novel coronavirus outbreak in China.

RSF pointed out that two citizen journalists, Chen Qiushi and Fang Bin, and two political commentators, Guo Quan and Xu Zhiyong, were arrested in early February in connection with their social media posts about the outbreak, in a statement published on Feb. 24.

“Censorship is clearly counter-productive in the fight against an epidemic and can only aggravate it or even help turn it into a pandemic,” said Cédric Alviani, the head of RSF’s East Asia bureau, in the statement.

“Only complete transparency will enable China to minimize the spread of false rumors and convince the population to follow the health and safety instructions recommended for curbing the epidemic.”

Guo, a human rights activist and a former assistant professor at Nanjing Normal University, was arrested on Jan. 31 after he posted about the coronavirus. He was then held at a detention center in Nanjing, the capital of eastern China’s Jiangsu Province, according to Radio Free Asia.

On 31 January 2020, Guo Quan, former academic and pro-democracy HRD, was arrested by the police after having criticised the Government on the management of Covid-19 outbreak in Nanjing, China.

Over the past month, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has marshalled the country’s public security apparatus to track down and detain known activists and ordinary citizens who have shared information about the coronavirus outbreak, provided on-the-ground updates from the epicenter, or reflected upon the epidemic’s implications for China’s governance model.

But parts of the regime have also gone on the offensive against its political enemies more broadly, raising new questions about where party leaders’ priorities lie during a public health crisis and how far they will go to maintain their hold on power.

Muzzling Sources of Independent Information

The disappearance of three Chinese citizen journalists who had been live-streaming updates from Wuhan has drawn international attention. The three men — businessman Fang Bin, lawyer Chen Qiushi, and former journalist Li Zehua — had separately recorded and disseminated video reports from inside the locked-down city, its hospitals, and its quarantine centers. Over the past month, all three have vanished into some form of custody, detained by police or possibly quarantined despite their reported good health.

While these cases are widely known, in part due to the men’s international contacts and the potency of their videos, there are many more like them. Media reports, updates from human rights groups, and posts on local government websites from the past month indicate that similar measures are being taken by authorities far from Wuhan. Tan Zuoren, an online activist and former political prisoner in Sichuan province, received multiple visits by police and had his account on the WeChat social media platform frozen.

On 2 February 2020, Tan Zuoren, pro-democracy HRD, was visited by the police and had his social media (WeChat) account frozen after sharing news on COVID-19 outbreak in Chengdu, China.

The number of citizen journalists to disappear in China in the last month after reporting on COVID-19 has risen to at least three, with reports that former journalist Li Zehua was arrested on February 26. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said the disappearances are a grave concern for the international media community and urges China’s authorities to provide transparent information on their whereabouts and grant their immediate release. It also reminded of the vital need to respect the international community’s right to information.

Li Zehua, a citizen journalist in Wuhan who had been reporting about the reality of life inside Wuhan since its lockdown, had uploaded a video of being chased and arrested on February 26. He has not been heard from since then.

Li, who previously worked at China’s state broadcaster CCTV, came to Wuhan independently and uploaded a video on YouTube of him being chased. Wearing a face mask underneath a baseball cap, he recorded the video while driving. He is recorded as saying: “I’m on the road and someone, I don’t know, state security, has started chasing me. I’m driving very fast. Help me.” The final part of the video shows two men in plain clothes entering an apartment and then cuts out. According to news reports, the live stream was posted on Weibo, but later deleted. It is now posted on YouTube.

Three Chinese citizen journalists, who had live-streamed updates from the locked-down city of Wuhan, its hospitals and quarantine centres, disappeared over the past month. The IFJ issued a statement on the disappearances of businessman Fang Bin and lawyer Chen Qiushi on February 11. Freedom House said today that “all three have vanished into some form of custody, detained by police or possibly quarantined despite their reported good health”. Other than the disappearances and possible arrests of citizen journalists, the IFJ has documented reports of online media being censored, including We Tencent’s website and WeChat account which disappeared after publication of an article entitled “The 50 days of Wuhan pneumonia: Chinese people are all paying the price of the death of media”.

Taking effect from March 1, China’s authorities stated ‘content should be mainly positive, uplifting and devoid of rumours’. According to reports, the regulations also list examples of what is unacceptable – content “harming national honour and interests”, “spreading rumours, disrupting economic and social order”, “content that embodies sexual innuendo … horror and brutality, vulgarity” and “inappropriate commentary on natural disasters and major accidents”. The authorities will also hold service providers, content producers and service users accountable for such content.

Media reports, updates from human rights groups, and posts on local government websites indicate that similar measures are being taken by authorities far from Wuhan, according to Freedom House. It noted the cases In Shandong Province of prodemocracy activist Ren Ziyuan, who was sent to 15 days of administrative detention for criticizing the government’s management of the epidemic online

On 12 February 2020, Ren Ziyuan, pro-democracy HRD, was sent to 15-day administrative detention by the police for online criticising the Government over the management of COVID-19 outbreak in Zoucheng, China.

Li Zehua's apparent detention comes amid reports of a comprehensive cover-up of early research into the COVID-19 coronavirus.

State Broadcaster-Turned-Citizen Journalist Incommunicado in Virus-Hit Wuhan

A former news anchor with China's state broadcaster CCTV who quit his job to report from the front line of the coronavirus epidemic in the central province of Hubei is incommunicado, believed detained.

Li Zehua, who had quit his state-approved job at the behemoth broadcaster to dedicate himself to telling the truth about the epidemic via YouTube, went suddenly off air for the last time on Wednesday after reporting being followed.

"I'm suddenly being chased down by the state security police. The car they're driving isn't a police car," Li tells the camera after being hassled and obstructed for days by local officials and security guards as he traveled around Wuhan reporting on the epidemic, including the round-the-clock operation of crematoriums in the city.

"They're chasing me, so I can't livestream any more. I will just have to leave you with this clip," Li says. "I'm in Wuhan right now. I'm driving really fast because they're chasing me."

"I'm sure that they want to hold me in isolation. Please help me!" he says.

Later, Li returned to where he was staying, but there was a knock at the door, and he eventually allowed the people outside to come in, and the camera was abruptly turned off. He had earlier claimed that the source of the virus was the P4 laboratory of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Li saw himself as the willing successor of previous citizen journalists who have since disappeared from Wuhan after reporting on the harsh reality of the epidemic for millions of the city's residents.

Citizen journalist Fang Bin has stopped reporting since he was detained by police, while Chen Qiushi is incommunicado, believed detained.

In one of Li's early videos, he says: "If one Chen Qiushi falls, 10 million more Chen Qiushi's will stand up to take his place."

A veteran journalist surnamed Zhang said Li is 25 years old, and likely has yet to become disillusioned by journalism in China.

"He may be young ... but he has a very clear head," Zhang said. But he said he wasn't optimistic about the outcome for Li.

"Zhao Kezhi, minister for public security, has just made a speech saying that political stability must be prioritized above everything else, so I don't think that bodes well for his situation there in Wuhan," he said.

Li, a recent graduate of the Jiaotong University, resigned his job as on-air talent on CCTV-7, and starting reporting from Wuhan on Feb. 16.

Report on cover-up

A recent report by cutting-edge news organization Caixin showed that officials ordered that samples and papers linked to the discovery of COVID-19 be destroyed, citing a Wuhan Health Commission directive dated Jan. 1.

The existence and characteristics of the virus were shared with a number of public health bodies and health commissions at regional and national level.

It said Hubei hospitals, health officials, disease control centers (CDCs), and district governments all directly participated in the cover-up, ensuring that earlier findings didn't make their way into the hands of a task-force of health experts sent by the ruling Chinese Communist Party's central leadership in Beijing.

Members of the expert group told Caixin that it was the lack of precisely this lack of information that led them to conclude that the virus wasn't being transmitted from person to person.

Two reports were published on the cover-up by Caixin and sister-site Caijing, but have since been deleted.

A former Communist Party official surnamed Cao told RFA that the order to suppress the information must have come from the highest echelons of leadership for it to be so uniformly suppressed by so many departments.

President Xi Jinping has previously said that he personally directed the response to the coronavirus epidemic from its early stages.

On 26 February 2020, Li Zehua, blogger, was abducted by alleged security police personnel after broadcasting alternative news on coronavirus in Wuhan, China.

Chen Qiushi, an outspoken Chinese lawyer and citizen journalist, has been missing since February 7, after telling family he planned to visit Wuhan’s hospitals. The IFJ urges Chinese authorities to immediately disclose the location of Chen and ensure journalists freedom of movement and safety from intimidation when reporting.

Chen Qiushi is an influential citizen journalist with more than 400,000 followers on YouTube, 250,000 followers on Twitter and 740,000 on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. The journalist travelled from Beijing to Wuhan on January 24 where he filmed and reported about the situation in Wuhan, covering the lack of resources to deal with the epidemic, the lack of capacity at hospitals, the rising death tolls and the misconduct of civil servants. Chen livestreamed interviews with patients through Weibo, allowing them to speak out about the coronavirus. Since Chen’s disappearance his Weibo account has been taken down.

Chen’s mother said her family lost contact with Chen on February 7. At 6pm that day, he told his family he would visit Feng Cang hospital in Wuhan to talk to patients with the coronavirus. Authorities are reported to have since told Chen’s family that he is being forcibly quarantined in an undisclosed location.

As a citizen journalist, Chen is known for closely following a number of cases, including the detention of citizen journalist Fang Bin and the interrogation of activist Hu Jia by Chinese authorities. Chen also travelled from Bejing to Hong Kong in August 2019 to report on the anti-government protests. Chen was quoted in Hong Kong as saying that authorities ‘advised’ him to return to China.

The IFJ said: “We are incredibly concerned by the disappearance of Chen Qiushi. Journalists, including citizen journalists, are critically needed during national emergencies in imparting stories from everyday people and providing insights that may greatly assist the public’s right to information and inform response efforts in times of crisis. The IFJ calls on Chinese authorities to immediately disclose the location of Chen, allow him contact with his family and to provide guarantees for his safety.”

On 7 February 2020, Chen Qiushi, lawyer and citizen journalist , went missing in Wuhan after having shared news online about COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China.

Chinese authorities should immediately and unconditionally release a well-known anti-corruption activist who had eluded arrest after a new government crackdown on rights activists, Human Rights Watch said today. On February 15, 2020, authorities in Guangzhou apprehended Xu Zhiyong at a friend’s home where he had gone after authorities in December detained participants of a gathering on human rights in Fujian province.

Xu, 46, is one of China’s most prominent activists and human rights advocates. He was a co-founder of the now-banned legal aid center Open Constitution Initiative and the New Citizens’ Movement, a nongovernmental group advocating for civil rights.

“President Xi Jinping claims the government is ‘open’ and ‘transparent,’ but the authorities have without basis detained one of the country’s best-known anti-corruption advocates,” said Yaqiu Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Instead of arbitrarily detaining Xu Zhiyong and other human rights activists, the Chinse government should listen to what they have to say.”

In late December 2019, police across the country began to detain participants of a December 7 and 8 gathering in Xiamen, Fujian province, where they discussed human rights and China’s political future. On December 26, in what has become known as the 12.26 crackdown, authorities detained prominent human rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi, scholar Zhang Zhongshun, and activists Dai Zhenya and Li Yingjun. Since then, Xu had been traveling to different cities, updating his Twitter account, and criticizing the government’s authoritarian rule and its mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak.

It is unclear what charges authorities might bring against Xu. Police had accused the four men detained in December of “inciting subversion” – a crime that carries up to 15 years in prison – and placed them under “residential surveillance in a designated location,” a form of enforced disappearance in which police can hold individuals in undisclosed locations for up to six months. This places them outside the formal detention system, denying them access to legal counsel and family members, and increasing the risk of torture and ill-treatment.

Hours after the police took Xu away, his girlfriend, Li Qiaochu, a Beijing-based women’s rights and labor rights activist, also went missing. In January 2020, Beijing police searched Xu’s home, detained Li for 24 hours, and denied her adequate medicine in the detention center.

On 15 February 2020, Li Qiaochu, WHRD, went missing in Beijing, China, few hours her partner and pro-democracy defender was arrested.

Xu Zhiyong, a prominent Chinese legal activist, went silent over the weekend. His girlfriend, Li Qiaochu, a social activist, has gone missing.

He portrayed China’s leader, Xi Jinping, as hungry for power. He accused Mr. Xi of trying to cover up the coronavirus outbreak in central China. In one of his most daring writings, he urged Mr. Xi to resign, saying, “You’re just not smart enough.”

Then, over the weekend, Xu Zhiyong, a prominent Chinese legal activist, went silent. The authorities in the southern city of Guangzhou detained him on Saturday, according to Mr. Xu’s friends, after he spent nearly two months in hiding. His girlfriend, Li Qiaochu, a social activist, went missing on Sunday, Mr. Xu’s friends said.

The activist is the latest critic to be caught up in Mr. Xi’s far-reaching efforts to limit dissent in China. The crackdown, which has ensnared scores of activists, lawyers, journalists and intellectuals, is likely to intensify as the ruling Communist Party comes under broad attack for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, one of its biggest political challenges in years.

Mr. Xu, a 46-year-old former university lecturer, has long railed against government corruption and social injustice in China. He went into hiding in December as the police began rounding up human rights activists who met with him in the eastern city of Xiamen.

While in hiding, Mr. Xu continued to publish blunt critiques of Mr. Xi on social media, accusing him of leading a dictatorship.

He also criticized Mr. Xi’s handling of the outbreak in the central province of Hubei that has killed at least 1,770 people in China and sickened more than 70,000. In one of his last writings before he was detained, Mr. Xu mourned the death of a doctor in Wuhan whom the police had silenced after he warned about the virus.

“In their hearts,” Mr. Xu said of party leaders, “there is no right and wrong, no conscience, no bottom line, no humanity.”

Mr. Xu, a firebrand who has spent decades pushing for political reforms, has long clashed with the Chinese government.

He was sentenced to four years in prison in 2014 for “gathering a crowd to disturb public order,” a charge that stemmed from his role organizing the New Citizens Movement, a grass-roots effort against corruption and social injustice in Chinese society.

It is unclear what charges the authorities might bring against Mr. Xu. The circumstances of the disappearance of his girlfriend, Ms. Li, were also ambiguous. The police in Guangzhou did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Xu’s friends defended his actions.

“It is within the scope of freedom of speech under the Chinese Constitution,” said Hua Ze, an activist based in New Jersey and a friend of Mr. Xu who confirmed his detention.

Faced with growing public anger over the coronavirus outbreak, China’s leader has cited a need to “strengthen the guidance of public opinion,” a term that often refers to blocking independent news reporting and censoring critical comments on Chinese social media.

Many free-speech activists worry that the party, which is concerned about maintaining its control, is tightening the reins of public discourse despite a growing perception that the silencing of doctors and others who tried to raise alarms has enabled the virus to spread more widely.

Two video bloggers who attracted wide attention for their dispatches from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, have gone missing.

Yaqiu Wang, a China researcher at Human Rights Watch, an advocacy organization, said the detention of Mr. Xu showed that the authorities had no intention of loosening restrictions on speech.

“The Chinese government persists in its old ways: silencing its critics rather than listening to people who promote rights-respecting policies that actually solve problems,” she said.

On 15 February 2020, Xu Zhiyong, pro-democracy HRD, was detained by the police for online criticising the Chinese President, including on COVID-19 handling in Guangzhou, China.

In response to today’s arrest of media tycoon Jimmy Lai and two other pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong on charges of “unlawful assembly” for their participation in largely peaceful mass protests on 31 August 2019, Director of Amnesty International Hong Kong Man-Kei Tam said:

“These unjustifiable arrests are a shameless attempt to harass and silence those in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. It continues the pattern of the authorities using politically motivated charges to suppress opposition voices.

“The vast majority of people taking part in the 31 August protests were exercising their right to peaceful assembly. Peaceful protests do not require authorization and are therefore not ‘unlawful’, as the Hong Kong authorities claim.

“With the six-month anniversary of the 31 August protests due to be marked by activists this weekend, this merely appears to be the police’s way of intimidating anyone planning to take part.

“This continued assault on freedom of expression and assembly in Hong Kong only underlines the urgent need for an independent inquiry into the heavy-handed tactics used by police against protesters since last year.”

Background

On Friday police arrested founder of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily Jimmy Lai and opposition politicians Lee Cheuk-yan and Yeung Sum for “unlawful assembly”.

The Hong Kong Police had banned the protests on 31 August 2019, but hundreds of thousands of peaceful protesters took to the street defying the ban.

As the protest went on, some protesters threw bricks and petrol bombs at police. The police for the first time deployed blue dye in water cannons in response – to indiscriminately mark people for identification later. On the same evening, riot police stormed into train carriages at Prince Edward metro station and beat up passengers. Two live warning shots were also fired by the police near Causeway Bay.

The UN Human Rights Committee has repeatedly expressed concern that the application of “unlawful assembly” against Hong Kong protesters risks violating their human rights. According to police figures, from June to December 2019 the Hong Kong police banned 47 out of 537 applications for public processions or meetings.

On 28 February 2020, Jimmy Lai, founder of the pro-democracy media outlet 'Apple', was arrested by the police for having joined a mass protest on 31 August 2019 in Hong Kong, China.

Police in eastern China told the lawyer of a civil rights activist on Friday that his client was being investigated for alleged incitement of subversion as part of a government crackdown on dissent that started late last year.

Lawyer Peng Jian, who represented Ding Jiaxi, said he was told by police in Yantai, Shandong province, that the 53-year-old activist was officially under investigation and that his request to meet Ding had been rejected.

Ding is being held under “residential surveillance” – a form of secretive detention – and is barred from contacting his family or lawyer. According to Peng, if Ding is finally charged and convicted, he could face a jail term of up to 15 years since it was his second run-in with the law in five years. The activist was sentenced to 3½ years in prison in 2014 for disrupting public order and was released in October 2016.

“He is now held for the second time in five years,” Peng said. “If he is convicted again, he may face a stiff sentence.”

Calls to Yantai police for comment were not answered.

Ding was among a number of dissidents – including Zhang Zhongshun, Dai Zhenya and Li Yingjun – who were taken away by the authorities in the last week of December after attending a private dinner for about 20 people in Xiamen, Fujian province. After the detentions, police searched the flat of Xu Zhiyong, a Beijing-based civil rights activist , and interrogated his girlfriend, Li Qiaochu, prompting him to go into hiding, Xu wrote on Twitter.

Ding was a lawyer specialising in human rights cases before he was jailed and stripped of his licence in 2014. He was also a key figure in the New Citizens’ Movement, a group that advocates working within the system for political change, including urging officials to publicly disclose their wealth.

According to Ding’s wife, Luo Shengchun, her husband has continued his activism to raise public awareness of civil rights since his release in 2016.

Luo, who lives in the United States with the couple’s two daughters, said the rejection of Peng’s request to meet his client had raised concerns that Ding might have been tortured in custody.

“He believes that democracy and freedom are the fundamental human rights of a person,” Luo said.

“I can’t understand – how can a man of such moderate ideas be accused of inciting subversion?” she said. “This shows how fragile the authority is as it cannot tolerate even the mildest, most rational and peaceful expression of civil rights.”

Neither Ding’s family members in China nor Peng have received the official documents notifying them of Ding’s detention or arrest.

Zhang and Dai are also under residential surveillance but Li’s status is not known.

Zhang, a former university lecturer in Shandong, was accused of inciting subversion after police claimed to have found 245 bullets at his home, according to his daughter Zhang Mofei.

Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, denounced the crackdown on the activists.

“If discussing the need for official transparency over a meal is now considered ‘inciting subversion of state power’, then a lot of officials should be investigated as well … To accuse them of serious crimes and deny them the basic rights to a fair trial is a powerful statement about President Xi [Jinping]’s rule,” Richardson said.

On 10 January 2020, Ding Jiaxi, pro-democracy defender, was put under de facto house arrest while investigated by the police in Yantai, China.

Hong Kong police have been accused of violating international law and making arbitrary arrests after three human rights observers were among hundreds detained en masse following a march on New Year’s Day.

But the force denied the accusation and said that no one – including journalists, first-aiders and observers – had the right to stay in a “riot”. More than a third of those intercepted by police in Causeway Bay on Wednesday were released.

Civil Rights Observer on Thursday confirmed three of its volunteers were arrested the night before and said that the move violated the Johannesburg Principles on National Security, Freedom of Expression and Access to Information, which stated monitors should not be denied access to areas when they believed a violation of human rights was being committed.

“It is the first time any of our observers have been arrested since the team was set up in 2018,” the group said. “We strongly condemn police for these indiscriminate arrests.”

Tam Man-kei, director of Amnesty International Hong Kong, also said the targeting of independent monitors was “especially disturbing” as they were essential to ensure full accountability.

On Wednesday, a march organised by the Civil Human Rights Front was cut short three hours after it started, with police citing violence in a branch of HSBC.

The violence then escalated as radical protesters spilled out into Causeway Bay, Wan Chai and Central, where they vandalised more bank branches, set fires and barricaded roads.

Later, police made mass arrests outside Sogo department store, where at one point around 70 people were seen being made to squat on the ground as they were searched and processed.

Some complained they had done nothing wrong, but were trapped after police cordoned off a sizeable area.

A total of 464 people were intercepted in Causeway Bay, of whom 287 were arrested for unlawful assembly, according to the police. The other 177 were released.

A 12-year-old primary school student and an 81-year-old citizen were among the 420 people arrested on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Eric Lai Yan-ho, deputy convenor of the front, said it was unreasonable to detain people without sufficient evidence then release them hours later.

“They were forced to kneel on the streets. It is unacceptable.”

Chief Superintendent Kwok Ka-chuen on Thursday said they had given repeated warnings for everyone to leave the scene.

“No one has the privilege to stay in a riot,” Kwok said. “You can claim to be a first-aider [or] a human rights observer. But this does not exempt you from the legal liability of taking part in a riot.”

Ng Lok-chun, senior superintendent of Hong Kong Island, denied police had made arbitrary mass arrests.

“When we had our first dispersal operation yesterday, rallygoers left. Those who came out again deliberately blocked roads,” Ng said.

Police had set up a cordon as they could not be sure whether the arrestees posed a risk to others and also to prevent any attempts to snatch arrested people away, Ng added.

Lai also attacked the force for its “unprecedented and disproportionate” decision to cut short the march, setting an “impossible” time frame of 45 minutes for the huge crowd to leave. He said it had risked a stampede.

“Many people didn’t know how to leave safely and didn’t take the trains for fear of arrest even though they only marched peacefully.”

Organisers were told at 5.30pm to call off the march, but were initially given 30 minutes – then an additional 15 minutes – to disperse the crowd.

“It was the first time a march of the scale of 1 million people was cut short,” Lai said. “With only 100-odd helpers and many people still stuck in Victoria Park, it was impossible to disband a procession like this.”

The group estimated more than 1.03 million people took part in the march, while police put the turnout at 47,000 in the procession and another 13,000 at the park.

Ng stressed police had only started advancing on Arsenal Street at 6.30pm and fired tear gas at around 7pm, which was 90 minutes after the ending time of the march.

But police had fired the first round of tear gas at protesters at around 5pm, shortly after the HSBC branch on Hennessy Road was vandalised.

In response to an incident during which a police officer forcibly removed the protective goggles of lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung and pepper-sprayed him in Causeway Bay on Wednesday night, Senior Superintendent Kelvin Kong Wing-cheung said that Hui had ignored repeated orders to get back on the pavement.

“He refused to cooperate and resisted. My colleagues issued warnings that pepper spray might be used. I don’t know if it was because he was wearing goggles, he was not afraid,” Kong said. “So my colleagues removed his goggles and used pepper spray to make the dispersal effective.”

Hui on Thursday vowed to launch legal action.

On 2 January 2020, three volunteers of a local CSO were arrested by the police while monitoring the ongoing protest in Hong Kong, China.

Chinese police have launched a nationwide operation detaining at least eight people and questioning others, following a Dec. 13 meeting of liberal-minded activists and lawyers in the southeastern province of Fujian.

Authorities in the eastern province of Shandong set up a police task force after the meeting in the Fujian port city of Xiamen, and had detained eight people in Fujian, Shandong, Beijing, Hebei, Sichuan, and Zhejiang by Jan. 1.

The overseas-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) network said a similar gathering took place one year ago in Shandong, which could explain the leading role of the Shandong police.

Rights lawyers Ding Jiaxi and Huang Zhiqiang and activists Dai Zhenya, Li Yingjun, and Zhang Zhongshun were among those detained.

Rights lawyer and university professor Liu Shuqing, 43, was detained by police in Shandong's provincial capital Jinan on Dec. 31, on suspicion of "subversion of state power."

"Police used force to kick open the door of his residence without any warning," CHRD said, adding that Liu had recently undergone cardiac surgery. Liu was allowed back home on Jan. 1, the group said.

In the eastern city of Hangzhou, veteran activists Zhu Yufu, Wu Zexi, Xin Zhongcheng, Mao Lijun, and Tang Xiaoyun were detained and interrogated for a day on Dec. 29 after they had dinner with someone who attended the Dec. 13 meeting, CHRD said.

The rights website Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch said many of the activists were detained on suspicion of "incitement to subvert state power."

CHRD called on the ruling Chinese Communist Party to release all the detainees immediately, as their right to freedom of peaceful assembly is protected under international human rights treaties.

Others also held

Rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi, 52, was detained in his hometown of Beijing on Dec. 26 by Shandong police, and police searched his home and confiscated belongings without a search warrant, it said.

Ding's wife Luo Shengchun said her husband had likely attended the meeting in Xiamen.

"He said he was going to meet friends for a meal," Luo said. "I've asked all [the other families], and they all said it seems that their husbands went to Xiamen."

On the same day, university professor Zhang Zhongshun was detained on suspicion of subversion at his home in Yantai, Shandong, despite not having attended the Fujian meeting.

Xiamen-based Dai Zhenya, 46, was meanwhile detained on similar charges. He is being held under "residential surveillance at a designated location" that hasn't been disclosed, CHRD said.

Zhang's wife Yang Hongni said the family had planned to visit relatives in the United States on the Jan. 15 and had tried to get police to rescind her husband's travel ban.

"I have no news of Zhang Zhongshun," Yang said. "It's probably because he went to Xiamen."

Going to a cold place

Lin Yanping, wife of Dai Zhenya, said she was told her husband would need warm winter clothes where he was going.

"In the living room, they told us that they were from the Xiamen police department, and told us to get some very warm clothes for him, because he'd be going to a cold place for investigation," Lin said.

"A police officer told us that the [other officers] were from Shandong and that he might be taken to Shandong, allegedly for inciting subversion of state power," she said.

Lin said the family has been unable to find out any more about Dai since.

"We have no information," Lin told RFA. "We went to that police station and asked which police agency in Shandong took him away."

"They wouldn't tell us, so we are very worried now. I don't know about this Dec. 13 taskforce. I just want to know where he is," she said.

Activist Li Yingjun, a factory worker from Fujian's Zhangzhou city, was also held on the same day, while lawyer Huang Zhiqiang, 47, was detained on Dec. 29, in the eastern province of Zhejiang on suspicion of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," a charge often leveled at peaceful critics of the regime.

Meanwhile, in the southwestern province of Sichuan, police detained businessman-turned-activist Wei Xiaobing, 42, after he distributed T-shirts printed with slogans supportive of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

No clear theme

An employee at the Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch website said the latest crackdown was unusual in that there was no clear theme connecting all of the detentions.

"In the past, they would divide the opposition into categories, so you would get waves of crackdowns on activist websites, or on lawyers, or the one-off crackdown on the New Citizens Movement," the employee said.

"This time it was very complicated."

Zhu Yufu's U.S.-based son Zhu Xi said his father is still under close surveillance by the state security police, and that the additional security will likely continue at least until after the annual parliamentary sessions in March.

"This time around it has been quite strange: I think a lot of people are very nervous," he said.

Repeated calls to the Shandong provincial police department went unanswered during office hours, while calls to the political department of the ministry of public security in Beijing were met with the sound of a fax machine.

An official who answered the phone at the political department of the Xiamen police department declined requests for an interview.

"We don't know the situation you asked about ... so you have to ask the department that is handling the case," the official said. "I can't answer you about the legal matters. You will have to ask a lawyer."

'China can't go on like this'

New Citizens' Movement founder Xu Zhiyong is currently on the run after penning a New Year's message to China's citizens, calling on them to think about whether they want to carry on with an authoritarian government or movement towards democratic constitutionalism, an idea that President Xi Jinping has said has no place in his vision for China.

"We are sadly seeing that the Chinese economy is deteriorating, while the stability maintenance regime is depleting national wealth accumulated over more than three decades, and stagnation and poverty are looming," Xu wrote.

"China cannot go on like this. Think about it, people! What kind of China do we want to leave for future generations?"

On 29 December 2019, eight pro-democracy activists and human rights lawyers were interrogated and detained by the police of Shandong Province, China, for joining a liberal event on 13 December.

Over a dozen Chinese lawyers and activists were detained or went missing in the final days of 2019 in a crackdown on participants of a private democracy gathering, rights groups said Thursday.

The Chinese government has severely reduced the space for civil liberties since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012, rounding up rights lawyers, labour activists and even Marxists students in various sweeps.

The latest crackdown was linked to a December gathering in the east coast city of Xiamen in Fujian province, where participants discussed “democratic transition in China,” said Human Rights Watch researcher Wang Yaqiu.

The period around Christmas and New Year is traditionally when China chooses to sentence prominent dissidents in an effort to minimise international media attention, “so it is not a surprise that they chose this particular time to launch a manhunt of activists,” Wang said.

The meeting involved a small group of people “peacefully discussing politics in a private space,” she said.

Ding Jiaxi, a prominent Beijing-based disbarred lawyer previously jailed for protesting against official corruption, was among the activists known to have been detained across the country since December 26, according to China Human Rights Defenders (CHRD).

At least seven people, including Shandong-based disbarred lawyer Liu Shuqing, were released after being detained for questioning.

Other civil society figures, including pro-democracy activist Xu Zhiyong and human rights lawyer Tang Jingling, have gone missing or are currently unreachable, CHRD said.

At least two of the people detained, activists Dai Zhenya and Zhang Zhongshun, are suspected of “subverting” or “inciting subversion” of state power, a charge often used to silence dissidents in China.

The crackdown showed how the authorities have “zero tolerance of even just private discussion on issues like democracy and human rights,” Amnesty International researcher Patrick Poon said.

According to CHRD, five activists were taken in for questioning by Jinhua city police in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, on December 29, after having had dinner with someone who attended the Xiamen gathering.

Another lawyer, Lu Tingge, was held overnight for questioning on New Year’s Eve by police in the northern city of Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, CHRD said.

Police in Shandong province, whom CHRD said were heavily involved in the crackdown, as well as Jinhua and Shijiazhuang police, did not respond immediately to AFP’s requests for comment.

“This round of detentions and harassment is the continuation of the larger crackdown on civil society,” Wang said.

On December 30, a court in southwest China’s Chengdu sentenced Wang Yi, the leader of an underground Protestant church, to nine years in prison for “incitement to subvert state power.”

Over a dozen Chinese lawyers and activists were detained or went missing in the final days of 2019 in a crackdown on participants of a private democracy gathering, rights groups said Thursday.

SHANGHAI : The pastor of one of China’s best-known unregistered “house” churches was sentenced to nine years in prison on Monday on charges of inciting subversion of state power, part of Beijing’s crackdown on unregistered religious groups.

Wang Yi, pastor of the Early Rain Covenant Church in the southwestern city of Chengdu, was among dozens of the church’s members and leaders detained by police in December 2018, most of whom were subsequently released.

China’s constitution guarantees religious freedom, but since President Xi Jinping took office six years ago, the government has tightened restrictions on religions seen as a challenge to the authority of the ruling Communist Party.

The government has cracked down on underground churches, both Protestant and Catholic, and has rolled out new legislation to increase oversight of religious education and practices, with harsher punishment for practices not sanctioned by authorities.

“Today’s verdict makes a mockery of China’s supposed religious freedoms,” Amnesty International China researcher Patrick Poon said in a statement.

“Wang Yi was merely practising his religion and peacefully standing up for human rights in China. This nine-year sentence is appalling and unjust.”

Chinese law requires that places of worship register and submit to government oversight, but some have declined to register, for various reasons, and are known as “house” or “underground” churches.

Wang was profiled in Beijing-based journalist Ian Johnson’s 2017 book The Souls of China, and was also among three Chinese Christians who travelled to Washington in 2006, where they met with then-president George W. Bush, asking for his support in their fight for religious freedom.

An unusually outspoken religious figure, he has openly criticised Xi and wrote in an essay before his detention that Communist Party ideology was “morally incompatible with the Christian faith”.

Quotes attributed to him on a Facebook page run by the church’s supporters’ include one that said, “the Communist Party may kill my body but it cannot kill my soul.”

Wang’s sentencing was announced in a brief statement on the website of the Chengdu court, which said he had been charged with illegally operating a business.

Wang was also deprived of his political rights for three years and 50,000 yuan ($7,160) of his personal property was confiscated as part of his sentencing, the court said.

In 2009, China sentenced Nobel Peace Prize-winning dissident Liu Xiaobo to 11 years in prison on charges of “inciting subversion of state power”. Liu, a writer and activist, died in prison in 2017 after being denied permission to go abroad for treatment of late-stage liver cancer.

On 30 December 2019, The pastor of one of China’s best-known unregistered “house” churches was sentenced to nine years in prison on Monday on charges of inciting subversion of state power, part of Beijing’s crackdown on unregistered religious groups.

A labor rights worker, a volunteer and an intern were reported incommunicado in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Thursday, while mainland Chinese activists who took part in the Hong Kong protests were sent for "drug rehabilitation," RFA has learned.

Chen Weixiang, who worked for the Xin Huanwei group focusing on labor rights for street cleaners and sanitation workers, was detained on the afternoon of Dec. 17 by police at his home in Guangzhou, a person familiar with the situation told RFA.

Recent graduate and intern Lu Haoju was detained at the same time, the source said.

Yang Zhanqing, a friend of Chen's, said Chen was detained by officers from the Nanshitou Street police station in Guangzhou's Haizhu district.

"We don't know what the charges are or where they are being held," Yang said. "We have had no news so far."

He said a third person -- a volunteer -- linked to Xin Huanwei was also incommunicado, believed detained.

"One of my former classmates, she was involved in [Chen's] project, and she is now out of touch," Yang said. "I think they were taken away by Guangzhou police between 4-5 p.m. on Dec. 17. There were three of them."

"My guess is that they are targeting him because of Xin Huanwei, but a more direct reason could be that he recently helped some sanitation workers to stand up for their rights [with legal assistance]," Yang said.

"One instance was a case of wage arrears for sanitation workers, and another was a sanitation worker who got fired, then died, so it became a compensation case," he said. "Both of these cases touched on vested interests in local government."

No tolerance left for civil rights organizations

Chen had only recently returned to China after gaining a master's degree in the United States, Yang said.

But he said the ruling Chinese Communist Party had no tolerance left for civil rights organizations like Chen's.

"According to my experience and that of my former colleagues and people I know, any independent, privately run NGO that stands up for people's rights will be threatened and harassed with detentions and demands that it cease operating," he said.

An officer who answered the phone at the Nanshitou Street police station declined to comment, saying interviews had to be approved at district level.

"If you want an interview, you'll have to go higher up ... the Haizhu police department," the officer said.

Chen Weixiang graduated from Sun Yat-sen University School of Medicine in 2015, but was rejected from further medical training because of his labor activism.

After studying for a master's degree at Penn State University in the United States, he returned to China in August and set up services for sanitation workers, including Xin Huanwei.

'Compulsory detoxification'

Meanwhile, authorities in Guangdong's Dongguan city have detained activist Hu Haibo after he traveled to Hong Kong to support the pro-democracy movement there.

Since his return from Hong Kong, Hu was designated a "drug addict" by police and referred for "compulsory detoxification" at a rehab center last month, fellow activist Chen Yanhui told RFA.

"We are guessing that he may not have been cooperating after being admitted [to rehab] so it was changed to compulsory detoxification," Chen said. "He refused to accept their drugs and injections because he had never done drugs in the first place."

According to the Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch website, Hu could be incarcerated for up to two years under the compulsory program.

Chen said Hu's father had visited him at the center on Wednesday, but the visit was controlled and monitored at all times by police, who forced the pair to speak Mandarin rather than their native language.

"Maybe they were worried that Hu would disclose some information about life inside, because he was being treated differently from other drug addicts there," Chen said.

A Hong Kong resident who knew Hu said he had never seen any evidence of drug-taking during their time as roommates.

Reported by Wong Siu-san and Sing Man for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Qiao Long and Gao Feng for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.

On 19 December 2019, A labor rights worker, a volunteer and an intern were reported incommunicado in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Thursday, while mainland Chinese activists who took part in the Hong Kong protests were sent for "drug rehabilitation," RFA has learned.

Authorities in the Chinese capital detained and questioned a group of rights activists en route to the U.S. embassy in Beijing to participate in an event marking Human Rights Day on Tuesday, RFA has learned.

Wang Heying and a group of fellow petitioners -- people pursuing complaints against misconduct and rights violations by the ruling Chinese Communist Party -- were detained by police on the street after they registered to attend the event online, Wang said.

"This was a public event bringing friends together, an opportunity for the exchange of views," Wang said. "Everyone else got their invitations by using an invitation code they saw online, and registering with their ID. I was directly invited to participate by a friend."

But the group was stopped by a police patrol en route to the embassy, and taken to a nearby police station for questioning, she said.

"There were more than a dozen people at the police station, all of whom had previously lodged complaints against the government," Wang said.

"All petitioners have their ID cards marked with a special code, so they wouldn't be allowed through if there was an ID check. All we did was to lodge a petition ... and now we're labeled as class enemies. I don't get it."

Meanwhile, state security police in Beijing's Shijingshan district warned Xu Yan, wife of detained rights lawyer Yu Wensheng, not to go out ahead of Human Rights Day on Tuesday.

"They came to my door and told me very forcefully that I mustn't go out," Xu told RFA. "They said the restrictions would be in place for four or five days."

Xu, who recently wrote to the Global Lawyers' Forum in Guangzhou calling on overseas lawyers to call for Yu's release or speedy trial, said she was yelled at and shoved by more than a dozen people who surrounded her later, when she tried to leave her apartment.

China a 'bitterly ironic' host

State media said around 800 delegates from around the world attended the forum, which was hosted by the government-controlled All-China Lawyers' Association.

As it opened on Monday, a group of human rights lawyers from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Europe and the International Bar Association penned an open letter hitting out at the ruling Chinese Communist Party's use of indiscriminate arrest and detention and the forced disappearances of millions of people with no access to legal representation or fair trials.

Guangdong-based rights attorney Sui Muqing said the forum was mostly attended by justice department officials, and that few practicing Chinese attorneys had the opportunity to participate.

"It's just for people who do as the government tells them," Sui said. "Human rights lawyers or people who are slightly critical of the regime can't attend."

He said he has also had restrictions placed on his movements until the forum closes on Tuesday.

Geng He, the U.S.-based wife of disappeared rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, called on Human Rights Day for the world to remember the nationwide crackdown on lawyers, law firms and associated activists that has seen more than 300 people detained, questioned, prevented from leaving the country or their families harassed and denied access to jobs and education since July 2015.

"In China, law firms can be shut down whenever they want, and lawyers can lose their license, or be arrested, disappeared and tortured whenever they feel like it," Geng told RFA.

"It is bitterly ironic that they are holding a lawyers' conference in such a country, and on Human Rights Day, too."

On 10 December 2019, Sui Muqing, lawyer, and a group of pro-democracy activists were detained and questioned by the police, preventing them from attending a human rights event in Beijing, China.

An outspoken former Chinese rights lawyer has been arrested on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power”, as the government continues to crack down on activists and political dissidents.

Qin Yongpei, 50, who often criticised Beijing on social media including Twitter, was arrested on Tuesday in southern China, according to an arrest notice seen by AFP.

“He dares to say anything online,” his wife, Deng Xiaoyun, said.

She said he had been accused of inciting state subversion “because it would be easiest charge to give”.

Qin “drew a lot of attention, and possibly retaliation, from the authorities for openly criticising and reporting high-level public officials”, said Doriane Lau, a researcher at Amnesty International.

Qin, who was detained last month in Nanning, in the southern region of Guangxi, often took to social media to comment on topics deemed sensitive by the Chinese Communist Party, including pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

The Chinese lawyer, who was disbarred in May last year, is also among the growing number of rights lawyers in China to be stripped of their license to practise – a method activists say effectively silences them without attracting as much attention as an arrest. The widespread disbarment of rights lawyers – at least a dozen have had their licenses cancelled or revoked since 2018, according to government documents – follows one of the largest clampdowns on China’s legal profession in the country’s recent history.

A police sweep launched on July 9, 2015 saw more than 200 Chinese human rights lawyers and activists detained or questioned in a huge operation – later dubbed the “709 crackdown”– that rights groups called “unprecedented”.

“That authorities arrested Qin is outright political persecution,” said Sui Muqing, a Chinese lawyer who was detained during the “709 crackdown” and a friend of Qin’s.

His arrest is also “an escalation of political persecution towards lawyers”, he added. Nanning police did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.

On 3 December 2019, Qin Yongpei, disbarred human rights lawyer, was arrested in respnse to his online posting by the police in southern China.

A Tibetan man detained in Qinghai on charges of disturbing social order after he complained online about corrupt officials, illegal mining, and the hunting of protected wildlife was convicted on Friday following a two-day trial and handed a seven-year term in prison, a Tibetan advocacy group says.

Anya Sengdra, a resident of Kyangche township in Gade (in Chinese, Gande) county in the Golog (Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture was widely respected in his community for his campaigns, London-based Free Tibet said in a statement.

“[His] arrest and conviction fits a wider pattern of harassment of Tibetan activists and environmental defenders, which has [now] seen hundreds of arrests,” Free Tibet said, adding that roundups by Chinese police are conducted as a crackdown on so-called “criminal gangs.”

Sengdra’s work to end corruption and protect the environment “highlighted problems that the authorities should have taken seriously,” Free Tibet said. “But rather than listening, the [Chinese Communist Party] decided that A-Nya must be locked away in silence.”

Sengdra’s lawyer Lin Qilei said in a tweet following the trial that his client refused to accept the court’s verdict against him and will appeal his sentence, Free Tibet said.

Jailed before

Elected Kyangche township chief in 2014, Sengdra was later jailed for 15 months after raising questions about government corruption and served his term at hard labor, suffering damage to his health, sources told RFA in an earlier report.

Before his arrest in December 2014, Sengdra had questioned local authorities about their use of money assigned for projects in the township, one source said, adding, “He argued with them about the mismatch of funds announced by the government and what was actually spent.”

“This could have angered authorities and led to his detention,” the source said.

Development projects in Tibetan areas have led to frequent standoffs with Tibetans who accuse Chinese firms and local officials of pilfering money, improperly seizing land, and disrupting the lives of local people.

Many result in violent suppression, the detention of protest organizers, and intense pressure on the local population to comply with the government’s wishes.

On 6 December 2019, Anya Sengdra, environmental HRD and anti-corruption campaigner, was convicred to 7-year jail term for online posting by the Court of Qinghai Province, China.

Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung has been banned by the Hong Kong court from travelling to London to receive a human rights award from the British parliament, as he faces a charge of inciting anti-government protesters to besiege the police headquarters.

Madam Justice Esther Toh Lye-ping of the High Court on Tuesday refused Wong’s application to vary his bail conditions and lift a travel ban, citing heightened risk of absconding.

Toh said Wong did not need to be present in British parliamentary hearings and meetings in which he was invited, and could instead remain in Hong Kong to help the city return to peace.

Wong, secretary general of localist party Demosisto, was named the recipient of the Westminster Award for Human Life, Human Rights, and Human Dignity by both houses of parliament in Britain, for his “commitments to universal suffrage, human rights and free speech”.

He was the second Chinese person to receive the prize after blind mainland activist Chen Guangcheng was awarded in 2013. District council polls ban was ‘arbitrary’ decision, Joshua Wong says

Wong initially planned to leave Hong Kong next week for 20 days, during which he would attend parliamental hearings and deliver speeches in six European countries, and receive the prize in the Palace of Westminster on December 12.

But Hong Kong’s Eastern Court imposed a travel ban on Wong on August 30 after he was charged with organising, taking part in, and inciting others to take part in an unlawful assembly outside the Wan Chai police headquarters on June 21.

The lower court also refused to lift the ban earlier this month, saying Wong’s proposed trip was “not very important”.

Wong said he was disappointed with the ruling which amounted to “an extra punishment” before he was convicted by the court.

A statement by Demosisto said the court was now under immense pressure following Beijing’s criticism over its ruling on Monday that the anti-mask law was unconstitutional.

“Even in times of social turmoil, it’s really inappropriate and unnecessary for the court to step in and comment on how politicians should behave,” Wong said on Facebook.

He was charged alongside party member Agnes Chow Ting and chairman Ivan Lam Long-yin. The trio will appear in court again on December 19.

On 19 November 2019, Joshua Wong, political rights activist, was banned from travelling to Europe to meet with the MPs of six countries by the High Court of Hong Kong, China.

A pro-democracy politician and four other people were injured when a knife-wielding man attacked protesters in Hong Kong Sunday.

The assailant slashed and stabbed people at Cityplaza mall, one of several shopping centers where protesters had gathered to demand government reforms for the 22nd straight weekend.

Local media reported the attacker told his victims that Hong Kong belongs to China.

Four men and one woman were taken to hospitals, where two were in critical condition.

Among the injured was politician Andrew Chiu Ka-yin, who had part of his ear bitten off as he tried to prevent the attacker from leaving the scene.

A pro-democracy activist tweeted that his "close colleague Dr Andrew Chiu was assaulted" and his "left ear was brutally halved."

The semi-autonomous city has been mired in more than five months of massive and often times violent protests, sparked by a proposed bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China. The protests have evolved into demands for full democracy for Hong Kong, an independent inquiry into possible use of excessive force by police and complete amnesty for all activists arrested during the demonstrations. Masked activists have vandalized businesses and the city subway system, and attacked police with bricks and homemade gasoline bombs.

In September, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced she would withdraw the extradition bill but that has not quelled the protests.

Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of autonomy under the "one government, two systems" arrangement established when China regained control of Hong Kong from Britain in 1997. But political activists and observers say Beijing is slowly tightening its grip on the territory and eroding its basic freedoms.

On 3 November 2019, Andrew Chiu Ka-yin, a local politician and pro-democacy activist, was injured by an unknown assailant while joining a protest in Hong Kong, China.

Two journalists were arrested as Hong Kong police stormed shopping malls on Sunday following protests.

With no large-scale demonstrations planned, some protesters called for “shopping” stunts in seven districts including Admiralty, Mong Kok, Tsuen Wan, Wong Tai Sin, Tai Po, Sha Tin and Tuen Mun.

Scuffles were most serious at Cityplaza in Tai Koo, where pro-democracy district councillor Andrew Chiu had his ear bitten off after the assailant slashed several people with a knife.

According to lawmaker Charles Mok, Chiu’s ear was reconnected after an operation: “His status is stable but we will have to see if its function will recover,” Mok said.

Most of the protests began peacefully as sit-in events at shopping malls. At Cityplaza, residents formed human chains and sang protest songs, whilst a group of masked protesters vandalised a restaurant in the mall.

At around 6pm, police stormed the mall and arrested several people. “Police warn the masked rioters to stop all destructive and illegal acts and appeal to the protestors to stay rational and calm. They should refrain from obstructing Police’s action,” the force said in a statement.

Hong Kong Law & Crime Politics & Protest Two journalists arrested as riot police storm malls around Hong Kong and deploy pepper spray 4 November 2019 13:25 Kris Cheng 5 min read

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Two journalists were arrested as Hong Kong police stormed shopping malls on Sunday following protests.

With no large-scale demonstrations planned, some protesters called for “shopping” stunts in seven districts including Admiralty, Mong Kok, Tsuen Wan, Wong Tai Sin, Tai Po, Sha Tin and Tuen Mun. cityplaza

A cityplaza guard. Photo: Stand News.

Scuffles were most serious at Cityplaza in Tai Koo, where pro-democracy district councillor Andrew Chiu had his ear bitten off after the assailant slashed several people with a knife.

According to lawmaker Charles Mok, Chiu’s ear was reconnected after an operation: “His status is stable but we will have to see if its function will recover,” Mok said. photojournalist Joey Kwok Stand News arrested

Joey Kwok, freelance photojournalist working for Stand News, being arrested. Photo: Stand News.

Most of the protests began peacefully as sit-in events at shopping malls. At Cityplaza, residents formed human chains and sang protest songs, whilst a group of masked protesters vandalised a restaurant in the mall.

At around 6pm, police stormed the mall and arrested several people. “Police warn the masked rioters to stop all destructive and illegal acts and appeal to the protestors to stay rational and calm. They should refrain from obstructing Police’s action,” the force said in a statement.

Joey Kwok, a freelance photojournalist working for Stand News, was arrested and handcuffed on suspicion of obstructing police as he was taking photos at the mall.

Stand News said Kwok was at standing at a distance from police officers and did not obstruct their work. The news outlet condemned the arrest as unreasonable and demanded his immediate release.

“He has said he was a journalist multiple times when he was arrested, but it was ignored by the police,” Stand News said.

Hong Kong has now entered into its 22nd weekend of protest and unrest, which was sparked by a now-withdrawn extradition bill that would have allowed fugitive transfers to mainland China.

A journalism student, who is a member of the Hong Kong Baptist University Students’ Union Editorial Board, was also arrested at the mall whilst covering the news.

Roland Chin, the university’s president, said in an email to students, alumni and staff members that the school was deeply concerned about the student’s well-being.

He said the head of the Department of Journalism and a lawyer have visited the police station to provide assistance. The student’s family members have been notified.

Hong Kong Law & Crime Politics & Protest Two journalists arrested as riot police storm malls around Hong Kong and deploy pepper spray 4 November 2019 13:25 Kris Cheng 5 min read

Donate

Two journalists were arrested as Hong Kong police stormed shopping malls on Sunday following protests.

With no large-scale demonstrations planned, some protesters called for “shopping” stunts in seven districts including Admiralty, Mong Kok, Tsuen Wan, Wong Tai Sin, Tai Po, Sha Tin and Tuen Mun. cityplaza

A cityplaza guard. Photo: Stand News.

Scuffles were most serious at Cityplaza in Tai Koo, where pro-democracy district councillor Andrew Chiu had his ear bitten off after the assailant slashed several people with a knife.

According to lawmaker Charles Mok, Chiu’s ear was reconnected after an operation: “His status is stable but we will have to see if its function will recover,” Mok said. photojournalist Joey Kwok Stand News arrested

Joey Kwok, freelance photojournalist working for Stand News, being arrested. Photo: Stand News.

Most of the protests began peacefully as sit-in events at shopping malls. At Cityplaza, residents formed human chains and sang protest songs, whilst a group of masked protesters vandalised a restaurant in the mall.

At around 6pm, police stormed the mall and arrested several people. “Police warn the masked rioters to stop all destructive and illegal acts and appeal to the protestors to stay rational and calm. They should refrain from obstructing Police’s action,” the force said in a statement.

Joey Kwok, a freelance photojournalist working for Stand News, was arrested and handcuffed on suspicion of obstructing police as he was taking photos at the mall.

Stand News said Kwok was at standing at a distance from police officers and did not obstruct their work. The news outlet condemned the arrest as unreasonable and demanded his immediate release. photojournalist Joey Kwok Stand News arrested

Joey Kwok, a freelance photojournalist working for Stand News, being arrested. Photo: Stand News.

“He has said he was a journalist multiple times when he was arrested, but it was ignored by the police,” Stand News said.

Hong Kong has now entered into its 22nd weekend of protest and unrest, which was sparked by a now-withdrawn extradition bill that would have allowed fugitive transfers to mainland China.

A journalism student, who is a member of the Hong Kong Baptist University Students’ Union Editorial Board, was also arrested at the mall whilst covering the news.

Roland Chin, the university’s president, said in an email to students, alumni and staff members that the school was deeply concerned about the student’s well-being.

He said the head of the Department of Journalism and a lawyer have visited the police station to provide assistance. The student’s family members have been notified.

“We are also liaising with the relevant government agencies in our effort to seek a fair and proper treatment for the other students arrested by the police over the weekend,” Chin said.

The student claimed police threatened him with rape at the San Uk Ling Holding Centre when he was arrested. “I would not commit suicide,” the student shouted, in reference to a spate of recent deaths which some in the protest movement believe to be suspicious.

Shopping mall protests

Police officers also stormed other malls. At around 1:40pm, officers took eight people away from a gathering outside Sha Tin Town Hall.

At 4pm, police stormed the New Town Plaza from the bus terminus below, arresting at least two. Some threw objects at police inside the mall, as officers pointed their rifles at people and fired pepper spray.

Similar scenes also occurred at Tai Po Mega Mall and Diamond Hill’s Plaza Hollywood. At the Mega Mall, some protesters were folding origami cranes to form protest slogans whilst others trashed a Yoshinoya branch in the mall, believing that the restaurant has sided with the government. Officers then rushed into the mall but did not make any arrests.

At around 6pm, police rushed into the Tai Po mall again, despite a commander ordering them not to do so. Apple Daily footage showed that the commander had to enter the mall and shout: “No-one enter the mall… go back and reform [team] at the bridge.”

Residents gathered again at the mall and riot police entered for the third time at around 7pm to arrest two people, prompting onlookers to throw objects at police from above. Officers fired pepper spray and pointed their rifles at them.

Tseung Kwan O incident

Meanwhile, protesters gathered in Tseung Kwan O following rumours that a police officer was getting married at the Crowne Plaza hotel. At around 1am, police fired tear gas to disperse them.

A student from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology appeared to be trying to escape the tear gas when he fell from a car park’s third floor onto the second floor. He was unconscious and rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Jordan.

The student was in a critical condition and underwent an operation to remove haematoma from his brain. Wei Shyy, president of the university, visited the student on Monday morning at the hospital.

Chiu is running in the District Council election’s Tai Koo Shing West constituency. Kacee Ting of the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong is also running.

On 3 November 2019, Joey Kwok, photojournalist, and another student, were arrested by the police while covering a protest stages in Hong Kong, China.

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong says a decision by Hong Kong authorities to bar him from running in upcoming local elections proves "how Beijing manipulate[s] the election with political censorship and screening."

Wong posted the notice he received from an election commission officer on his Twitter page Tuesday declaring his candidacy invalid.

Wong had said last week that he was the only candidate running in the upcoming polls to be barred from taking part.

A government spokesman issued a written statement saying Wong's candidacy was invalidated because he has advocated for "self-determination" for Hong Kong.

The 23-year-old Wong, along with fellow student activists Nathan Law and Alex Chow, stormed a courtyard on the grounds of the government's headquarters in September 2014, which led to the "Umbrella Revolution" that shut down several major highways for more than two months, demanding fully free elections. The protests were launched after Beijing reneged on promises of universal suffrage by 2017, but ended without winning any concessions from the Hong Kong government.

The semi-autonomous city has been mired in nearly five months of massive and oftentimes violent protests since June, sparked by a proposed bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China. The protests have evolved into demands for full democracy for Hong Kong, along with an independent inquiry into possible use of excessive force by police and complete amnesty for all activists arrested during the demonstrations. Masked activists have vandalized businesses and the city subway system, and attacked police with bricks and homemade gasoline bombs.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam warned Tuesday that city's economy could see negative economic growth this year due to the protests.

Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of autonomy under the “one government, two systems” arrangement established when China regained control of the financial hub from Britain in 1997. But political activists and observers say Beijing is slowly tightening its grip on the territory and eroding its basic freedoms.

On 29 October 2019, Joshua Wong, pro-democracy leader, was barred from running as candidate for the local elections by the election commission of Hong Kong, due to his activity for the self-determination of Hong Kong.

Police in southern China detained feminist activist and journalist Huang Xueqin after she returned to the mainland from Hong Kong and Taiwan, her friends said Friday.

Authorities in Guangdong province's Guangzhou city arrested Huang last Thursday on suspicion of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," her friends said. The vague charge is commonly used against activists viewed as threatening by the ruling Communist Party.

The friends spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared government retribution for being publicly associated with Huang. Calls on Friday to Huang's lawyer and Guangzhou's Baiyun District Detention Center, where friends say she is detained, rang unanswered.

The friends said police harassed Huang's family after she published an essay describing her experience at a protest in Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous Chinese city that has been roiled by months of anti-government demonstrations.

"Perhaps, under the powerful machine of the party state, ignorance and fear can be cultivated," Huang wrote in her essay. "But if you have personally experienced it, witnessed it, you cannot pretend to be ignorant."

In August, Guangzhou police confiscated Huang's passport and other travel documents, preventing her from pursuing a postgraduate law program at the University of Hong Kong.

Huang has been an outspoken voice in China's #MeToo movement, helping sexual assault victims highlight cases against university professors. She has worked as an independent reporter covering issues surrounding gender, equality and disadvantaged groups.

Detained, harassed

"It is unclear exactly the reasons for Huang's detention, but in recent weeks, more and more activists, writers and regular citizens in the mainland have been detained or harassed by authorities for their peacefully voicing support for the Hong Kong protests," said Yaqiu Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch.

"Huang's detention shows that the Chinese government has intensified the crackdown on mainland Chinese who peacefully showed solidarity with Hong Kong protesters, and that authorities are fearful that the protests in Hong Kong could inspire challenges to the government in the mainland, and any expression of ideas of freedom and democracy is a threat to their grip on power," Wang said.

The protests in Hong Kong began over the summer in response to a now-withdrawn extradition bill that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to stand trial in mainland China, where critics say their legal rights would be threatened. The sometimes-violent demonstrations have since ballooned to encompass broader calls for democratic reform and an inquiry into alleged police abuse.

On 24 October 2019, WHRD and jouralist Huang Xueqin was arrested, and her family harassed by the police, after she shared her remarks on Hong Kong protest in Guanzhou, China.

The Hong Kong Police Force has been obstructing the work of reporters at protests in recent months. They have even used excessive and unnecessary force. The Hong Kong Journalists Association has time and again expressed our discontent. Police has not just failed to make any improvement. They did more to obstruct the work of reporters. Yesterday, police officers targeted at journalists spraying blue dye on them. And without giving prior warning, they threw teargas canisters at a place where many reporters had gathered. HKJA again vehemently condemns Police for unreasonably obstructing the work of reporters. We demand the force to immediately stop interfering and causing injuries to reporters – and apologise to the media for their wrongdoings.

According to several press reports, police have deployed a water cannon truck to drive away protesters in Sham Shui Po on Sunday. On one occasion, officers inside the truck have twice sprayed blue dye directly to them.

Meanwhile, several journalists have been rudely treated by police officers during their reporting in Mong Kok. Some riot-police officers have shouted at reporters, pushed and drove them away. An officer had pointed his gun at reporters. Late evening, a group of riot-police officers had deliberately thrown a hand teargas canister to a group of reporters before they withdrew. The canister exploded above the heads of several reporters. Thank to their protection devices, they escaped injuries.

HKJA vehemently condemns the Police for ignoring freedom of reporting and freedom of the press when they repeatedly used unnecessary force against reporters. We reiterate that freedom of expression and press freedom are an important cornerstone of Hong Kong. Truth-finding is the sacred duty of reporters. We cannot take abuses of the use of force by the police as normal. We urge the Government to immediately correct their mistakes.

On 20 October 2019, an undefined number of journalist was hit by water cannons and teargas canister thrown by the police while covering the ongoing protest in Hong Kong, China.

Authorities in the southwestern Chinese region of Guangxi have detained outspoken rights attorney Tan Yongpei, whose license to practice was revoked last year.

Tan was detained on Thursday by officers of the Nanning municipal police department during a raid on his Baijuying legal consultancy company.

An employee at a company occupying the same floor told RFA: "There were 10 or 20 of them. They came shortly after 5.00 p.m., just before we got off work."

"They showed their police identification and said they were from the police department and that they were looking for a lawyer surnamed Tan," he said. "Then they went in."

The employee said the officers were still on the premises when he left after 6.00 p.m. "They were forceful, but went into their offices quite politely, with somebody shooting video," he said. "They put seals on Tan's office door that said "Nanning Municipal Police Department."

The Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch website said the police hadn't produced any official documents authorizing the raid and search, however.

It said Tan had tried and failed to prevent them from carrying out the raid, which lasted around three hours, after which the police took Tan away with them.

Fellow Guangxi-based lawyer Tan Jiaji said it was hard to tell whether Tan would face criminal charges now, or simply be released after questioning.

"It's pretty hard to say right now," he said. "Anything is possible."

"He would regularly post [politically sensitive] stuff to social media, so maybe they now see him as a threat," Tan Jiaji said. "This sort of thing is happening more and more nowadays."

"I wasn't surprised at all that this happened."

'Picking quarrels and stirring up trouble'

He said the authorities can use catch-all charges like "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble" to detain people for what they post to social media.

"The whole idea of what is picking quarrels and stirring up trouble is so broad," he said. "It's perfect for those in power to use [against government critics]."

In January, Tan's China Lawyer's Club was raided by dozens of police office who said it was an illegal organization of banned lawyers.

A nationwide police operation under the administration of President Xi Jinping has targeted more than 300 lawyers, law firms, and related activists for questioning, detention, imprisonment, debarring and travel bans since it launched in July 2015.

The China Lawyers' Club was set up in Guangxi's regional capital, Nanning, by a group of former rights attorneys who lost their "business license" at the hands of local justice departments, and may no longer represent clients in court.

Formally established on Sept. 29, 2018, the club's aim was to find employment and income for dozens of experienced litigators who no longer have an income in the wake of the crackdown.

The club traded as a legal services company, and had 'signed' lawyers in a manner similar to the way sports teams sign big stars. Under current regulations, Chinese lawyers need a business license to represent clients, but not to offer legal consultancy on petitions and complaints.

On 31 October 2019, Tan Yongpei, human rights lawyer, was detained by the police and got his office raided in response to his social media interactions in Nanning, China.

The leader of a pro-democracy group responsible for some of the largest peaceful protest marches in Hong Kong was attacked on Wednesday, four days before another planned mass rally.

Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit, convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front, was set upon by at least four non-ethnic Chinese assailants on Arran Street in Mong Kok at 7.40pm, a police source said.

The attack was the second against Sham in less than two months.

The Civil Human Rights Front said Sham had been smashed over the head with hammers and spanners but was conscious when sent to Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei. He was understood to be in stable condition.

A photo of Sham following the attack showed the activist lying on the ground near a white vehicle with blood spilled around him.

Police said Sham was bleeding from his head and arms when officers found him. The suspects fled in a car which officers were pursuing, the force said. An investigation was under way.

Jimmy Sham is pictured after Wednesday’s attack. Photo: FacebookJimmy Sham is pictured after Wednesday’s attack. Photo: Facebook Jimmy Sham is pictured after Wednesday’s attack. Photo: Facebook

The leader of a pro-democracy group responsible for some of the largest peaceful protest marches in Hong Kong was attacked on Wednesday, four days before another planned mass rally.

Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit, convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front, was set upon by at least four non-ethnic Chinese assailants on Arran Street in Mong Kok at 7.40pm, a police source said.

The attack was the second against Sham in less than two months.

The Civil Human Rights Front said Sham had been smashed over the head with hammers and spanners but was conscious when sent to Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei. He was understood to be in stable condition.

A photo of Sham following the attack showed the activist lying on the ground near a white vehicle with blood spilled around him.

Police said Sham was bleeding from his head and arms when officers found him. The suspects fled in a car which officers were pursuing, the force said. An investigation was under way. SUBSCRIBE TO Hong Kong News Get updates direct to your inbox By registering, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy Government condemns attack on Hong Kong protest leader

Fellow rights front member Figo Chan said witnesses had told him onlookers tried to stop the ambush but Sham’s attackers pointed a knife at them.

Sham had been making his way to the democracy group’s annual general meeting where he was expected to discuss a march from Tsim Sha Tsui to West Kowloon railway station set for Sunday.

Chan said the march would proceed as planned.

The rights front condemned the attack, saying it would have a “chilling effect” on democracy advocates and fuel fears of “white terror” in Hong Kong. China warns US it will take ‘countermeasures’ over Hong Kong bill

The attack was not the first against Sham. He and his assistant Law Kwok-wai were in late August set upon by two people in masks wielding a baseball bat and a rod, hours after the pair were told by police that a rally they had planned for the following weekend had been banned.

Police later arrested three male suspects, including a 15-year-old boy. The youngster was charged with conspiracy to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and appeared at Kowloon City Juvenile Court. Two other suspects remain at large.

In addition to his activism, Sham is contesting a seat in Hong Kong’s district council elections set for November, at Lek Yuen in Sha Tin.

A number of Hong Kong lawmakers from the city’s pan-democratic camp were among those visiting Sham at Kwong Wah Hospital on Wednesday night, including Shiu Ka-chun, Tanya Chan, Wu Chi-wai, Ip Kin-yuen, Raphael Wong Ho-ming and “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung. Fifteen-year-old boy arrested over attack on activist Jimmy Sham and his assistant

Tanya Chan, the bloc’s convenor, condemned the attack and called it shocking. She urged police to investigate as soon as possible.

“What has Hong Kong turned into?” she asked.

Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting said “the assault is clearly politically motivated”. He accused police of failing to protect opposition politicians and activists. Lam said he had been assaulted by government supporters in June but that police had not made any arrests.

Sha Tin district councillor Wong Yue-hon, who is campaigning against Sham for another term on the council in the November elections, condemned “all forms of violence” and wished Sham a speedy recovery.

“I do hope there will be a fair election and it will not be affected by this incident,” he said.

But Wong discouraged Hongkongers from attending Sunday’s rally, warning that it would descend into chaos like other protests in recent months. Election hopefuls insist use of ‘liberate’ slogan is not independence call

“I hope the government can come up with a concrete proposal to restore social order, instead of the city seeing more and more injuries,” he said.

Since August, at least nine pro-democracy figures have been attacked, including Democratic Party lawmaker Roy Kwong Chun-yu. Offices of pro-establishment politicians, meanwhile, have been trashed by radical protesters during the anti-government protests.

Ng Tak-nam, chief inspector of Mong Kok district, said the attackers, who were masked and were wearing black tops, assaulted Sham causing a 3cm (1.2-inch) wound on his forehead.

Ng condemned the violence and believed the crime was organised as the attackers had been wandering in the area for some time.

“After the attack, they jumped into a black private car and fled in the direction to Sham Shui Po,” Ng said. “Witnesses have told us the car had been driving in the area for a while. The attack was swift and the suspects wore similar clothing.”

Ng added uniformed officers were protecting Sham in hospital and they were investigating whether the case was linked to the previous attack in August.

On 16 October 2019, Jimy Sham, pro-democracy leader and LGBTI activist, was severely injured by a group of unknown persons as a result of his role in the protests in Hong Kong.

Sichuan Human rights lawyer Lu Siwei received a notification from Chengdu All China Lawyers Association’s Disciplinary Committee for allegedly violating rules while accepting to represent a defendant of a human rights case, and thus will be subjected to disciplinary punishment.

Lawyer Lu specializes in finance laws and criminal defense, and at the same time, took up human rights cases; he was notably among the lawyers who were set to represent one of the defendants in the June 4th Wine Bottle Case and the Pengxi County land seizure case. The disciplinary punishment issues by the Lawyers Association is likely to be associated with Lawyer Lu taking on the case of Lawyer Chen Jiahong, who has been suspected of committing “incitement to subvert state power.”

Lawyer Chen’s charge was probably based on his calligraphy piece against “the evil bureaucracy” and encouraging democracy which he created in April this year, leading to his detainment in Guangxi’s Yulin Detention Center, where Lawyer Lu visited him on 9th May. At the same time, a list of lawyers defending Lawyer Chen began circulating online, which triggered the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Justice to call for Lawyer Lu to return to Chengdu as soon as possible, and to notify the staff at his law firm not to sign any contract of authorization.

The next day (10th May), the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Justice received evidence from the Sichuan Department of Justice regarding Lawyer Lu possibly violating professional ethics and the disciplinary code, thus referring the case to the Chengdu All China Lawyers Association. On 4th June, the Lawyers Association’s Disciplinary Committee started investigating the allegations and found that Lawyer Lu violated rules when taking up a case, therefore planning on disciplinary punishment.

At 2pm on Monday, Lawyer Lu Siwei attended a hearing regarding his alleged misconduct and consequent punishment by the Chengdu All China Lawyers Association at the Chengdu Legal Aid Centre.

The disciplinary punishment is likely associated with Lawyer Lu taking on the case of Lawyer Chen Jiahong, who has been suspected of committing “incitement to subvert state power.” The Lawyers Association’s Disciplinary Committee started investigating the allegations, and found that Lawyer Lu violated rules when taking up a case, therefore planning on disciplinary punishment, in addition to not allowing Lawyer Lu to pass the annual inspection for up to three months for the same reason.

Staff from the Consulate Generals of the USA, Germany, Canada, and the UK attended the hearing, but the moderator stated a fear for his own safety after their entry, saying that there were too many people in the meeting room, and requested that the members of the audience be limited to five only. A decision regarding Lawyer Lu has yet to be made, as it will be debated by the Chengdu All China Lawyers Association’s Disciplinary Committee.

On 21 October 2019, Lu Siwei, human rights lawyer, was subjected to disciplinar punishment by the Chengdu All China Lawyers Association, after he accepted to represent defendants in human rights-related cases.

A series of false allegations and smears have this week targeted journalists and unionists in Hong Kong known for speaking out against attacks on media. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) condemn the attacks against media workers and commends the solidarity of Hong Kong journalists in the face of such relentless attacks.

Since the “Prohibition on Face Covering”, otherwise knowns as the “anti-mask law”, was passed on October 4, media workers and their union, the Hong Kong Journalist Association (HKJA), have week endured a targeted campaign of smears and false allegations published online and in newspapers including state newspaper China Daily. The HKJA is among those strongly criticising the colonial era Emergency Regulation Ordinance that has allowed the government to ban the use of face masks – an action which jeopardises the safety not only of journalists but ordinary citizens caught up in tear gas attacks by the territory’s police.

On October 5, HKJA received a fake report claiming it “is racing against time to issue 10,000 press cards”. The false claim went viral on social media, despite HKJA’s rigorous defence and explanation of its eligibility requirements and application process for membership. Then, on October 7, Mark Pinkstone wrote in the China Daily that HKJA was “in the pocket of the NED/NDI”; a non-profit organisation funded by US Congress that invests in democratic movements worldwide. The article went on to defame HKJA chairperson, Chris Yeung alleging he attended “anti-China” meetings in the United States recently, even though the leader has not travelled to the country since 2007.

The HKJA said it deplored the “groundless and defamatory” article.

HKJA chairperson, Chris Yeung, said: “We trust your paper will take factual mistakes and unfounded allegations seriously and would take promptly action to set the record straight and make an apology for the remarks. To seek legal remedy for the damages caused to us is the last things we want.”

This week, Hong Kong Free Press reported comments by Hong Kong Executive Council member Ip Kwok-him, stating that the government “would not rule out a ban on the internet”. The IFJ strongly condemned such a move that would only further erode the right to free expression and democracy of Hong Kong.

The IFJ said: “Persistent attacks on the media this week is evidence of the continued erosion of Hong Kong’s democracy and the fragile state of press freedom. We strongly condemn the use of state media to spread defamatory and false statements about journalists and activists who are in the fight of their lives to defend Hong Kong’s press freedom. The IFJ expresses solidarity with Chris Yeung and will stand with the HKJA through these attacks.”

From 5 October 2019, the Hong Konk Journalists Association (HJKA) was victim of a series of online false article amounting to a smear campaign spread in China, in response to its journalistic work.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association deplores the use and threat of violence towards journalists covering events in Hong Kong.

HKJA notes with grave concern, reports by Radio Television Hong Kong ( RTHK) of serious injury to a journalist covering protests in Hong Kong on Sunday 29 September 2019.

Reports have stated that the journalist, working for an Indonesian-language publication based in Hong Kong, was injured in the eye by a rubber bullet or beanbag round whilst covering demonstrations in Wanchai.

Media video footage of her receiving medical attention shows her wearing a high visibility jacket with press markings as well as press card on display. HKJA also understands that the journalist was also wearing a helmet with press markings.

We are gravely concerned by these reports of serious injury to a journalist whilst covering events in HK. We are particularly concerned by reports that the injury was caused by a rubber bullet or bean bag round and that the journalist was not in the immediate vicinity of protestors at the time of the incident, she was clearly identifiable as being a member of the press and was with a number of other journalists at the time also wearing high visibility press markings.

Police have a duty to assist the press and facilitate reporting by members of the press. It is self-evident that this means that police should not cause injury to members of the press.

The HKJA will be investigating this incident and if substantiated, will be taking action to protect the rights and safety of our members

The HKJA also expresses grave concern about recent online threats, purportedly by radical protestors, to TVB journalists if they cover events in Hong Kong from today onwards.

We deplores the use and threat of violence towards journalists covering events in Hong Kong from any source and calls on police and protestors to allow journalists to carry out their job of reporting the facts without risk of serious injury or threats of violence.

On 29 September 2019, a journalist was injured by police-fired rubber bullet while covering an ongoing protest in Hong Kong.

(Hengyang, Hunan—Sept. 25, 2019) Authorities controlled human rights lawyer Xie Yang and a Chinese citizen, Chen Yanhui, this evening when they were discussing the Sept. 23 death of Wang Meiyu, a prisoner who died in the Hengyang Detention Center.

In the middle of Xie and Chen’s conversation at the Shennong Hotel in Hengyang, Hunan, six armed SWAT team members rushed in and contained them. Plainclothes police and hotel employees watched the room’s doorway, while the SWAT team members handled the staircase.

Xie’s wife, Chen Guiqiu, noted on social media that he was still being controlled as of 1:16 a.m. on Sept. 26 Beijing time. Her attempts to contact him have been unsuccessful, leading her to believe he is still being restricted by the officials.

Xie was previously taken into police custody for his human rights work on July 11, 2015, as part of a nationwide crackdown on rights attorneys known colloquially as the "709 Incident." During Xie's time in prison, he revealed that he had been tortured and that the lawyers appointed by his family were prevented from meeting him numerous times. To combat these accusations, China launched a propaganda campaign, claiming the reports were false. They also forced Xie Yang to deny his torture allegations during his trial.

Prior to his trial, Xie made a written declaration stating that he was not guilty of subversion, the charge which authorities used to imprison him, and said he would not plead guilty unless it was for the sake of his family or because of torture.

Xie was ultimately ruled "exempt from criminal penalty," a decision that means Xie should be legally free but also that the court had convicted him. He continues to be constantly monitored by the authorities.

On 26 September 2019, Kieu Dinh Lieuhuman rights lawyer, was put under surveillance and prevented to leave the hotel in Hengyang, China, where he was discusing with a friend about the death in prison of a Chinese activist occurred few days before.

Hong Kong authorities should conduct a swift and credible investigation into the recent assault of an Apple Daily reporter and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Yesterday, four men dressed in black and wearing yellow helmets rushed into a restaurant in Hong Kong’s Kwun Tong district where a reporter from the pro-democracy Chinese-language newspaper Apple Daily was dining with her family, and kicked and punched the reporter and then fled the scene, according to a report by Apple Daily and other news reports.

During the assault, the attackers mentioned Jimmy Lai, founder and chair of Next Digital, which owns Apple Daily, according a report by the newspaper.

The journalist was taken to a hospital with injuries to her head and right ear, according to the newspaper, which published photos of her injuries but did not release the reporter’s name.

“If the rule of law means anything in Hong Kong, police must take swift action to apprehend not just the men who carried out this assault on an Apple Daily reporter, but anyone who planned the attack as well,” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator, in Washington, D.C. “Attacks against journalists have gone unpunished for far too long in Hong Kong.”

Apple Daily editor-in-chief Ryan Law Wai-kwong said in a statement on the newspaper’s website that the reporter was targeted for her reports and live-streams of the protests that have taken place in Hong Kong since June. The protests were originally sparked by an extradition bill that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to face trial in mainland Chinese courts, as CPJ reported at the time.

The journalist’s personal information had recently been published by an anonymous website opposed to the protesters, according to a statement published on Facebook by the Hong Kong Journalists Association.

Hong Kong authorities have asked the website to remove identifying information of about 20 Apple Daily journalists, as well as more than 70 activists, student leaders, and protesters, but the website, which is registered to a Russian domain, has kept the information online, according to the South China Morning Post.

Jimmy Lai’s home was firebombed earlier this month, but no one was hurt in the incident, according to news reports.

The Hong Kong Police Force told CPJ in an email that the case is under investigation and no arrests have been made.

On 24 September 2019, a reporter from a pro-democracy Chinese-language newspaper, was beaten by a group of unidentified men in Hong Kong.

A rights activist who called publicly for the resignation of Chinese president Xi Jinping has died in a police-run detention center in the central province of Hunan, rights groups said.

Wang Meiyu's widow received notification of her husband's death in the Hengyang Detention Center on Monday.

Wang, 38, was detained two months ago after holding up a placard in public calling on President Xi to step down, and for democratic elections in China.

"Wang Meiyu died in the detention center," his mother, who declined to give her name, told RFA. "Wang Meiyu was only 38 years old. His father passed away 20 years ago, and now my only child is dead too."

Wang's widow Cao Shuxia said Wang was initially detained on July 8, and had been in normal health when his detention began.

Then, he was reported as having died suddenly in a military hospital. Cao said Wang's body was "unrecognizable" when she went to identify it.

"He was a healthy, normal man when he went in there," she said. "Then, at 4.00 a.m. on Sept. 23, I got a call from the village [ruling Chinese Communist] Party secretary, who told me that Wang Meiyu was dead."

"I asked how he died, and he said he didn't know, and that he had been informed by his superiors," she said. "He didn't even know the time of death. Later, I found out when I called up to enquire that he had died in the emergency room of Hengyang 169 Hospital."

"When I saw his body, it was like another person; he was totally unrecognizable," Cao said. "They wouldn't let me take my cell phone in with me, and there were a lot of police officers there with us, and they stopped me from getting too close."

Solitary confinement

Cao said Wang had received two visits from a lawyer after being detained. During these meetings, the lawyer heard that he was initially held in a large cell along with dozens of other inmates.

But by the time the lawyer visited again at the end of August, Wang had been transferred to solitary confinement, she said.

She said Wang's death was a huge blow to his family, especially to his two children, the older of whom is just 11. The couple had already lost their jobs as a result of Wang's activism, she said.

"My husband didn't commit any crime: he did nothing wrong," Cao said.

An acquaintance of Wang's surnamed Chen said Wang had been campaigning for democratic elections in China, which was why he had called on President Xi and Premier Li Keqiang to resign.

"Last year, he held up a placard outside the gates of the Hengyang Normal University in Hunan, and he did it again last July, outside the Hunan provincial police department, where he was detained," Chen said.

"He was already under very tight surveillance and had no source of income, and relations with his family were already strained," he said.

The authorities had already been in touch to warn off anyone thinking of showing support to the family, or speaking out on Wang's behalf, he said. "I will likely have to go and meet with state security police tomorrow."

'Step down and enable general elections'

In November 2018, Wang wrote on the social media platform WeChat that he had been visited by five officers of the state security police from Hengyang's Zhoushi county.

"They accused me of making random comments online, calling on Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang to step down and enable general elections," Wang wrote at the time.

"They said this was attacking our national leaders and told me to ... write a letter of repentance and a guarantee [of future good behavior]."

"Morons: it never occurred to them that three days and three nights of torture with dripping water and electric batons until I was spitting blood and my soul had nearly left my body wouldn't bring about my surrender," he wrote.

"What have I done wrong? I didn't give these state security morons the time of day: eventually, they went away with their tails between their legs."

An employee who answered the phone at the Hengyang People's Liberation Army 169 Hospital declined to comment, saying she wasn't on duty when Wang died, and that nobody was discussing the incident at work.

Repeated requests to the Hengyang police department for comment went unanswered at the time of writing.

On 23 September 2019, pro-democracy Wang Meiyu died after 2-month detention in Hengyang Detention Center, China.

Authorities in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan have criminally detained a prominent rights activist after he repeatedly showed public support for the anti-extradition protests in Hong Kong.

Chen Yunfei was taken away by state security police from his home in Gucheng township in Sichuan's provincial capital Chengdu on Sept. 19, his friend told RFA on Monday.

"Eight or nine people came from the Gucheng township police station, some in uniform, some in plain clothes," Chen's friend Luo Kaiwen said. "The police station called his sister and offered to find a lawyer for him."

"I heard that it was because of interviews Chen Yunfei gave to overseas media during which he expressed his support for the anti-extradition movement, that's what this was," Luo said. "They didn't say what the charge was, but I read online that it was for 'supporting Hong Kong'."

"The authorities basically have a lot of different options if they want to bring charges," he said.

Chen's family received official notification on Sept. 21 that he is under criminal detention for publishing comments in support of the anti-extradition movement in Hong Kong, it said.

Chen has outspokenly defended the anti-extradition movement at a time when the ruling Chinese Communist Party is ramping up the nationalistic narrative that the Hong Kong protests are being carried out by a small minority of troublemakers in the pay of "hostile foreign forces."

In recent interviews with RFA, Chen has called repeatedly for a dialogue between Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and protesters to try to reach a resolution over the five demands of the anti-extradition movement.

Several Chinese dissidents have had their Twitter accounts taken offline or been called in for questioning by police after they voiced support for the Hong Kong protests.

Chinese authorities have also been checking the devices of anyone crossing the internal border from Hong Kong to mainland China, as part of a concerted campaign to ensure that no unedited news of the Hong Kong anti-extradition protests is able to reach residents of China.

Admiration for the anti-extradition protesters

In an interview with the Epoch Times on Aug. 31, Chen expressed his admiration for the anti-extradition protesters and said Hong Kong should serve as a model for people in mainland China, an idea that gives voice to concerns in Beijing that Hong Kong's liberal attitudes could lead to the overthrow of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

Chen was only released last March from a jail term handed down on public order charges after he marked the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, politically sensitive and forbidden topic in China, in 2015.

Back then, he was detained after visiting the grave of Tiananmen massacre victim Wu Guofeng near Chengdu along with a group of fellow activists.

The government bans public memorials marking the event, and has continued to ignore growing calls in China and from overseas for a reappraisal of the 1989 student protests, which it once styled a "counterrevolutionary rebellion."

Chen has also campaigned vigorously for human rights protections and against environmental pollution in the past two decades.

Sichuan-based writer and activist Tan Zuoren declined to comment in detail, citing additional security measures ahead of celebrations of the 70th anniversary of Communist Party rule on Oct. 1.

"Of course I'm worried about him, but there's not much I can do to help, particularly not before National Day on Oct. 1," Tan said. "I have been told not to make any comments, as part of the conditions of my current bail."

Chen's wife said she and her husband are currently estranged, and that she is also under pressure from the authorities over the birth of the couple's daughter, which was deemed a violation of family planning restrictions.

"I just saw on the group chat that he was in trouble," she said. "But I don't know any of the details. I'll go and visit him in a few days ... we are not living together at the moment ... and I don't have much time to take care of him."

National Day on Oct. 1

Calls to the nearby Wenjiang Detention Center rang unanswered during office hours on Monday.

An employee who answered the phone at the the Gucheng township police station said he knew nothing of Chen's detention.

"I don't really know about this," the employee said. "You could come to the police station and ask. Different people are on duty here every day."

Fellow dissident Zeng Rongkang said Chen's detention could also be linked to his attempts to make news of the Hong Kong protests available to social media users in mainland China.

"News from Hong Kong is usually deleted from WeChat, and a lot of ordinary people don't actually know about the anti-extradition movement in Hong Kong," Zeng said.

"Security is extremely tight across the whole country ahead of National Day on Oct. 1," he said. "There are police on all the buses and metro trains in the Chengdu area."

Zeng said Chen had previously been sentenced to four years' imprisonment over his commemoration of the Tiananmen massacre. "He didn't even do anything, just visit the grave of a 1989 student protester."

"Strictly speaking, that's not a crime."

On 19 September 2019, Chen Yunfei, pro-democracy HRD, was detained by the police in Chengdu, China, after expressing his support for the Hong Kong's protests.

The Global Times, an English media owned by the state-run People’s Daily, published an article on September 23, which referred to a ‘campaign’ launched by several Hong Kong journalists against the Hong Kong Journalist Association (HKJA), and requested the IFJ to revoke HKJA’s membership. The journalists behind the campaign remain anonymous, and the accusations referred to against the HKJA on the campaign website [saynotohkja.mystrikingly.com], are not based on solid evidence, some are based on the disinformation by other state-run media.

The IFJ is aware of attempts to discredit HKJA, having received several complaints since June from anonymous emails. The complaints are almost identical in language and issues referred to, raising questions about their authenticity. The IFJ strongly condemns attempts to discredit professional journalist unions such as the HKJA, as well as the broader work of the journalist community with attempts to legitimise the authorities’ attacks against the media or suppress press freedom.

The IFJ said:"We strongly deplore this smear campaign against our affiliate the HKJA. The work of the HKJA is commendable, especially the continued support and campaigning for media safety in the past four months in Hong Kong. We stand in solidarity and support the HKJA. The IFJ was never sort for comment regarding the campaign to have HKJA's membership revoked. The attempts by some to share disinformation are part of a campaign to discredit the work done by HKJA, supported by the IFJ to ensure the safety and security of the media and press freedom in Hong Kong."

The HKJA is a strong professional media union, working to support the Hong Kong media community and promote press freedom. Since the start of Hong Kong wide protests in June 2019, HKJA has been active in working to support the media. Since June they have raised HKD3 million (USD 383,000) for an anti-violence legal fund for journalists. They have supplied more than 100 safety kids to journalists, organized medical service for 33 journalists injured with tear gas while covering the protests, provided professional counselling services to 20 journalists and filed complaints for over 40 journalists attacked covering the protests.

On 23 September 2019, the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) was subject to a smear camaign led by the Global Times, a Chinese state-run media outlet.

Hong Kong police must cease their unprovoked use of tear gas and pepper spray against journalists covering protests in the city, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

On September 7, police pepper-sprayed a group of journalists who were filming the arrests of protesters in the Mong Kok area, according to news reports and Holmes Chi Hang Chan, a reporter with the independent news website Hong Kong Free Press, who live-streamed the incident on Facebook and recounted it in a statement sent to CPJ.

On September 8, police threw teargas canisters directly at several journalists wearing clearly marked press vests while they were covering protests in the Causeway Bay metro station, according to news reports and footage circulated online showing the attack. One canister appeared to hit a journalist in the helmet and then exploded near another journalist, according to those reports.

“Hong Kong police need to learn that a police badge and a uniform do not amount to a license for indiscriminate attacks against journalists, or anyone,” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator, in Washington, D.C. “The most recent attacks against journalists make clear why an independent investigation into police behavior is essential if Hong Kong is to be a place where rule of law prevails.”

Police fired pepper spray without warning that hit Chan, who was wearing a reflective press vest and a helmed labeled “Press,” in the face, he wrote in the statement provided to CPJ. Chan had two press passes visible and was not wearing protective facial gear, he wrote.

Chan was admitted to the Kwong Wah Hospital and was treated for a “chemical eye injury,” according to a document given to him by a doctor, he said in the statement. The journalists on the scene had complied with police instructions and had not given police any reason to use force against them, he said.

Also on September 7, in Mong Kok, police pepper-sprayed three reporters for local daily Ming Pao who wore helmets and passes identifying them as press, according to a statement posted on Facebook by the newspaper’s staff association.

The Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Journalists Association both issued statements condemning the increasing acts of violence against journalists. Protestors have demanded an independent inquiry into police behavior, according to news reports.

The Hong Kong Police Force did not respond to CPJ's email requesting comment.

On 8 September 2019, two journalists were hit by teargas canisters thrown by the police in Hong Kong.

Around 10.30 pm Saturday (Sept 7), police officers were charging to drive away protesters and make arrests outside Pioneer Centre in Mongkok. With no protesters around, police officers sprayed pepper spray at reporters at the scene. Several frontline journalists were injured. We condemn police violence and taking journalists as their target of attack – deliberately and with hostilities – in obstructing reporters’ work. We urge Police to take the issue of frontline officers being unable to control their emotions and abuse of power seriously.

Around 10.30 pm, reporters who covered the police operation were driven away by police officers. Reporters kept a distance of about 10 meters from the place where police made arrests. They heeded police’s demand for them to position themselves at the pedestrian pavement. Suddenly, two officers from the Special Tactical Squad, or commonly known as Raptor, sprayed pepper spray. At least five photojournalists, two from HK01, one from AFP and two from Ming Pao and three reporters, one from Ming Pao and two from Cable TV. Two had sprayed on their faces.

We noted that reporters there were wearing passes and helmets emblazoned with the word, PRESS, which were easily identifiable. There were no protesters near the reporters. Reporters were retreating while police officers were making the requests. The sudden attack from police officers was unreasonable. Two officers had persistently sprayed at a bigger group of reporters, injuring more. A reporter at the scene heard from an officer who sprayed pepper spray saying, “shooting (pictures), so you like shooting.” It is clear the police officers were hostile towards the reporters. The acts of the two officers were close to an assault against journalists. We demand police to provide the identification of the two officers for reporters to lodge a formal complaint.

Police officers at the scene had not provided clear identification for reporters to lodge a complaint. Police’s media liaison officers were nowhere to be seen. Those who turned up late failed to perform their duty of liaison. They were also hostile when responding to journalists’ questions.

We condemn police’s abuse of the use of force and deliberately obstruct reporters’ work. We urge the police to take seriously the statements issued by us in the past three months. We urge the police to take the issue of frontline officers being unable to control their emotions and abuse of power seriously to coordinate with the work of frontline journalists for them to play their role of fourth power.

On 7 September 2019, at least eight photojournalists and reporters in Hong Kong were injured by pepper sprayed used by the police.

In 2016, the police issued an order to all the kindergartens, including all the early education centers in Beijing’s Shijingshan District (石景山区) to not accept my son at their schools. My son, Quanquan (泉泉), had stayed home, unable to attend school since May 2018. Then, by luck and coincidence, I found a private school that accepted him. Quanquan finally was able to go to school, joining the top kindergarten class there.

It was a hard-won opportunity for Quanquan, and he was very excited. On the first day of school [in 2018], he woke up at 6 am. He tugged at me, acting cute one moment and threatening me the next. I had to get out of bed. We washed together, and after getting dressed, he wanted to go to school. Reluctantly, I told him that the school bus wouldn’t arrive at the gate until 7:48 am. His single-eyelid eyes flashed with ardent hope, and he said to me pleading: “I want to go early to wait at the gate. Please?”

So I gave in, unable to say no to his adorable face. So, we sat on the side of the street waiting for the bus for more than an hour before it was due to arrive. Quanquan was a little anxious; he would stand up and sit down, stand up and sit down again, making me dizzy just watching him. His small pudgy face was full of worry, and he asked me over and over again: “Mom, are you sure we’re waiting in the right place for the school bus?” It was annoying and amusing at the same time; all I could do was answer “Yes!” over and over again. At that time, I thought, it was only children who’ve been unable to attend school who could feel such excitement about going to school.

Quanquan really liked his school. The flowers and trees in the school grounds, the sandboxes, the trampoline, and the various insects on the lawn made each day full of surprise and joy. The school’s atmosphere was happy, relaxed, and full of love, which led to Quanquan arguing that he wanted to go to school on Sundays. He also made a lot of friends, and he even secretly liked a little girl.

Quanquan successfully completed kindergarten without incident. I thought at the time that attending school would no longer pose a problem.

Come September 2, Quanquan was promoted to primary school. School has only been in session for four days, but the police have visited multiple times already to put pressure on the school. As a result, my son is once again forced out of school.

Having been told that that Quanquan could not continue school, I felt all my strength was sucked out of me there and then. Heavyhearted, I walked out of the school gate. At home, Quanquan’s maternal grandpa had just suffered a severe cold, stooping after days of high fever and coughing. I tried hard to pull myself together, not wanting to cry in front of him. But I broke down after all, tears streaming down my face.

I was thinking, why? Why?

It’s no wonder that every time I visited Quanzhang (王全璋), what he worried about most was whether our son could go to school. No wonder he repeatedly sought confirmation from me whether our son was indeed going to school.

When Quanzhang was detained four years ago, our son was only two and a half years old. Now, it looks like our son has been made into a bargaining chip which officials are going to use to coerce Quanzhang. Maybe that’s why every time I see Quanzhang he tells me not to come visit; maybe that’s why Wang Quanzhang said he did not want medical parole (as I write this, I recall that Quanzhang has lost three teeth in the past four years; maybe that’s why Wang Quanzhang said that after he is released from prison next year, he would continue to be subject to government monitoring, and would not return to Beijing, but stay in Jinan!

They detained and isolated an innocent lawyer from the outside world for four years; they held a secret trial of him without lawyers present to defend him, and then transferred him to prison to serve his sentence, and repeatedly blocked me, his wife, from visiting him. Now they are making an issue of a 6-year-old boy attending school.

I have to ask, what do you want?

Do you intend to make a mother give in and give up by making her suffer pain and despair over her son’s loss of schooling? Or, are you using his son to strike the imprisoned father and force him to bow to your menacing?

Or, perhaps you are concocting a tribute to your grand celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China by depriving this six-year-old child of schooling, and inflicting pain on this family.

Quanquan knows that he can’t go to school anymore starting today. He asked me: “I am the leader of Team No. 1 in martial arts class. I can’t lead the team anymore, what to do? The teacher is going to teach a lot of new moves, which I won’t know — what should I do?” He’s not ready to accept that fact that he has no school to go to anymore. He’s said repeatedly that he wants to go school, he wants to go to school.

I wiped my tears, and began to smile, telling him:

“If we can’t attend this school, I believe that God will provide another school for us that is just as good as this one!”

On 2 September 2019, the son of the imprisoned lawyer Wang Quanzhang was prevented from attending school in Beijing, China.

Thousands of Hong Kong university and school students boycotted class and rallied peacefully for democracy on Monday, the latest acts of defiance in an anti-government movement that has plunged the Chinese-ruled city into crisis.

The boycott followed a weekend marred by some of the worst violence since unrest escalated more than three months ago, with protesters burning barricades and throwing petrol bombs, and police retaliating with water cannon, tear gas and batons.

Tension remained high, with several brief skirmishes around the territory after night fell. Police fired tear gas to clear protesters in the densely populated Mongkok region of the Kowloon peninsula.

Thousands of students gathered earlier on the hilltop campus of Chinese University under leaden skies, taking turns to make speeches from a stage with a black backdrop embossed with “Students in Unity Boycott for our City”.

They are seeking greater democracy for the former British colony which returned to China in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula that guarantees wide-ranging autonomy, including the right to protest and an independent judiciary.

They fear those freedoms are being slowly eroded by Communist Party rulers in Beijing, a charge China denies.

“I come here just to tell others that even after summer holidays end we are not back to our normal life, we should continue to fight for Hong Kong,” said one 19-year-old student who asked to be identified as just Chan.

On the first day of the new school year, secondary students were seen singing, chanting and forming human chains, some wearing hard hats and masks.

China accuses Western countries of egging on the protests. It says Hong Kong is its own internal affair.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang reiterated Beijing’s support for Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam.

“China’s central government supports chief executive Carrie Lam’s leadership ... to administer in accordance with the law and supports Hong Kong’s police tackling the violence and chaos in accordance with the law to restore order,” he told a press briefing.

As for Lam, she said last week she had caused “unforgivable havoc” by igniting the crisis and would quit if she had a choice.

Students have turned out in significant numbers at recent rallies and were also prominent during the 2014 pro-democracy “Umbrella” movement that foreshadowed the current unrest.

“It’s very different from what happened back then. People are more mad now,” said Summer, a 20-year-old student who gave only his first name.

The vice-chairman of the Demosisto pro-democracy movement, Isaac Cheng, was assaulted by three unidentified men on Monday and taken to hospital, the group said in a statement. The group’s leader, Joshua Wong, was one of the prominent leaders of the 2014 struggle.

Thousands of protesters blocked roads and public transport links to Hong Kong airport on Sunday. Some then targeted the MTR subway station in nearby Tung Chung, ripping out turnstiles and smashing CCTV cameras, glass panels and lamps with metal poles. Police made several arrests.

Lam, a lightning rod for protesters’ anger, said on her Facebook page on Monday that 10 subway stations had been damaged by “violent offenders” over the weekend.

John Lee, government secretary for security, told media that nearly 100 petrol bombs were thrown in various locations on Saturday with two found on a 13-year-old boy who was arrested inside an MTR station.

The unrest began over a now-suspended extradition bill that would have allowed people in the city to be sent to China for trial in courts controlled by the party.

The turmoil has evolved into calls for democracy. China is eager to quell the unrest before the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on Oct. 1.

With Hong Kong facing its first recession in a decade, China has also warned of the damage the protests are causing to the economy.

On 2 September 2019, Isaac Cheng, a pro-democracy student leader, was assaulted by three unidentified man in Hong Kong, and taken to hospital.

Authorities in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Friday 31st October detained a prominent women's rights activist after she organized an online activity in support of Hong Kong's Occupy Central pro-democracy movement. Ye Haiyan, who founded the Women's Rights Workshop, was taken away by police in her home district of Xinzhou after her home was searched, a Beijing-based rights lawyer told RFA. "Police went to her home and confiscated some of her things," rights lawyer Tang Jitian said. "I am guessing it's because she organized some activities on and offline." "I can't say for sure, but it is likely to have at least something to do with her support for Occupy Central," Tang said. Ye's boyfriend Ling Haobo said around a dozen police officers had arrived at her home at around 11.30 a.m. local time on Friday, and had confiscated two notebook computers, three cellphones, and an external hard drive. "I was at the door when the police came knocking," Ling said, adding that police had stayed around 20 minutes. "Then they told Ye Haiyan to go with them to the police station, but they didn't produce any documentation," he said. "They didn't say whether it was for questioning, or whether it was criminal detention," he said. "They just took her away, and left five officers behind to go through her things." He said Ye had recently joined an online movement in which participants shaved their heads to show support for Occupy Central. "Several dozen people in mainland China shaved their heads," Ling said. The overseas-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) group, which collates and translates reports from rights groups inside China, says it has documented 72 cases of detention of people showing public support for the Occupy Central movement. Of those, 27 people were criminally detained and three were handed administrative detentions, while 32 remain in custody without charge. A further 11 were released, it said. It said the most recent detention was that of Guangdong-based activist Su Changlan, who is being held by Foshan municipal authorities on suspicion of "incitement to subvert state power" after she took part in Hong Kong-related activities in the province. But Tang said the true number of Hong Kong-related detentions may be much higher. "It's more than 100 so far, although we haven't yet updated those numbers," he said. Beijing has repeatedly said the five-week-old Occupy movement is "illegal," but Hong Kong officials have taken a more diplomatic stance since police use of tear gas brought hundreds of thousands of people out onto the streets to swell the movement, and sent video and social media accounts of the Sept. 28 clashes streaming live around the world. Since then, the mostly peaceful protests have occupied major highways and intersections near government headquarters in Admiralty district and in the busy shopping districts of Causeway Bay and Mong Kok, amid sporadic clashes with police and anti-Occupy protesters.

On the 31st October 2014, prominent women's rights activist Ye Haiyan was detained by police after she organized an online activity in support of Hong Kong's Occupy Central pro-democracy movement. Haiyan, who founded the Women's Rights Workshop, was taken away by police after her home was searched. They also confiscated two notebook computers, three cellphones, and an external hard drive.

A Tibetan monk charged with inciting Tibetans to oppose Chinese rule has been ordered jailed for 12 years, according to sources who say he is being confined in a prison notorious for its abusive treatment of prisoners. Tsangyang Gyatso, chant leader at the Drilda monastery in Sog (in Chinese, Suo) county in the Nagchu (Naqu) prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region, "was sentenced sometime around Oct. 1, 2014," Ngawang Tharpa, a Tibetan living in India, told RFA's Tibetan Service, citing contacts in the region. "He is reportedly being held in Chushur prison near[the regional capital] Lhasa," Tharpa said. Harsh treatment is common at the Chushur prison, located about 48 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of Lhasa, with prisoners routinely subjected to torture, beatings, and forms of abuse, Tibetan sources have said. "[Gyatso] was convicted on charges of inciting others to protest against China and of communicating with contacts outside Tibet," Tharpa said. "His relatives in Sog county's Trido township were informed of his sentence by letter only around Oct. 15." Family members have been told they will not be allowed to visit the jailed monk until three months elapse from the date of his sentencing, but have also been warned they will need letters from township and county officials giving permission for the visit, Tharpa said. Tsangyang Gyatso was detained on unknown charges on March 17, 2014, along with three other monks from Drilda monastery named Tsewang, Atse, and Gyaltsen, Tharpa said. Their detention followed a roundup earlier in March of at least nine other area monks and residents suspected of involvement of activities challenging Chinese rule in Tibet, including the painting of independence slogans on boulders near an iron bridge in Trido township. Sporadic demonstrations challenging Chinese rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008, with 133 Tibetans to date setting themselves ablaze to oppose Beijing's rule and call for the return of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

On the 1st October 2014, Tibetan monk Tsangyang Gyatso was charged with incitement to oppose Chinese rule and sentenced to 12 years in jail. He has allegedly been confined in a prison notorious for its abusive treatment of prisoners.

An AIDS researcher, Wang Qiuyan, was prevented from attending a women's rights conference put on by the United Nations, when authorities forcibly registered her at a hospital. Jess Macy Yu reports for the New York Times: Wang Qiuyun, 46, a member of the Women's Network Against H.I.V./AIDS China, was to have consulted Thursday with experts reviewing China's case before the Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. In an interview on Wednesday, she said she was currently under close surveillance at her home in Hebi, Henan Province, after local officials took away her passport with her newly issued Swiss visa on Oct. 10. On that same day, she was driven to the Hebi City Infectious Disease Hospital by six officials, registered as a patient and told to notify the conference that she was "too sick to attend." That night, she said she was able to quietly escape the hospital. Ms. Wang, formerly director of women's services with the Henan Province Family Planning and Medical Station, has in recent years devoted her time to the Women's Network Against H.I.V./AIDS China, an organization founded in 2009 with the support of Unaids, the United Nations agency dealing with AIDS, to help Chinese women with H.I.V. improve the quality of their life.[Source] Simon Denyers at the Washington Post looks at Wang's work and the possible reasons for her travel ban. Wang herself contracted HIV, most likely during an operation when Henan was the center of an HIV epidemic in the 1990s: "I don't know why this happened," Wang said in a telephone interview. "I've explained to the police and other officials many times that I was just going to talk about helping women with AIDS, and about children who suffer discrimination because of their parents' HIV status." The report she was due to present, on behalf of the nongovernmental group Women's Network Against HIV/AIDS China (WNAC), concludes that the HIV epidemic among women in China is on the rise, partly because of a lack of awareness and low condom use among sex workers. It also argues that women face "serious discrimination and humiliation" in health care, employment and education, and that strong laws against prostitution - including police regulations that equate condom possession with prostitution - were discouraging sex workers from carrying condoms.[Source]

On 10 October 2014, Ms. Wang Qiuyan, a member of the Women's Network Against HIV/AIDS China, was barred from attending a women's rights conference organized by the UN. Her passport was seized by the local officials and she was forced to be admitted hospital on the same day.

A young Tibetan called out in public for Tibet's freedom before being assaulted and taken into custody by Chinese police in the second solo protest in Sichuan province's Kardze prefecture this month, according to sources. Dorje Rinchen, believed to be in his 20s, launched his solitary protest shortly after 2:00 p.m. on Thursday the 16th October in the central square of the Serthar (in Chinese, Seda) county seat in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, a local source told RFA's Tibetan Service. "Many witnesses saw him throw leaflets in the air and shout slogans calling for the long life of[exiled spiritual leader] the Dalai Lama and for freedom for Tibet before he was overpowered by police," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The detaining officers tied Dorje Rinchen's hands behind his back, forced his head down, "and took him away, beating him severely at the same time," the source said. "A large contingent of police were then stationed in the square and imposed harsh restrictions in the area," he added. Separately, a Tibetan living in exile confirmed Rinchen's detention, citing contacts in the Serthar area. Rinchen, a resident of Horshul village, had once been a monk at Serthar's Nubsur monastery but "had left monastic life and pursued various trades in the nomadic community," the source, Golog Jigme, said. "At this time, it is difficult to know whether his family members have been allowed to see him or learn where he is being held," Jigme said. Sporadic demonstrations challenging Chinese rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008, with 133 Tibetans to date setting themselves ablaze to oppose Beijing's rule and for the return of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

On the 16th October 2014, Dorje Rinchen, a young Tibetan protester, was detained and beaten by police after calling publicly for the freedom of Tibet from Chinese rule.

Hong Kong protesters clashed with dozens of police using batons and pepper spray early Wednesday, in some of the worst violence since pro-democracy demonstrations began. The confrontation broke out during a police operation to clear newly erected barricades on a main road next to the city's embattled government headquarters. A wall of police armed with shields and batons marched before dawn on crowds clutching the umbrellas that have become emblematic of their fight for full democracy. Police used their fists and batons to beat back protesters who refused to retreat, aiming pepper spray in their faces in wild scenes. Others were pulled to the ground, handcuffed and hauled away by officers, and there were injuries on both sides. Police said that 45 people had been arrested in the operation, including 37 men and eight women. Within an hour police had regained control of Lung Wo Road, which sits just metres from the offices of Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chin-Ying, ending a short-lived occupation that protesters staged the day before. The violence was among the worst seen since the start of rallies that have drawn huge crowds calling for Beijing to grant the semi-autonomous city the right to hold free elections. China has insisted it will vet candidates standing for election as the semi-autonomous city's next leader in 2017 - a move protesters deride as "fake democracy". While the activists have been praised for their civility and organisational skills, they have also brought widespread disruption and traffic congestion to the financial hub, and tempers on all sides have begun to fray. A police statement said officers had warned that "advancing against police cordon line even with their arms raised is not a peaceful act", and had appealed to the demonstrators to "stay calm and restrained". The protests that have paralysed parts of the city over the last fortnight have largely been peaceful. But ugly scuffles have frequently broken out between demonstrators and government loyalists, sparking accusations the authorities are using hired thugs. Patience is running short in some quarters, with shop owners and taxi drivers losing business and commuters voicing irritation at extensive disruptions on the roads and on public transport. UPDATE: 15 October 2015 Hong Kong police charged over beating of democracy activist Seven Hong Kong police officers have been charged in relation to the beating of a protester during pro-democracy demonstrations in the Chinese-ruled city late last year that brought large parts of the financial centre to a halt. The officers were charged with one count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, while one officer was also charged with one count of common assault, a police spokesperson said today. The officers will appear in court on Monday. The seven officers are accused of beating activist and Civic Party member Ken Tsang Kin-chiu. Footage of the attack in October last year went viral, sparking outrage from some lawmakers and the public. Protesters had been demanding full democracy for the former British colony and were also calling for Hong Kong's pro-Beijing leader, Leung Chun-ying, to step down. The weeks of protests failed to persuade Beijing to lift a restriction on who can stand for election as Hong Kong's leader in the next vote in 2017. China rules Hong Kong under a "one country, two systems" formula that accords the city a degree of autonomy and freedom not enjoyed in mainland China, with universal suffrage an eventual goal. - Reuters, October 15, 2015. UPDATE: 12/ 11/ 2015 Hong Kong activist takes police torture claim to UN HONG KONG - A Hong Kong activist allegedly assaulted by police during last year's pro-democracy protests said Wednesday he would present his case to a United Nations torture hearing next week. Footage of activist Ken Tsang being punched and kicked by police officers was beamed around the world at the height of the mass protests that brought parts of the southern Chinese city to a standstill last year. The video, aired by local television network TVB, showed a group of men hauling a handcuffed Tsang to a dark corner in a public park. One man stood over Tsang punching him while three others repeatedly kicked him. Seven police officers were charged with assault over the incident, while Tsang himself was also charged with attacking 11 police officers. Tsang, 40, said he would present his case at a UN Committee Against Torture hearing in Geneva next Tuesday. "Those seven policemen being accused should be charged with torture, not with common assault," Tsang told AFP. "We want to raise more pressure on the government on how they are handling the case," Tsang said, adding that the charges were only brought a year after the incident. Tsang has previously slammed allegations against him as "unreasonable and ridiculous", while the justice department has justified the assault charge against, saying he "splashed liquid from a plastic container" onto police. Democratic Party chairwoman Emily Lau, who will also attend the UN torture hearing, told AFP: "On a number of occasions the police used force to deal with the peaceful demonstrators, and that is very, very unacceptable. "They (Hong Kong government) don't want to be disgraced on an international stage... it is an important arena where Hong Kong is under international scrutiny," said Lau. At the height of the 2014 protests, which lasted for 79 days, tens of thousands of people regularly gathered to demand political reform in a major challenge to China's communist rulers. Thousands more joined the crowds after police fired tear gas in the afternoon of September 28, a move that shocked the public and galvanised the Umbrella Movement -- named after the umbrellas used to ward off sun, rain, tear gas and pepper spray. The democracy protests began after China's central government said it would allow a popular vote for Hong Kong's leader in 2017, but insisted that candidates be vetted. Hong Kong has been governed under a "one country, two systems" arrangement since it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997.

On the 15th October 2014, dozens of police used batons and pepper spray on pro-democracy protesters. The violence was among the worst seen since the start of rallies that have drawn huge crowds calling for Beijing to grant the semi-autonomous city the right to hold free elections.

Tibetan businessman Pasang Wangchuk has been taken into custody by authorities in China's western province of Sichuan after launching a solitary protest challenging Beijing's rule in Tibetan areas, according to sources. He staged his protest on October 3rd in the downtown area of the Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) county seat in Kardze prefecture, a Tibetan living in India told RFA's Tibetan Service, citing sources in Kardze. "He called out for the return of[exiled spiritual leader] the Dalai Lama to Tibet," RFA's source said. During his solo protest Wangchuk also carried a banner bearing slogans calling for the Dalai Lama's long life and for human rights and religious freedom in Tibet, the source said. "He was able to protest for about ten minutes before he was overpowered by police and taken away," he said. No further details were immediately available regarding Wangchuk's condition or where he was taken. Reached by RFA for comment, an officer at the Kardze county police office angrily hung up the phone. UPDATE 3rd November 2014: Pasang Wangchuk, 37, a businessman and father of three, detained in China's Sichuan province last month for launching a solitary protest challenging Beijing's rule in Tibetan areas has been freed after being interrogated over slogans he wrote on his protest banner, Tibetan sources said. He was taken into custody on Oct. 3 as he protested in the downtown area of the Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) county seat in the Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, calling out for human rights and religious freedom in Tibet, sources said. "He was released around 5:00 p.m. on Nov. 3," a Tibetan living in Nepal told RFA's Tibetan Service on Friday, citing local sources. "I could not speak to him directly, but it is confirmed that he has been released," the source said, adding that his contacts could not say whether Wangchuk had been beaten or tortured during the month he spent in jail-a punishment most detained Tibetan protesters say they undergo. "It is also unclear why he was freed," the source continued, speaking on condition of anonymity. During his solo protest, Wangchuk-who is also known as Ngodru-carried a banner bearing slogans calling for the long life of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and shouted slogans calling for the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet, sources had said. "We have now learned that he also wrote slogans on his banner urging Tibetans to "remember our heroic patriots' and calling for a peaceful dialogue to resolve the question of Tibet," RFA's source said on Friday. "During his detention, he was questioned mainly about these writings on his banner," he said. Wangchuk's release has fueled various speculations. "Some say that he was released because of "improving conditions' in the area, while others say that he was freed because he is a well-known businessman with good connections," the source said. "Others are saying that some of his close business associates paid for his release," he said.

On 3rd October 2014, Tibetan protester Pasang Wangchuk was detained by Chinese authorities for staging a solo protest against Chinese rule and calling for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet. UPDATE 3rd November 2014: Pasang Wangchuk has been freed after being interrogated over slogans he wrote on his protest banner. It is as yet unclear whether Wangchuk was beaten or tortured during the month he spent in jail__�a punishment most detained Tibetan protesters say they undergo.

The pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong took an ugly turn with women protesters alleging sexual assaults by men opposing the Occupy Central movement. A woman protester has alleged that she and other female pro-democracy activists were sexually assaulted by a man opposing the Occupy movement and police did nothing about it. A video uploaded on the website of the Hong Kong based South China Morning Post showed an older man in a white polo shirt violently groping a young woman while arguing with her. A woman identified as Christine was quoted by the Post as saying that she was standing as part of a human chain when the man lying on the ground sexually assaulted the girl. "I felt very, very scared, insulted and threatened," she was quoted as saying by the Post. "I yelled, That guy has assaulted me. The police were there but they didnt really do anything," she said. Other people at the scene had shouted at the man to move, but he refused to leave the women alone, she added. "I wasn't scared of the tear gas but I was scared of this. It was non-violent but it was more violent," she said.

In October 2014, female pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong were sexually assaulted during demonstrations.

International rights groups called on Wednesday for the release of dozens of activists being held across China for showing support for Occupy Central's mass pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. At least 20 people have been detained by police in a number of mainland Chinese cities after they posted photographs of themselves with shaved heads as a message of support for the protests, which are calling for genuine universal suffrage in 2017 elections in the former British colony. At least 60 more have been called in by state security police for questioning, Amnesty International said in a statement on its website. "The Chinese authorities must immediately and unconditionally release all those detained for peacefully showing support for pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong," the group said. The ruling Chinese Communist Party's censorship machine, known colloquially as the Great Firewall, has blocked and filtered keywords linked to the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and banned the photo-sharing service Instagram in a bid to keep its more than 600 million netizens in the dark about developments there. Among those detained or held under guard at their homes to prevent them from traveling to Hong Kong to join the demonstrations were Hunan activist Ou Biaofeng and Shenzhen-based Wang Long, detained on criminal charges of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," it said. In the southern city of Guangzhou, police seized dozens of activists and citizens who gathered in the Martyr Memorial Gardens to show support for the Hong Kong protests on Tuesday, the overseas-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) group said in an e-mailed statement. The group, which monitors and collates reports from rights groups inside China, said an estimated 20 people were detained and taken to unknown locations. Luo Xiaoxiang, another activist from Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province which borders Hong Kong, was also detained, while Xie Dan and Luo Yaling are being held in the southwestern megacity of Chongqing, Amnesty said. Shanghai-based Chen Jianfang and Shen Yanqiu were also named, along with Song Ningsheng, Gong Xinsheng and Chen Maosen from the eastern province of Jiangsu. In Beijing, police have imposed tight domestic surveillance on Liu Huizhen, Li Dongmei, Guo Zhiying, Chen Lianhe, Wu Xiaoping, Han Shuzhen, Cui Baodi and Zhang Chonggang, Amnesty reported. Circumvention software While the complex system of filters, blocks and human censorship severely limit what Chinese netizens are able to see online, activists and intellectuals are increasingly making use of circumvention software and virtual private network (VPN) services to "scale the Wall" and read blocked content. The result has been a slow filtering of news back into China's civil rights and activist community, and a growing wave of support for Hong Kong's bid for full democracy. Online activist Wu Bin, known by his online nickname Xiucai Jianghu, said accounts on popular social media platforms in China are consequently being close left and right. "A lot of accounts are being shut down; it's really serious," Wu said. "I shaved my head in support of Hong Kong, took a photo and posted it online." He said the Twitter-like service Sina Weibo had immediately shut down his account. "A lot of my friends have had their accounts closed as well," Wu said. "It's much worse than it used to be." Messaging app In the eastern province of Shandong, civil rights campaigner Li Shufen said she had learned about the Hong Kong protests via the messaging app WeChat, which is hugely popular in mainland China. "Everyone is very supportive of the Occupy Central campaign for democracy in Hong Kong," Li said. She added: "They don't really report it. All the news here is the government's point of view." "We have to go online to read about it." Amnesty International China researcher William Nee said China is merely demonstrating what Hong Kong has to fear from Beijing. "The rounding up of activists in mainland China only underlines why so many people in Hong Kong fear the growing control Beijing has in their city's affairs," Nee said in a statement. "The fundamental freedoms being exercised by hundreds of thousands of people in Hong Kong continue to be denied to those in mainland China." CHRD said some of those detained in China had made plans to join the protests in person. "Police in China have harassed and warned activists in many cities, concerned that they may try to travel to Hong Kong or take to streets to protest," the group said. "The occupation of several areas in Hong Kong, including parts of its financial and political center, has inspired many Chinese on the mainland and encouraged them to speak up for democracy," it said.

In October 2014, dozens of online activists based in mainland China were detained by police for supporting pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. They posed photographs of themselves with shaved heads as a message of support for the protests.

Cyber-dissident Huang Qi's site has been repeatedly blocked by DDoS attacks since 16 September Reporters Without Borders condemns the cyber-attacks on China's leading human rights information website 64 Tianwang that have repeatedly rendered it inaccessible since 16 September. The creation of human rights activist and cyber-dissident Huang Qi, the site posts information supplied by citizen-journalists. A Distributed Denial of Service attack launched at around 10 a.m. on 16 September paralyzed activity on the site (www.64tianwang.com) until around 11 p.m. on 17 September. During the attack, the site redirected its visitors to its blog (64tianwang.blogspot.com/) or Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/twhuangqi). After resuming activity for 10 hours, the site was again rendered inaccessible on 18 September. Another attack occurred on 19 September, accompanied by the closure of 64 Tianwang's Tencent QQ and Weixin messaging and chat accounts. Huang said: "Reports recently posted on 64 Tianwang, including reports about[dissident writer] Tie Liu's arrest, land conflicts and the beatings of citizens trying to complain to local authorities, very probably triggered these latest attacks." "We condemns these targeted cyber-attacks, which testify to the sensitivity of the information revealed by 64 Tianwang," said Benjamin Isma��l, the head of the Reporters Without Borders Asia desk. "Their intensity and the fact that they coincided with Internet company Tencent's closure of 64 Tianwang's messaging accounts indicate that they were acts of censorship instigated by the government. We urge the authorities to apply the constitution, which guarantees freedom of information, by bringing these untimely attacks to an end. We also call on Tencent to stop cooperating with the censors." Created by Huang in 1998, 64 Tianwang is regarded as subversive by the authorities. The police watch both Huang and his reporters, who were recently again the target of government-orchestrated reprisals after they covered protests in Tiananmen Square and various human rights violations. The winner of the Reporters Without Borders Cyber-Freedom Prize in 2004, Huang has had two long spells in prison, the second of which began in 2008, after the Sichuan earthquake, when he was jailed on a charge of "illegal possession of state secrets." He was briefly detained in March in connection with the coverage of the Tiananmen Square protests.

On 16 September 2014, 64 Tianwang, leading human rights information website, was under cyber attacked. The website was repeatedly inaccessible until 19 September. It was created by Mr. Huang Qi, a human rights defender and cyber-dissent and the website provide information supplied by citizen-journalists.

Beijing-based veteran rights activist Hu Jia has received death threats by text message, while explosive substances were placed into his heavily vandalized vehicle during the trial of a fellow activist this week, Hu told RFA on Friday. Hu, who was taken in for questioning on Wednesday by Beijing police on suspicion of "beating another person," received a text message on Thursday threatening to kill him, before discovering his car had been vandalized with red paint and a small explosive shell placed on the dashboard on Friday morning, he said. Photos posted on Hu's Twitter account showed his Volkswagen sedan slathered in red paint, both inside and outside, on the driver's side, with a small black pot-like object placed behind the steering wheel. Hu is a close friend and vocal supporter of detained Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti, who stood trial on charges of "separatism" in the northwestern region of Xinjiang on Wednesday and Thursday. "There haven't been any clues yet[about who might have done this]," Hu told RFA on Friday. "All I can say is that it was done by the same people who carried out the[earlier attacks]." On July 16, Hu was set upon as he made his way back to his car on a Beijing street by people he identified at the time as "trained men," and likely "plainclothes cops." Hu tweeted at the time that he was grabbed by some "plainclothes guys in black," grabbed by the throat, punched in the eye and nose, then kicked in the stomach. Further threats and vandalism took place last month, including a death threat on Aug. 12 and damage to his parents' property on Aug. 26. "It is clear that these attacks are escalating," said Hu, a long-time campaigner on AIDS issues and for civil rights in general who has served time in jail for subversion, as well as being subjected to prolonged "criminal detention" and periods of house arrest at his Beijing home. He said he is convinced that the attacks are a covert form of intimidation by the ruling Chinese Communist Party. "The type of explosive they planted was a shell used by the Communist Party for ceremonial occasions," Hu said. "That's not something your average person can easily get hold of." "The authorities knew I would go public with this if they planted explosives," Hu said. "They know they can't scare me, but they might scare some other people." He said the vandalism and previous attacks seemed calculated to frighten off anyone thinking of opposing the Chinese government. "They police said maybe the explosives were put there by someone with a private grudge against[me]," he said. Asked if the authorities had taken steps to protect him against further attacks, Hu replied: "They won't send anyone to protect me, because I'm not a government official. It's a very difficult situation for me, because I don't know how things will develop." Health at risk Hu, who suffers from hepatitis B, said he has been warned that his activism may be damaging his health irreparably. "The doctor told me very clearly that strenuous work and strong emotions will damage my liver and gall bladder," Hu said. "But I don't seem to be able to get away from an environment that makes me angry." "During the past three days, I was put under house arrest because of Ilham Tohti's trial, and that will continue[on Friday and Saturday], although I don't know why," he added. "It's hard to see how I'm going to get well." Hu was handed a three-and-a-half year jail term in 2008 for "incitement to subversion" after he wrote online articles critical of China's hosting of the Olympics. A campaigner for human rights and AIDS victims in China, Hu was awarded the Sakharov Prize, a major human rights award, by the European Union in 2008. He had acted as a key source of information for foreign media on human rights and environmental violations, government abuses, judicial injustices, and the mistreatment of dissidents. More recently, Hu has been a vocal supporter of jailed Uyghur dissident Ilham Tohti, regularly speaking out against Chinese government policy in the troubled northwestern region of Xinjiang. Source: Radio Free Asia (Radio Free Asia

On 18 September 2014, Mr. Hu Jia has received death threats by text message, while explosive substances were placed into his heavily vandalized vehicle during the trial of a fellow activist. He is a vocal supporter for jailed Uyghur dissident Ilham Tohti. Death threats and vandalism started happenning since August.

A Chinese blogger and a rights activist are being held in mental institutions, rights groups and activists say, sparking fears for their well-being. Authorities in the southeastern province of Fujian detained outspoken blogger Shi Genyuan at his home on June 3 and forcibly committed him to the mental health ward of the Quanzhou No. 3 Hospital, according to the Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch website. Shi's committal means that only Quanzhou state security police have the power to release him from the facility, although nurses there said he didn't consent to his detention there. A campaign by Shi's family and friends for his release has come to nothing in the face of threats from Quanzhou state security police, the group said. Shi is being held on the basis of a "psychiatric evaluation" carried out by police in August 2013, after he was held on suspicion of "incitement to subvert state power" the previous May, it said. "They are using mental illness as an excuse to detain him," Shi's friend, who gave only his surname Pan, told RFA. He said nobody believes that Shi is suffering from a genuine mental illness. "Mental health patients have normally lost at least some of their capacity to function in society," Pan said. "But his notes say he wants to appeal." "Perhaps he wants to appeal against being labeled a mental health patient?" 'A form of reprisal' Meanwhile, it has emerged that authorities in Beijing have been holding veteran pro-democracy activist Song Zaimin at the Pinggu Psychiatric Hospital, since he "disappeared" on Aug. 27, activists said. "We have received reliable information in the past couple of days saying that that[Song] is being held in a mental institution," Beijing-based fellow activist Hou Xin told RFA. "I am very worried about his situation. I never thought they would use a psychiatric hospital to detain him," Hou said. He said Song's friends and family are getting together to campaign for his release. "We want to see if we can get lawyers involved, because people don't get released from psychiatric hospitals quickly," he said. According to Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch, Song was detained after taking part in activities marking the 25th anniversary of the military crackdown on student-led pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square. The overseas-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) group, which collates and translates reports from a number of Chinese rights groups, said both Song's and Shi's detentions are illegal. "Their detentions constitute a deprivation of liberty that directly violates China's Mental Health Law, which went into effect in May 2013," the group said in an e-mailed statement on Thursday. "The law has not stopped the use of involuntary psychiatric commitment as a form of reprisal against members of civil society," it said. Litany of abuses Aimed at protecting mental health service users from misdiagnosis and involuntary medical treatment in China's state-run psychiatric hospitals, the mental health law is the first in the country to define the concept and procedures linked to compulsory committal. Chinese people who lodge complaints about or criticize the ruling Chinese Communist Party have been force-fed medication, tied up, beaten and humiliated, and subjected to electroconvulsive shocks in mental hospitals last year, according to a February report by the Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch group. The report focused on those without prior mental illness who are forcibly committed to psychiatric institutions, either by officials or family members with whom they come into conflict. It detailed a litany of abuses of the psychiatric system in a process known as "being mentally-illed" that have continued in spite of the new law. The victims of the system, which often makes use of a nationwide network of police-run hospitals, include activists who highlight human rights abuses. Source: Radio Free Asia (Radio Free Asia

On 3 June 2014, Mr. Shi Genyuan, outspoken blogger, was forcibly committed to the mental health ward of the Quanzhou No. 3 Hospital by Chinese authorities. Also it was found that Mr. Song Zaimin, pro-democracy activist has been held in the Pinggu Psychiatric Hospital, since he disappeared on 27 August 2014.

Authorities in northwestern China's Qinghai province have detained a Tibetan woman for blogging on topics considered politically sensitive, including the living conditions of Tibetans in an area devastated by an earthquake four years ago, sources said. Dawa Tsomo was taken into custody on Aug. 23 in Dzatoe (in Chinese, Zaduo) county in the Yulshul (Yushu) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture "for violating China's Internet rules and regulations," a local source told RFA's Tibetan Service on Tuesday. "She had blogged and disseminated articles with political overtones online," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Tsomo, a native of Dzatoe county's Chidza Sachen village, was taken away shortly after her arrest, "but her present whereabouts and status are unknown," he said. Tsomo had recently blogged on the plight of Tibetans living in Kyegudo, a Yulshul town hit by a devastating earthquake on April 14, 2010, the source said, adding, "She had particularly highlighted local Chinese officials' mishandling of issues related to Tibetan residents' welfare." 'Discrimination' The earthquake in Kyegudo largely destroyed the town and killed almost 3,000 residents by official count, and many homes rebuilt by Tibetan families on their own land and with their own resources were later torn down by authorities. Chinese authorities have also refused permits to Tibetans to operate shops and restaurants in Kyegudo while applications to set up these businesses by Chinese immigrants are easily approved, sources say. "There are explicit actions of discrimination committed by local authorities favoring Han Chinese immigrants over the local Tibetans," one local source told RFA earlier this year. Meanwhile, Yulshul authorities in April demolished several brick kilns operated by Tibetans in Kyegudo in response to pleas by rival Chinese plants concerned over increasing competition, a local source said. Tibetans living in Tibet and in western provinces of China complain of political, religious, and economic discrimination as well as human rights abuses. Sporadic demonstrations challenging Beijing's rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008.

On 23 August 2014 police in Qinghai province detained Tibetan blogger Dawa Tsomo "for violating China's Internet rules and regulations." Ms. Tsomo had written about politically sensitive topics such as the living conditions of Tibetans and discrimination by Chinese officials in areas devastated by an earthquake four years ago. She is being held at an unknown location.

Chinese police opened fire to disperse hundreds of Tibetans protesting the detention of a respected village leader in Sichuan province, seriously wounding nearly a dozen people, exile sources said Wednesday, quoting local contacts. Many Tibetans were also detained and beaten in the violent crackdown in Sershul (in Chinese, Shiqu) county in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture on Tuesday, a day after police whisked away village leader Dema Wangdak from his home at midnight, the sources said. Wangdak, 45, was detained after he complained to the authorities over the harassment of Tibetan women by senior Chinese officials at a cultural performance the local community was forced to host during their visit to the county, the source said. "Hundreds gathered to call for Wangdak's release because he is innocent, but the Chinese authorities sent in security forces to crack down on the protesters," Demay Gyaltsen, a Tibetan living in exile in India, told RFA's Tibetan Service. "The security forces used tear gas and fired live ammunition indiscriminately to disperse the crowd during the protest in Loshu township," he said, adding that about "10 Tibetans were seriously wounded" by the gunshots. Among the injured were Wangdak's son and brother, both of whom suffered two gunshot wounds each, said Gyaltsen, who heads an organization in India for Tibetans from Sershul's neighboring Dege county. After dispersing the protesters, he said, the authorities sought reinforcements and stepped up security late Tuesday, when many Tibetans were detained and communication lines were cut off. "The village is now entirely surrounded by security forces and many of the adults in the village have gone to the hills to hide," Jampa Youten, a monk in South India told RFA. "Those who remained were the younger Tibetans and women, who have been interrogated and tortured by the Chinese security forces," he said, also citing local contacts.

On 11 August 2014 Dema Wangdak, a Tibetan village leader known for standing up for victims of state oppression, was arrested in a covert police operation late at night on charges of holding a Tibetan ceremony without state permission. The true reason behind his arrest, however, is thought to be his complaint to local Chinese Communist Party cadres about the harassment of several female community members by senior male state officials during an obligatory "cultural perfomance" for the visiting officials. Protests the day after Wangdak's arrest were suppressed with excessive force: police used live ammunition and injured more than ten people.

Beijing-based Tibetan poet and writer Tsering Woeser said Chinese authorities detained and "intimidated" her during three hours of interrogations on arrival at the airport in the Tibetan capital Lhasa. She said on her Twitter account that security personnel searched through all of her personal belongings and interrogated her after detaining her as she was about to leave the departure gate at Lhasa Gonggar Airport at 11 a.m. local time. "Chinese security personnel stopped me before I left the main departure gate," Woeser said. "They interrogated me and went through my personal belongings in my handbag, taking pictures of my lingerie, medicine, cosmetics, books and DVDs, and even copying all the contents of my computer. They also thoroughly checked my cell phone." Woeser said that airport security had "intimidated" her during the three-hour interrogation. "Last year I had the same problem, but this time the one thing I couldn't tolerate was that they even interrogated my 72-year-old mother yesterday[Aug. 7]," she said. Her mother lives in Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Woeser told RFA's Mandarin Service via Skype that it was inconvenient for her to be interviewed because "the authorities told me that they would 'take actions' if they found my conduct during my stay in Lhasa unacceptable." Chinese authorities frequently subject Woeser-an outspoken writer who has criticized Beijing's policies in Tibet-to tight restrictions and surveillance, particularly during visits from western dignitaries to the Chinese capital. Last month, she was placed under house arrest along with her husband at her Beijing home as Chinese officials began a high-profile round of annual talks with a U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State John Kerry. She said the move came after she posted on Twitter and Facebook that she had received an invitation from officials at the U.S. Embassy to attend a meeting and banquet. Woeser "has emerged as the most prominent mainland activist speaking out publicly about human rights conditions" for Tibetans, the U.S. State Department said in a statement after she won its "Woman of Courage" award in 2013. Her website Invisible Tibet, together with her poetry and nonfiction and writings on social media have given a voice to millions of Tibetans "who are prevented from expressing themselves to the outside world due to government efforts to curtail the flow of information," the State Department said. Woeser was prevented from leaving China to collect the award in person.

On 7 August 2014 Tsering Woeser, a writer and vociferous critic of human rights abuses committed by state and party authorities in Tibet, was detained and intimidated by Chinese immigration officials at Lhasa airport. Her elderly mother was also subjected to lengthy police questioning. Woeser frequently faces intimidation and harassment by state security forces: in July 2014, she was put under house arrest in order to prevent her from meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry; and in 2013 she was prevented from leaving China to collect the U.S. State Department's "Woman of Courage" award.

Gao Zhisheng (???), a defense lawyer known for taking on politically sensitive cases and for calling on the Chinese government to end its persecution of Falun Gong, completed his three-year prison sentence for inciting subversion today. He was released from Shaya Prison in western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Gao was accompanied by his brother and taken by police escort to his father-in-law's house in Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital and Gao's place of household registration (hukou). Gao now begins his supplemental sentence of one year of deprivation of political rights (DPR). China's Criminal Law, promulgated in March 1997, stipulates that DPR sentences of 1?5 years be applied to individuals convicted of inciting subversion (which falls under the category of endangering state security) and other serious crimes. According to Chapter 3, Section 7 of the Criminal Law, people serving DPR sentences lose their rights to freedom of speech, press, assembly, association, procession, and demonstration. Two years prior to the promulgation of the Criminal Law, the Ministry of Public Security issued the "Regulations for Monitoring and Management of Offenders Subject to Public Surveillance, Deprivation of Political Rights, Suspended Sentence, Parole, or Medical Parole by Public Security Organs." The Dui Hua Foundation has translated these regulations in their entirety. Together with the relevant articles of the Criminal Law, these regulations provide the framework for how Gao Zhisheng will be monitored and managed over the next 12 months. According to the regulations, public security authorities in Urumqi (Gao's place of residence) will be responsible for monitoring and observing him during DPR. He must report periodically to police and receive their approval to travel outside Urumqi. The regulations prohibit Gao from giving interviews to journalists, and from "publishing or circulating, inside or outside China, any remarks, books, audio recordings, or other such items that damage the reputation or interests of the state or pose any other threat to society." Gao was detained on suspicion of inciting subversion on August 16, 2006, and sentenced on December 22, 2006, to three years in prison and one year deprivation of political rights by the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court. The prison sentence was suspended for five years, but shortly before that period ended, the suspension was revoked by the court on December 16, 2011. Gao was then incarcerated in remote Shaya Prison. The four months and seven days he spent in detention prior to his first trial was credited to his three-year sentence. Local public security bureaus have a high degree of discretion to establish measures targeting specific individuals during the enforcement of DPR. Given what is known about how Gao was treated during the period of his suspended sentence, portions of which were spent in Urumqi, and the current tense situation in Xinjiang arising from ethnic strife between Uyghurs and Han, it is likely that the Urumqi public security authorities will strictly implement the regulations, thereby effectively restricting Gao's personal freedom and contact with the outside world. UPDATE 14/08/2014- Gao's family alleged that he was subject to inhumane detention conditions and torture. Gao was kept in a small cell with little light and no television or reading material and was severely underfed: he lost 22.5 kilograms while in detention. Although he has been released from prison, he is under constant surveillance. UPDATE: 11/ 05/ 2015 Top Chinese rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng remains effectively under house arrest, 10 months after his release from prison on subversion charges, his family said on Wednesday.Gao, 52, is currently under 24-hour surveillance by state security police at the home of his wife's parents in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, where he was released from a three-year jail term for "incitement to subvert state power" in August. While he is allowed to maintain phone contact with his family in Shaanxi province, Gao remains in Xinjiang, his brother Gao Zhiyu told RFA on Thursday."I talked to him recently and he is better now-[his physical condition] has been good for the past several weeks," Gao Zhiyu said."He can walk around the outside of the house, but he is not free[to go anywhere else]."Asked if he had plans to visit his brother, who he has not seen since his release, Gao Zhiyu said that authorities would not give him permission, "but we'll have to see what happens." According to Gao's friends, such as Beijing-based rights activist Hu Jia, the rights lawyer had barely been able to speak an entire sentence when he was first released from Xinjiang's Shaya Prison, where he had been held for lengthy periods in solitary confinement and tortured.Gao suffered psychological torture and various forms of corporal punishment, severely affecting his memory, and leaving his teeth in such bad shape that he was unable to chew, they said.Gao Zhiyu said his brother was mostly reading at home these days, while he remained under surveillance by authorities. He said he was unsure how many people were monitoring Gao at any given time. In January, Hu Jia told RFA that authorities were also monitoring Gao's phone calls, saying he was only permitted to have "brief, stilted conversations which can never touch on any deeper topics."He said at the time that Gao's family was "under the same huge political pressure that he himself is under."Gao's wife Geng He fled China with the couple's two children after her husband "disappeared" for more than a year, arriving in the United States with the couple's two children in 2009.During the Chinese New Year in February, Geng told RFA that she had tried to contact Gao, but was unsuccessful. Defending the vulnerable Once a prominent lawyer lauded by the Communist Party, Gao fell afoul of the government after he defended some of China's most vulnerable people, including Christians, coal miners and followers of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement.In 2006, Beijing authorities arrested Gao and handed him a three-year jail term for "inciting subversion" that was later suspended for five years. But during the following five years, Gao had repeatedly suffered forced disappearances and torture. In December 2011, China's official Xinhua news agency said in a terse announcement that Gao had been imprisoned for three years for repeatedly violating his probation terms.The announcement drew strong criticism from the United Nations, United States and the European Union, all of which have repeatedly called for Gao's release, and by overseas rights groups, including Amnesty International. Geng He and fellow activists say they fear the authorities may decide to whisk Gao off into secret detention, given the sensitive nature of the cases he has defended.Since Geng's account of her husband's torture, overseas rights groups have highlighted the cases of several more Chinese activists subjected to cruel or degrading treatment while in detention.In January, the Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) group, which translates and collates reports from rights groups inside China, called on the authorities to investigate complaints made by the victims' lawyers.

On 7 August 2014 Gao Zhisheng, a lawyer known for his work with persecuted religious minorities and disenfranchised farmers, was released from prison in Xinjiang province following three years of official incarceration. Gao has been the subject of state harassment and intimidation since 2006, when he agreed to act as legal counsel to members of the heavily persecuted Falun Gong sect. Besides official detention, he has twice been disappeared by state authorities for years at a time and has allegedly been severely tortured. Although Gao has been freed from prison, he will continue to be denied basic civil and political rights for at least a year under his sentence for "inciting subversion of state power." UPDATE 14/08/2014- Gao's family alleged that he was subject to inhumane detention conditions and torture. Gao was kept in a small cell with little light and no television or reading material and was severely underfed: he lost 22.5 kilograms while in detention. Although he has been released from prison, he is under constant surveillance.

Prominent Chinese activist Hu Jia says thugs ambushed him in the streets of Beijing and left him with a fractured nose. The outspoken human rights supporter says he believes the attackers were plainclothes police out to teach him a lesson and deter him from his activism. Activist Hu Jia told VOA he was assaulted late Wednesday outside a subway station where he parked his car earlier in the day. "It was raining, so I was carrying an umbrella. With that it was more difficult for people to see my face. But they recognized me after I pressed the button to open my car, and within seconds they jumped on me and started with the beating targeting my eyes," he said. After punching and kicking him for two minutes, Hu says the men left using a car driven by a third man. A CT scan at a nearby hospital revealed a fracture on the bridge of Hu's nose. The men did not wear a uniform, but Hu says he is certain they were plainclothes police. Hu says he wanted to fight back, but the assailants were too strong and it was clear they knew how to beat people. He says they did not call him by name or tell him why they were beating him. Hu says they only repeated "I teach you a lesson" with a low voice. Short of a general warning for his activism, Hu says the specific lesson they sought to teach him remains unclear. The attack against Hu comes amid a general crackdown against political speech in civil society. On Friday, a court in Beijing will pronounce the verdicts against two members of the New Citizens Movement, a group founded by legal scholar Xu Zhiyong to promote government transparency and more equal education policies. The organization has become the target of authorities who jailed its founder and put on trial scores of other members. On social media, Hu Jia had called for people to gather outside the courtroom Friday to show support for the defendants, charged with "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order". Hu Jia also endorsed Occupy Central, a political movement that calls for democracy in Hong Kong. On the day of the attack, Hu says he was wearing an "Occupy Central" T-shirt, which authorities had warned him was too sensitive for him to wear outside the house. "We are concerned that a prominent activist like Hu Jia is attacked in a public place, but I think it will be difficult to pin point what exactly caused this attack because we do not know who these people are," said Ye Shiwei, senior program officer at the advocacy group Human Rights in China. Hu started his advocacy on behalf of rural AIDS patients over a decade ago. He became one of China's most critical voices against human rights violations and spent three-and-a-half years in jail for inciting subversion. He was released in 2011.

On 16 July 2014 prominent human rights defender Hu Jia was beaten while attempting to get into his car in Beijing. Mr. Hu, who suffered a broken nose in the attack, is a long-time activist on access to justice, the right to health, and environmental and democratic rights. His assailants have not been identified, but they are suspected to have been plainclothes police officers, as they repeatedly stated they were "teaching him a lesson" during the beating. The attack may be related to Mr. Hu's call for demonstrations outside the courthouse where the decision in the trial of two New Citizens' Movement activists is to be announced on 18 July.

A rights activist from the southern Chinese province of Guangdong who attended a mass pro-democracy rally in neighboring Hong Kong on July 1 has been out of contact with family and friends since returning to mainland China. Jia Pin, who was a vocal campaigner for human rights and for an inquiry into the death of Shandong dissident Xue Mingkai's father, crossed the internal immigration border to Hong Kong on June 30 ahead of the rally, in which an estimated half a million people took to the streets to demand public nomination of election candidates in 2017. Jia, who at the time reported being threatened with criminal detention by China's state security police if he continued to Hong Kong, has been incommunicado since returning to Guangdong on foot via the border crossing at Shenzhen on Tuesday, his friends said. Repeated calls to Jia's cell phone went unconnected on Wednesday. "I have been trying to get in touch with him this whole time," Jia's friend and fellow activist Luo Xiangyang told RFA. "I haven't heard anything. A lot of people are looking for him." Luo said Jia had received a phone call from state security police shortly before leaving for Hong Kong, in which they tried to put pressure on him not to take part in the demonstration. "But he still went anyway, which was brave of him. Since he got back, I haven't seen hide nor hair of him," Luo said. "I don't know why." 'Off for a while' Guangdong capital Guangzhou-based rights activist Xiao Yuhui said another friend, Xie Wenfei, had received a brief call from Jia on the day he returned to Guangdong. "He told Xie Yunfei[yesterday] to tell everyone his phone was going to be off for a while, and to tell them not to worry about him," Xiao said. "At the time, he said his phone would be off for a few hours... so if they still haven't managed to get in touch with him until now, then it's not looking good." "The state security police said they would put him under criminal detention if he went to the Hong Kong protest," Xiao added. Xie confirmed that he received the call around 11.00 a.m. local time on Tuesday. "If everyone's asking where he is, and the authorities have got their eye on him, then it's probably not going to be good for[Jia]," Xie said. Jia was a prominent campaigner at January 2013 street protests in Guangzhou over official censorship of an editorial in the cutting-edge Southern Weekend newspaper. He has also carried placards in public calling on China to abide by United Nations human rights treaties and for officials of the ruling Chinese Communist Party to disclose details of their assets. President Xi Jinping has launched a nationwide anti-graft crackdown, targeting high-ranking "tigers" and low-ranking "flies," since coming to power in November 2012. But the party regards any popular involvement in the anti-corruption campaign as highly sensitive and potentially threatening, and has already sentenced a number of activists to jail for calling on officials to reveal their wealth. Health fears Elsewhere in Guangzhou, Yuan Xinting, one of three top rights lawyers detained in May and now formally arrested on charges of "incitement to subvert state power," has written to his family about fears for his health while in detention. Yuan's lawyer Ge Wenxiu said he has concerns about his client's health following a recent meeting in which Yuan said that his blood pressure was high and that he was suffering from bowel problems. "This has been going on since June 23, and this is a health problem he had before[he was detained]," Ge said. "But it has recently got much worse." "I[did] apply for medical parole for him, but this was turned down by the investigating agency," he said. "Further requests for a meeting[with Yuan] were also refused." The May 16 detention of Yuan, Wang Qingying, and Tang Jingling comes as the government pursues a policy of nationwide harassment and physical attacks on Chinese lawyers, especially those involved in politically sensitive or high-profile cases. Signature campaign Last month, Chinese lawyers launched a signature campaign against moves by the government to formalize recent curbs on their profession and punish lawyers acting "outside of professional boundaries." They also called on the head of the ruling Chinese Communist Party-backed All-China Lawyers' Association Wang Junfeng to resign over the controversial new rules, warning of a "large-scale infringement of the civil and political rights of lawyers, and Chinese citizens in general." Law enforcement agencies have also denied lawyers the right to visit clients in detention in a number of high-profile political cases in recent weeks, including the detention of top rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang and his defense attorney. Hundreds of thousands of people marched in Hong Kong on the 17th anniversary of the handover to Chinese rule to demand full and universal suffrage, including the public nomination of candidates in the 2017 chief executive race without prior vetting by Beijing. However, the Hong Kong government on Tuesday stopped short of asking for public nomination, saying mainstream public opinion supports the use of a pro-Beijing nomination committee.

On 15 July 2014, Jia Pin, a vocal human rights campaigner, was disappeared, likely by state security forces, when he returned to China from a pro-democracy protest he had attended in Hong Kong. Mr. Jia, who has worked on issues of freedom of expression, the right to information, press freedom and the right to justice, had been told by police that he would be criminally detained if he attended the rally.

Li Xuewen, an essayist and playwright in Beijing, has been fired from his job as a book editor in what he said was retribution for attending a private event in May marking the 25th anniversary of the military suppression of the Tiananmen Square protests. Mr. Li, 37, a senior editor at the state-owned Lijiang Publishing House, said he was abruptly let go on Tuesday. In a telephone interview Tuesday evening, Mr. Li said his boss had come under pressure from security agents in the two months since a group of intellectuals and rights advocates gathered at an apartment in Beijing to discuss the 1989 crackdown, in which hundreds, possibly thousands, of civilians were killed. A photograph of the seminar's participants was posted on the Internet, drawing the attention of the authorities at a time when the Chinese government was anxious to tamp down any commemoration or public discussion of the politically sensitive anniversary. In the days following the May 3 meeting, the police detained five of the attendees. One of them, Pu Zhiqiang, a prominent rights lawyer, was subsequently charged with "picking quarrels and provoking troubles," as well as with illegally gathering personal information. His niece Qu Zhenhong, a fellow lawyer, also remains in police custody, but the others have since been released. Mr. Li said he underwent several police interrogations, including one that lasted six hours. But he said in the interview that he was somewhat surprised by his dismissal, because a high-ranking police official in Beijing had assured him that he would be left unscathed if he declined interviews with foreign news outlets. He attributed his dismissal to security agents from Guangxi, the region in southern China where Lijiang Publishing House is based. "I held up my end of the bargain by refusing to talk to reporters, and this is what I get," he said. Mr. Li's former boss at the publishing house could not immediately be reached for comment. The authorities, Mr. Li said, had also pressured his landlord to evict him, but he was allowed to remain in his home after he followed police suggestions that he leave Beijing during the approach to the June 4 anniversary and to "adjust" the tenor of social media postings that criticized the government. "They told me I should give constructive advice to the government, not criticism," he said. There were other, somewhat mysterious occurrences that he interpreted as repercussions for joining the seminar. On two occasions recently, he said, someone had squirted a gluelike substance into the lock of his front door, rendering the mechanism inoperable. Although Mr. Li said he cut back on the number of critical postings to Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like microblog, he let his followers know that Wednesday night last week he had joined with friends to stand outside a Beijing police station where the writer Murong Xuecun was being interrogated. "That probably infuriated them," he said of the security agents on his case. Mr. Li said he had no interest in returning to the publishing industry and would devote himself to writing plays. "Until the day press freedom arrives in China, I'll never work in publishing again," he said.

On 15 July 2014, Li Xuewen, a Beijing-based essayist and playwright, was fired from his job as a book editor for having attended a private activists' meeting on 3 May 2014 to discuss the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. Mr. Li had previously been detained for questioning on several occasions and had been forced to censor his postings on social media. Several activists who attended the 3 May meeting have been harassed, detained and/or charged.

Chinese authorities have formally arrested at least 17 people in connection with public attempts to mark the 25th anniversary of the military crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, rights groups said, including seven people from the central city of Zhengzhou who held a public memorial event. In Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan province, activist Chen Wei was formally arrested alongside her husband Yu Shiwen and three others who attended: Hou Shuai, Fang Hongwei, and Dong Guangping. Two lawyers hired by those arrested, Chang Boyang and Ji Laisong, were also formally held. All seven are were arrested on Thursday on charges of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," and are being held in the Zhengzhou No. 3 Detention Center, the overseas-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) said. "A lawyer went with us[to the detention center] today...and called up police...who said seven people had been formally arrested," Chang's daughter Chang Ruoxi told RFA on Friday. "I went with my mother and Dong Guangping's wife." "The prosecution told us[on Monday] that the crime had been changed from disrupting public order to picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," Chang said. "The other relatives confirmed[that seven people were formally arrested]." "They have been in detention for 37 days, and the authorities should have informed the family by now. They have acted illegally from start to finish." "I think this is disgraceful," she said. "All of these people are innocent." A further 10 people have been formally arrested in connection with events linked to this year's anniversary, according to CHRD, which collates and publishes reports from a number of independent rights groups inside China. Journalist Shi Yu and another memorial attendee Shao Shengdong have been released on bail, pending further investigation, the group said in an e-mailed statement on Friday. Shi's lawyer Ma Lianshun said the charges against his client were trumped up at random. "The charges against those seven people should be 'pissing off the government,'" Ma said. "They are randomly coming up with charges to pin on them. They do whatever they like." "[The government's] actions are in serious breach of the law," he said. Confirmed Zhu Xiaoding, a second lawyer hired by Shi, later confirmed his and Shao's release on bail. "That's correct. I was told by the prosecutor's office that Shi Yu and Shao Shengdong were released and that the other seven were formally arrested," Zhu said. In addition to those formally arrested, which usually signifies that a case is likely to proceed to trial, more than 50 have been put under criminal detention on public order charges before and since the anniversary. In China, charges must be specified if a person is held under criminal detention, but police are increasingly using it as a way to target dissidents and activist around sensitive political dates. Some cases are taken to trial, while in others, police may require detainees to sign pledges not to engage in further activism before releasing them on bail, under an ongoing threat of re-detention at any time. Authorities have detained dozens of activists, lawyers, academics and journalists before the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square bloodshed, and tightened controls on dissent, free speech and the Internet. Many of those who were placed under house arrest or taken on enforced "vacations" were later released, Face charges while others face trial on public order charges similar to those the Zhengzhou seven are accused of. However, the ruling Chinese Communist Party bans public memorials marking the event, although police have escorted the relatives of those who died from house arrest to cemeteries to pay their respects to loved ones in private. The party has continued to ignore growing calls in China and overseas for a reappraisal of the 1989 student protests, which it once styled a "counterrevolutionary rebellion." The number of people killed when PLA tanks and troops entered Beijing on the night of June 3-4, 1989 remains a mystery. Beijing authorities once put the death toll at "nearly 300," but the central government, which labelled the six weeks of pro-democracy protests a "counterrevolutionary uprising," has not issued an official toll or list of names.

On 3 July 2014, five activists who staged an activity commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown in Zengzhou were formally arrested along with their lawyers. Activists Chen Wei, Yu Shiwen, Hou Shuai, Fang Hongwei, and Dong Guangping had been in detention at Zhengzhou No. 3 Detention Center for 37 days before finally being charged with "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble." Their lawyers, Chang Boyang and Ji Laisong, were arrested under the same charges. The seven arrests bring the total of those charged for marking the anniversary of the crackdown to 17.

A Chinese anti-corruption campaigner went on trial in Beijing on Thursday, his lawyer said, joining two others who appeared in court this week as China's government cracks down on activists. Zhao Changqing, 45, faces a possible five year prison sentence for supporting activists who unveiled banners in Beijing calling for government officials to disclose their assets -- despite not being present, his lawyer Zhang Peihong said. Zhao is associated with the New Citizens Movement, a loose-knit network of campaigners against corruption, among other issues. China jailed a founder of the movement in January, and more than 10 other members have been tried. Zhao pleaded not guilty to a charge of "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order" for his alleged involvement in three small-scale protests in Beijing, which saw activists unfurl banners, Zhang said. "(Zhao) didn't disturb public order in any way, he didn't even appear on the scene of the protests, because he was worried about his family," he said, adding that the hearing lasted around three hours. Fellow anti-graft activists Ding Jiaxi and Li Wei were also put on trial this week over the protests. China's ruling Communist Party is in the midst of a highly-publicised anti-corruption campaign, which President Xi Jinping has pledged will target both high-ranking "tigers" and low-level "flies" in the face of public anger over the issue. But the party has cracked down harshly on independent activists who have the same goals, viewing independently organised anti-corruption protests as a challenge to its rule. Zhao was previously jailed for his role as a leader during the 1989 pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square, and has served more than eight years in jail for his continued political campaigning. A court in Beijing sentenced Xu Zhiyong, a legal campaigner and a founder of the New Citizens Movement, to four years in prison in January for his role in the protests. The verdict was condemned by the US and the European Union. Xu's lawyers said the trial was subject to political interference, and appealed, with a court set to announce its decision on Friday. UPDATE- 18/04/14: The four Chinese anti-graft activists were sentenced to prison on charges of "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order." Ding Jiaxi was sentenced to three-and-a-half years, Zhao Changqing got a two-and-a-half year sentence and Li Wei and Zhang Baocheng got two-year terms. Critics claim that contrary to the court's public rationale, the four were sentenced because they had publicly called on Chinese Communist Party leadership to disclose their assets. Their prosecution is part of a broader crackdown on dissenting voices- the worst in years, observers say.

On 10 April 2014 Zhao Changqing, a member of the New Citizens' Movement (NCM), went on trial on charges of gathering a crowd to disrupt public order, in connection to a display of banners in Beijing which he allegedly supported (but was not present at). His trial comes as three other NCM anti-graft activists, Ding Jiaxi, Li Wei and Zhang Baocheng, are on trial on the same charges. Ten members of the NCM have been tried since January. Meanwhile, Wang Jinping, a lawyer providing assistance to Zhao's lawyer in the case, has gone missing this week while driving from Beijing to Guangzhou, although the exact date of his disappearance is unclear and it is not yet known if he has been detained. UPDATE- 18/04/14: Four Chinese anti-graft activists were sentenced to prison on charges of "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order." Ding Jiaxi was sentenced to three-and-a-half years, Zhao Changqing got a two-and-a-half year sentence and Li Wei and Zhang Baocheng got two-year terms. Critics claim that contrary to the court's public rationale, the four were sentenced because they had publicly called on Chinese Communist Party leadership to disclose their assets. Their prosecution is part of a broader crackdown on dissenting voices- the worst in years, observers say.

Two Chinese anti-corruption activists went on trial under heavy security Tuesday, in Beijing's latest strike against a burgeoning rights movement. Ding Jiaxi and Li Wei appeared at a court in Beijing's Haidian district, their lawyers said. Scores of uniformed and plain-clothes police were deployed in various locations around the building, with at least 20 police vehicles. Both men are members of the New Citizens Movement, a loose-knit network of activists whose dinner discussions and small-scale protests calling for official disclosure of assets have drawn the anger of the authorities in Beijing. China's ruling Communist Party is in the midst of a highly-publicised anti-corruption campaign, which President Xi Jinping has pledged will target both high-ranking "tigers" and low-level "flies" in the face of public anger over the issue. But the party has cracked down harshly on independent activists who have the same goals, viewing organised anti-corruption protests as a challenge to its rule. Li's lawyer Jiang Yuanmin said that while Beijing has touted its anti-graft efforts, the activists were being targeted by authorities who wish to keep their wealth hidden from public view. "His behaviour does not constitute a crime," he said of his client. "People like Ding Jiaxi and Li Wei, they just want government officials to report their assets. "This goes against the interests of a vast majority of officials," he added. "So the government is afraid." The trial is likely to take at least two days, Jiang said, as the court was not allowing the defence to call any witnesses and Ding's lawyer refused to answer any of the court's questions in protest. Ding, 46, is a well-known human rights lawyer. Li, 42, was unemployed at the time of his arrest last May. A third member of the movement, Zhao Changqing, is expected to go on trial Thursday. Zhao was a student leader during the 1989 pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square and previously served eight years in jail. - 'They are terrified' - The trials come three months after a Beijing court pronounced Xu Zhiyong, a founding member of the New Citizens Movement, guilty of "gathering crowds to disrupt public order". The 40-year-old Xu, a prominent legal activist, was sentenced to four years in jail. Ding, Li and Zhao face similar charges and appeared in court in January. But the three men dismissed their lawyers in protest at the accusations against them, a move which triggered a delay to their trials. As at previous trials of New Citizens Movement members, the heavy police presence deterred any organised demonstrations in support of the defendants. Officers were checking IDs of passers-by outside the courthouse in northwest Beijing, and journalists were barred from approaching the building or lingering outside. As the proceedings got underway, one protester yelled "Ding Jiaxi is innocent!" before quickly being bundled off by police, according to a European diplomat who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the trial. In an open letter published Sunday by the human rights website China Change, Ding revealed that he had been threatened and abused by his interrogators in a process reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution, China's decade of political and cultural upheaval beginning in the mid-1960s. "They are terrified of what we did," Ding wrote. "They want to try us in order to warn the others. They want to tell the Chinese people, people living in China, that it is a crime to demand that officials disclose their assets." "In essence, this is anti anti-corruption," he wrote. UPDATE 10/04/14: Sui Muqing and Jiang Yuanmin, Ding and Li's lawyers, walked out of the trial and denounced it as not in conformity with Chinese law after the court refused to provide original (as opposed to photocopied) evidence of the trial. However, it appears that unlike in January, when Ding and Li replaced their lawyers to delay the trial, Sui and Jiang will continue to represent the accused.

On 17 April 2013, Mr. Zhao Changqing and Mr. Ding Jiaxi, members of the anti-corruption New Citizens' Movement allegedly suspected of having participated in organizing the campaign for public disclosure of assets, were reportedly taken into custody on charges of "unlawful assembly." UPDATE 08/04/2014: Ding Jiaxi and Li Wei went on trial in Beijing under heavy security. The two were detained for having called on China's political leaders to disclose their assets, and are charged with "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order." There have been obvious irregularities in both the trial and questioning methods. Ding alleges that he was severely beaten in custody; the defence is not being allowed to speak in their clients' defence, call witnesses or to cross-examine the prosecution's witnesses; Ding's lawyer was questioned and physically abused by police during the lunch break; and foreign diplomats were unable to enter the courtroom. Another New Citizens' Movement activist, Zhao Changqing, is due to be tried on 10 April. UPDATE 10/04/14: Sui Muqing and Jiang Yuanmin, Ding and Li's lawyers, walked out of the trial and denounced it as not in conformity with Chinese law after the court refused to provide original (as opposed to photocopied) evidence of the trial. However, it appears that unlike in January, when Ding and Li replaced their lawyers to delay the trial, Sui and Jiang will continue to represent the accused. UPDATE 18/04/2014: Ding Jiaxi, Zhao Changqing, Li Wei, and Zhang Baocheng all found guilty of "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order." Ding received three and a half years in prison, Zhao received two and a half, and Li and Zhang received two. All four are likely to appeal. UPDATE 18/06/2014: Ding and Li's sentences upheld by Beijing's intermediate court.

Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong this week briefly detained a prominent women's rights activist linked to a campaign to help the daughter of a leading dissident who is held under house arrest, her husband and rights lawyers said. Su Changlan was detained on Tuesday at her home in Foshan city, but no reason was given for her detention, her husband, who gave only his surname Chen, told RFA's Mandarin Service. Su was released later that day, after questioning likely linked to her involvement in a campaign for Zhang Anni, daughter of Anhui-based dissident Zhang Lin, to be allowed to attend school, lawyer Sui Muqing said. "Su Changlan has just been taken away by the Foshan police," Chen told RFA's Mandarin Service on Tuesday. "There were two of them, and they didn't give a reason." "She was taken away by a state security officer from Nanhai[district] and a Foshan police officer," he said. Su had been a volunteer for the New York-based rights group Women's Rights in China, and had campaigned vigorously for the political, economic and social rights of women and girls. Sui, a Guangzhou-based lawyer, said Su had taken part in a number of politically sensitive campaigns since last year, including campaigning in the Anhui capital Hefei for Anni, who was barred from attending school last year. Anni has since moved to the United States to continue her education, and her father, a veteran pro-democracy activist who previously served 13 years in prison on subversion charges for his political activities, stood trial in December on public order offenses. "Su Changlan ... went to[Anhui provincial capital] Hefei last year, and when the police detained[fellow activist] Tian Li, they kept asking about the incident in Hefei, and what part they had played in it," Sui said. Chen said he guessed that the detention could have something to do with a visit Su made to Anhui last year. "It seems like she got into an altercation with someone higher up," he said. Beijing-based rights lawyer Liu Xiaoyuan said he is acting for Su's fellow activist Tian Li, and that he had received a number of phone calls from Su's family on the day of her detention. "I think it's about the Anni incident, because Su Changlan and Tian Li went to Anhui together," Liu said. "But it's ridiculous if they are still detaining people over Zhang Anni." He said Anni's father Zhang Lin was still awaiting sentencing following a mid-December trial in Anhui's Bengbu city. "They can't sentence him, and it seems they have postponed it, because there are other cases linked to Zhang Lin's still with the prosecutor, but they can't back out now," Liu said. Dubbed "China's youngest political prisoner," Zhang Anni was held under house arrest and removed from two schools, sparking protests that she was being punished for her father's activism. Now at school in the United States along with her sister Ruli, Anni has written to U.S. President Barack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping, the U.S. Congress and the European, British, and Canadian parliaments, saying that the charges against Zhang Lin are "groundless."

On 3 April 2014, Su Changlan, a well-known women's rights activist, was taken by police from her home in Foshan and questioned. She was freed later that day. Police gave no reason for her detention, but Su has been an active campaigner on the sensitive issue of an activist's daughter's right to attend school and her arrest comes in the context of continued harassment of activists who were involved in this case. Yao Cheng, an activist jailed in September 2013 for his assistance to the family, remains in detention.

A Chinese court has handed an 18-month jail term to a man who applied to hold a protest on the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square killings, his lawyer said. On Monday, Gu Yimin was found guilty of "inciting state subversion" for posting pictures of the 1989 crackdown online and applying for permission to stage a protest on its anniversary last year, his lawyer Liu Weiguo . "This judgement violates the constitution," the AFP news agency quoted Liu as saying. He added that Gu would appeal the verdict, handed down by a court in Changshu in the eastern province of Jiangsu. "We maintain that Gu Yimin was exercising his right to freedom of speech." Liu said that men he believed to be state security officers had assaulted him and another lawyer outside the courthouse. Hundreds of protesters were killed in 1989 when the Chinese army cracked down on their pro-democracy movement in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the symbolic heart of the Chinese state. Gu applied to local authorities to hold a small-scale protest on June 4 last year, the 24th anniversary of the event, his wife Xu Yan previously told AFP news agency. He stood trial in September and denied the charges, his lawyer said at the time, adding that Gu, 36, had called off his protest when authorities warned him not to go ahead. "There is nothing illegal about posting a photograph of a genuine incident," Liu said. "If his activities caused damage to the[Communist] party, that's not the same as damaging the state." The Communist party remains intolerant of dissent and tightly censors public discussion of the crackdown. The vaguely defined charges of incitement to state subversion have previously been used by the ruling party to imprison political opponents. Nobel prize winner Liu Xiaobo was sentenced to 11 years in jail on subversion charges in 2009 after circulating a petition calling for political reforms including democratic elections.

On Tuesday, 24 March, Gu Yimin, a right to information activist, was sentenced to 18 months in jail for having applied to hold a small protest in Tiananmen Square on June 4 2013 and for having posted pictures of the protest. He was found guilty of "inciting state subversion."

China's newly-minted National Security Council has ordered a probe into foreign-based non-governmental organisations operating in the country, reports said Friday, in the latest sign of tightening control by the ruling Communist Party. The "thorough investigation" - which was launched by the security council and is apparently being administered by local governments - began in May and will continue until the end of July, according to a report on a local party-run news portal in Yuncheng in the northern province of Shanxi. The news comes as foreign companies and other organisations come under heightened scrutiny by Chinese authorities. Earlier this week, a senior anti-corruption official warned that experts at the state-affiliated Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) were spreading false ideas online and allowing foreign "infiltration" in their work. Chinese authorities have also moved to limit access to US-based search engine Google in recent weeks, while in the past year a host of foreign pharmaceutical firms including US-based Eli Lilly, Denmark's Novo Nordisk and British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline have found their business practices placed under scrutiny, according to state media. According to a notice released by the Yuncheng local government and posted online this week by the government-linked Yuncheng Sunlight Rural Public Integrity Network website, the probe into foreign NGOs and their relationships with Chinese partner organisations aims to "lay a foundation for further strengthening the administration of standards". Links to the original posting appeared to have been taken down by Friday. But several other Chinese news sites posted screenshots of the notice, which stated that foreign foundations, societies, chambers of commerce, institutes and non-profit institutions would be included in the "in-depth" investigation. The notice also advises local government officials not to speak publicly about the investigation so as to "avoid triggering domestic and foreign concern and speculation". Neither the Yuncheng local government or the National Security Council immediately responded to requests for comment on Friday.

In yet another attack on freedom of association, the newly-formed Chinese National Security Council has ordered a "thorough investigation" of international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) operating in China. The probe is part of a broader investigative targeting of foreign-based foundations, societies, chambers of commerce, institutes and companies, allegedly launched to "lay a foundation for further strengthening the administration of standards." Little further information on the May-July crackdown is available, as the Chinese Communist Party has directed that it should not be publicised, but it is in line with the increased repression of activists -after a brief honeymoon period- since Xi Jinping's accession to power in 2012-2013.

A Uyghur language rights activist, whose whereabouts had been unknown since his detention nearly a year ago, has been thrown in a prison notorious for abuses against political activists and formally charged with soliciting "illegal" donations to run his kindergarten, according to sources. Abduweli Ayup was taken into custody on Aug. 20, 2013, after authorities closed the Uyghur-language kindergarten run by him and his two business partners in Kashgar city in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and refused him permission to open a separate school in the regional capital Urumqi. Ayup was initially detained in Kashgar, while his associates were taken into custody in Urumqi, sources said. Denied information for months on Ayup's whereabouts, relatives have now learned that he is being held in the Liudawan prison in Urumqi, a source close to his family told RFA's Uyghur Service this week. "The family has received word that Abduweli is detained at the Liuduwan prison," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "A relative heard this news from Adil Nur, Abduweli Ayup's lawyer, but he was not allowed to visit him in prison." Though relatives had feared for months that Ayup had fallen ill in detention, "his lawyer said that his health is normal now," he said. Concern for language rights An active promoter of the Uyghur language despite Beijing's policy enforcing use of Mandarin Chinese in Xinjiang schools, Ayup and his associates established a Uyghur-language kindergarten in Kashgar during the summer of 2012. Authorities said they closed down the school in March 2013 because it was operating "without complete documentation." Ayup's associates Dilyar Obul and Muhemmet Sidik were also taken into custody by Chinese police on Aug. 20, 2013. After months of delay, the prosecutor's office of the Tianshan Region of Urumqi on May 17 sent a "formal letter" describing the charges filed against Ayup to the Urumqi Municipal Court, RFA's source said. "The letter announced that Abduweli and his business partners would be brought to trial within 20 days," though no word has been received of any further proceeding taken against the men, he said. "I have seen a copy of the letter from the prosecutor's office," he said. "It still maintains that Abduweli and his business partners are accused of having collected "illegal donations'[to support their work]." 'No regrets' Ayup obtained his bachelor's degree at the Central University for Nationalities in Beijing in the late 1990s and a master's degree at Xinjiang University in the early 2000s before working as a lecturer at the Northwest University for Nationalities in the Gansu provincial capital Lanzhou. From December 2005 to June 2006, he was a visiting scholar at Ankara University in Turkey and was later awarded a scholarship from the Ford Foundation for a two-year advanced study program in linguistics, which he attended at the University of Kansas from 2009-2011. Anwar Memet, a childhood friend and middle school classmate who now lives in the U.S., told RFA in an earlier report that Ayup's supervisor at the University of Kansas had offered him a three-year scholarship if he agreed to pursue his doctorate in linguistics following the completion of his graduate degree. "[B]ut he chose to return to his homeland to realize his dream ... of opening the Uyghur-language kindergarten and school." He said that he and other friends had tried to persuade Ayub-whose wife and daughter were also with him in the U.S. at the time-to stay to pursue his studies, but he could not be swayed. "We warned him, "As a high-level Uyghur intellectual, your plan to open a Uyghur-language kindergarten may be interrupted by the Chinese authorities. If you attempt to realize your plan under the pressure of the Chinese police, you may face arrest,'" he said. Ayup's family members told RFA that "[he] never regretted his decision to return to his homeland."

The whereabouts of Abduweli Ayup, a Uyghur language rights activists detained since August 20 2013 in an unknown location, have been revealed. Ayup was detained without charge until May 2014, when he was formally charged with "collecting illegal donations" for the Uyghur-language kindergarten he ran, but his family and lawyer were unable to procure information on his whereabouts. His lawyer recently discovered that Ayup was being held in Liudawan prison, Urumqi, where he awaits trial. UPDATE 11/07/2014: Ayup and his partners in the language school, Dilyar Obul and Muhemmet Sidik, appeared in court for a one-day trial. UPDATE 21/08/2014: the court sentenced Ayup to 18 months in jail and imposed an 80, 000 yuan (U.S. $13,000) fine. Sidik was sentenced to two years and three months imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of 130,000 yuan (U.S. $21,130) while Obul got two years imprisonment and was fined 100,000 yuan (U.S. $16,260). All three were convicted of abusing public money. Ayup and Obul will not appeal the decision, but it is not yet known whether Sidik will.

A Chinese rights lawyer has been arrested on charges of state subversion, his wife said on social media on Saturday, furthering a crackdown on activists since last year. "Tang Jingling has been arrested on charges of 'inciting subversion of state power'," his wife Wang Yanfang wrote on her Sina Weibo microblog account, where she also posted a photo of the notice. Tang, who is being held in the southern city of Guangzhou and who has represented uncompensated victims of land grabs and imprisoned rights defenders, was detained in May on a charge of "causing a disturbance." Numerous activists were taken in around that time, some temporarily, ahead of the sensitive anniversary of the June 4, 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Tang's arrest also comes amid a series of arrests and trials of rights activists and lawyers since new Communist Party leaders under President Xi Jinping took over in late 2012. Many have faced charges such as disturbing public order or "picking fights and provoking trouble" rather than the more serious charge of state subversion. "To go from an ordinary crime to now a political crime means it could be more serious," Liu Xiaoyuan, another rights lawyer and acquaintance of Tang, told AFP. This year several activists from the moderate New Citizens Movement, a loose network in various cities who held small protests against government corruption and other causes, have received jail sentences of up to six and a half years, with most people convicted of disrupting public order. The prominent Beijing-based rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, who was also detained ahead of the Tiananmen anniversary, was arrested this month for "creating disturbances and illegally obtaining personal information." Chinese activist and 2010 Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo was in 2009 sentenced to 11 years' jail for state subversion. He had spearheaded the Charter 08, a document signed by hundreds of dissidents, intellectuals and others urging democratic reforms in China. UPDATE: 23 April 2015 Subversion, Public Order Cases of Tiananmen Anniversary Activists Move Closer to Trial Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong look set to move ahead with the subversion trial of the "Guangzhou Three" rights lawyers next month, their lawyer said on Thursday.Tang Jingling, Wang Qingying, and Yuan Xinting were criminally detained on May 16, 2014 initially for "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," but the charges were later changed to the more serious "incitement to subvert state power." "I think the indictment will come very soon now, within the next three weeks," Yuan's lawyer Ge Wenxiu told RFA after meeting with his client in Guangzhou's No. 1 Detention Center on Tuesday."They will[all three] be indicted at the same time ... as they will all be part of the same case," Ge said. "We are still waiting for confirmation, and we won't know the details until the indictment is released."The three were detained amid a nationwide crackdown on activists and family members of victims of the 1989 military crackdown on the Tiananmen Square student-led pro-democracy movement in the run-up to the 25th anniversary on June 4.Ge said Yuan had seemed in relatively good spirits during the visit. "He said he wasn't doing too badly in there, and I gave him letters from his son and daughter," he said. "He said the conditions in there aren't too bad, and that they allow him to read books.""His health is not too bad either."Appeal for world's attention. He said Yuan had called on the international community to pay more attention to the struggle going on inside China for freedom and democracy. "Chinese people make up a fifth of the world's population, and their liberation movement is closely bound up with the freedom of humanity as a whole," Ge quoted Yuan as saying.Tang's wife Wang Yanfang told RFA that the news came after the state prosecution service had twice referred the case back to police for further investigation, although no new evidence had been produced against her husband."Everybody knows that this is a political case, and that what they did in no way amounts to a crime under Chinese law," Wang said.The police charge sheet for Tang mentioned his involvement in "civil disobedience movements," a commemoration of the death of Mao-era dissident Lin Zhao, and a June 4 meditation event.Also mentioned was his part in a campaign to end China's "hukou" household registration system linking access to education and other public services to a person's town of birth. 'Picking quarrels' Meanwhile, authorities in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou have already issued an indictment of detained activist Yu Shiwen for "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," his lawyer said.Yu was detained as part of the same crackdown on activists marking the 25th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square bloodshed, and is the last of the "Zhengzhou 10" activists to remain behind bars.Yu had given interviews to overseas media, and had issued signed invitations to public memorial events and posted them online, according to the indictment.As a result, the memorial event was covered by 28 media organizations, it said, and photos of the event were viewed online by large numbers of people, it said.But his lawyer Zhang Xuezhong said his actions didn't amount to a crime under Chinese law."Giving interviews to overseas media and post things online, no matter how many people click on them, doesn't amount to a crime," Zhang said in an interview on Thursday."These criminal charges are in fact a form of political persecution, because it's really about the fact that the authorities don't want people to bring up[Tiananmen] in public," he said. "It's not disrupting public order, whether hundreds or even thousands of people click on these documents online."Zhang said it is a natural and normal part of Chinese traditional culture to remember and to venerate the dead.The ruling Chinese Communist Party bans public memorials marking the event, although police have escorted the relatives of those who died from house arrest to cemeteries to pay their respects to loved ones in private. Calls for reappraisal The party has continued to ignore growing calls in China and from overseas for a reappraisal of the 1989 student protests, which it once styled a "counterrevolutionary rebellion."The number of people killed when People's Liberation Army tanks and troops entered Beijing on the night of June 3-4, 1989, remains a mystery.Beijing authorities once put the death toll at "nearly 300," but the central government, which labeled the six weeks of pro-democracy protests a "counterrevolutionary uprising," has not issued an official toll or list of names.China has launched a clampdown in recent years on its embattled legal profession, with many civil rights law firms struggling to renew their licenses.New rules introduced in the past two years ban lawyers from defending certain clients, and leave them vulnerable to being charged themselves with subversion if they defend sensitive cases. Out of more than 204,000 lawyers in China, only a few hundred risk taking on cases that deal with human rights, according to Amnesty International. UPDATE: 19/ 06/ 2015 Chinese Court Pulls Plug on Activists' Subversion Trial Amid Procedural Dispute With Defense Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong called off the trial of three prominent rights activists after they dismissed their defense team amid a procedural dispute with court officials, lawyers said on Friday. Rights lawyer Tang Jingling, former teacher Wang Qingying, and writer-activist Yuan Xinting, known as the Guangzhou Three, were scheduled to stand trial on Friday at the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court for "incitement to subvert state power" after being held in a police detention center for more than a year. Defense lawyers said they had insisted the defense be allowed to call witnesses, but their request was refused by the bench. "The court has repeatedly broken the law and infringed on the rights of the defendants," defense attorney Ge Wenxiu told RFA after the trial was adjourned mid-session on Friday. "The court refused to accept the correct opinions of the defense lawyers, who had no way to protect their clients' interests after that." "So all three defendants terminated their instruction to their lawyers," said Ge, adding that the court was then forced to pull the plug on the proceedings. Tang, Wang, and Yuan were criminally detained on May 16, 2014, initially for "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," but the charges were later changed to the more serious "incitement to subvert state power." Tang has maintained his innocence of the charges against him, which came amid a nationwide roundup of dissidents ahead of last year's politically sensitive 25th anniversary of the military crackdown on the 1989 student-led pro-democracy movement. His wife, Wang Yanfang, told RFA that security was very tight around the court buildings when she arrived to attend the trial. "We were getting ready to go in, and there were plainclothes police taking video of us, and they cursed me out when I asked them about it," Wang said. "Then they shoved me into their police car, forcibly, and then they pushed Wang Jingying's wife into the car as well." She said some 20 other supporters from outside the court building were also detained. "I didn't know any of them," Wang added. An unreasonably long time The overseas-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) network said all three defendants had been held for an unreasonably long time before the case came to court. "The three spent over one year in pretrial detention before a judge heard the case," the group said on Friday in a statement on its website. It said Tang and Wang had both made allegations of torture in detention, which were never investigated. The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) called ahead of the trial for the Guangzhou Three to be released. "Reading and debating books is no crime, nor is it a basis for mistreatment, torture, or denying basic rights to a fair trial," HRW China director Sophie Richardson said in a statement on the group's website. "If anyone has made a �serious political mistake,_ it___s the authorities who seek to crush peaceful debate about China___s future," Richardson said. The Chinese government should immediately release the three lawyers and drop all charges against them, HRW said. "Incitement to subvert state power" can carry sentences of up to 15 years in prison, where the defendant is judged to be a "ringleader." According to rights lawyers, and HRW, the use of subversion charges to jail peaceful activists and dissidents contravenes Article 35 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, which guarantees freedom of expression to all citizens. Both Yuan and Wang have complained to RFA via their lawyers of repeated beatings and mistreatment inside the police-run Guangzhou No.1 Detention Center. According to the indictment against them, the three men allegedly incited others in public to participate in a nonviolent civil disobedience movement. The three had also distributed and discussed with others writings on the peaceful overthrow of dictatorships, including From Dictatorship to Democracy by Gene Sharp, it said. Sharp's book contains "serious political mistakes," according to the indictment. Last November, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said the three lawyers' ongoing detentions were arbitrary and that they should be released immediately, HRW said.

On 20 June 2014 Tang Jingling, a prominent lawyer who has frequently represented rights activists and victims of land confiscation, and two other rights lawyers -Wang Qingying and Yuan Xinting- were formally arrested on charges of state subversion. The three had originally been detained in May 2014 among a spate of arrests targeting a variety of dissenters. __�State subversion' is a catch-all charge used to justify illegitimate detentions of activists, but it is more serious than the more frequently used __�disturbing public order' or __�picking fights and provoking trouble.' Observers predict that the fact that national security can be invoked by the state, due to the nature of the charges, will make it extremely difficult for the three to have access to a lawyer. UPDATE 16/07/2014: Yuan Xinting, who suffers from bowel problems and high blood pressure, has been denied medical parole. Mr. Yuan's health has been deteriorating since 23 June. UPDATE 25/08/2014: All three lawyers' detentions have been extended until 20 September. This is unusual because cases usually are taken up by state prosecution within two months of formal arrest in China.

Authorities in the northeastern Chinese province of Heilongjiang have detained four prominent rights lawyers representing detainees in an unofficial detention center, or "black jail," fellow lawyers said on Friday. Jiang Tianyong, Tang Jitian, Wang Cheng, and Zhang Junjie were detained by authorities on Friday morning at their hotel in Heilongjiang's Jiamusi city, Guangzhou-based rights lawyer Li Xiaoling told RFA's Mandarin Service. The lawyers had been hired by relatives of those held in the "black jail" to campaign for their release, according to Beijing-based rights lawyer Chen Jiangang. "These four lawyers were representing human rights cases on the front line," Chen said. "They detained them and confiscated their cell phones." "I have tried to call them several times, but no one is picking up, and I can't get through; there's a switched-off message," he said. Fellow rights lawyer Zhao Yonglin confirmed the report. "The situation now is that the four lawyers have been locked up in a detention center, on the grounds that Wang Cheng's lawyer's license is fake," Zhao said. Threatening call Zhao said he had received a call from a number listed as belonging to the Jiamusi police chief, threatening that if the black jail case wasn't dropped, the lawyers "would find it hard to practice their profession." But the caller, who had a northeastern accent, declined to give his name or job title, he said. Zhao said the lawyers had taken issue with an extrajudicial detention center officially known as a "legal study center," where the authorities send anyone who pursues complaints against them, particularly with higher levels of government. "There's a place[in Qinglongshan] called the legal study center, where they hold citizens prisoner who haven't committed any crime," Zhao said. "The four lawyers were detained while on an inspection visit to the Qinglongshan black jail ... the sign on the gate reads Jiansanjiang Rule of Law Education Center," said Zhao, who had planned to join the other four lawyers, but canceled owing to other commitments. "In fact, it's a black jail." He said many of the detainees are being held there for religious reasons. "They have a lot of groups with religious beliefs locked up in there under the guise of legal education," Zhao said, adding, "They hold them for several months at a time, even up to a year." Hired by relatives He said the four lawyers had been hired by relatives of detainees to get them out. "They were there to demand their release, because they were locked up without any legal process at all," Zhao said. Rights lawyer Chen Jiangang said China's embattled legal profession has been under increasing pressure in recent years. "There are no human rights in China, and we lawyers have to try to do our jobs in manacles," Chen said. "It's a humiliating business, being a lawyer in China." "There's no guarantee of one's personal rights or safety, and yet we still try to help others defend their rights," he said. "We are pretty helpless." China's parliament voted on Dec. 28, 2013, to end its controversial "re-education through labor," or laojiao, system of administrative punishments following a prolonged campaign by lawyers, former inmates, and rights activists to abolish it. But rights lawyers say many other forms of extrajudicial detention remain, and that some former laojiao camps have changed their name but not their function. Torture, abuse Rights activists in China have long campaigned for the abolition of "black jails," which are often used to detain those who complain to higher levels of government about local officials or to hold anyone regarded as a troublemaker or threat to "social stability." Those held without due legal process are at increased risk of torture and general abuse, rights groups say. Staff in such detention facilities often insult and humiliate detainees, and have even robbed, raped, seriously injured, and killed them, according to a report last year by the Chinese rights website Weiquanwang. In May, Sichuan authorities detained and beat high-profile rights lawyers who tried to visit an unofficial detention center, or "black jail," according to fellow lawyers who spoke with them during the attack. And according to London-based rights group Amnesty International, thousands of Chinese people are subjected to arbitrary detention in labor camps and unofficial "black jails" each year. Earlier this month, Beijing announced a rise in the domestic security, or "stability maintenance," budget to 205 billion yuan (U.S. $33 billion). UPDATE 27/03/2014: Zhang has been released, but Tang, Jiang, and Wang are serving 15-day administrative sentences at the Qixing Detention Center in the city of Jiansanjiang. Tang has been charged with "using a cult to disrupt social order," but charges on the others remain unknown. Unconfirmed report allege that they have been subjected to torture. Five activists campaigning for their release were detained and released on 26 March. UPDATE 02/04/14: The reasons for the lawyers' detention have become clearer as authorities have claimed that they were visiting detained members of Falun Gong. Global Times newspaper, a CCP party mouthpiece, accused the lawyers of "instigating confrontation" and "inciting illegal activity" through their visit. Zhang -the only of the four who has been freed- has claimed that he was subjected to severe beatings which resulted in three cracked ribs. UPDATE 06/04/14: The three remaining lawyers-Tang Jitian, Wang Cheng, and Jiang Tianyong- were released. All four of the lawyers were subjected to torture while in detention: they suffer from lost teeth, broken ribs and soft tissue injuries.

On 21 March 2014, Jiang Tianyong, Tang Jitian, Wang Cheng, and Zhang Junjie, rights lawyers representing detainees in a "black jail" in Heilongjian, were detained. Black jails are extrajudicial detention centres which hold arbitrarily detained prisoners. The lawyers themselves are being held in a black jail and have had their cell phones confiscated. They are ostensibly being detained because one of them allegedly holds an invalid legal license. UPDATE 27/03/2014: Zhang has been released, but Tang, Jiang, and Wang are serving 15-day administrative sentences at the Qixing Detention Center in the city of Jiansanjiang. Tang has been charged with "using a cult to disrupt social order," but charges on the others remain unknown. Unconfirmed report allege that they have been subjected to torture. Five activists campaigning for their release were detained and released on 26 March. UPDATE 02/04/14: The reasons for the lawyers' detention have become clearer as authorities have claimed that they were visiting detained members of Falun Gong. Global Times newspaper, a CCP party mouthpiece, accused the lawyers of "instigating confrontation" and "inciting illegal activity" through their visit. Zhang -the only of the four who has been freed- has claimed that he was subjected to severe beatings which resulted in three cracked ribs. UPDATE 06/04/14: The three remaining lawyers-Tang Jitian, Wang Cheng, and Jiang Tianyong- were released. All four of the lawyers were subjected to torture while in detention: they suffer from lost teeth, broken ribs and soft tissue injuries.

Authorities in Beijing have placed a number of rights activists under house arrest after they protested over the death last week of prominent dissident Cao Shunli, who was refused medical treatment for months while in detention, her supporters and lawyers said. "The authorities have tightened up their everyday security measures...in a bid to 'stabilize' the situation around Cao Shunli's death," rights activist Hu Jia said on Tuesday, adding that he is currently being prevented from leaving his Beijing apartment by state security police. "There are two reasons for this; one is Cao[Shunli] and the other is the visit of the U.S. first lady[Michelle Obama tomorrow]," Hu said in an interview on Tuesday. Cao, 52, died on Friday after she was denied medical treatment for months while in detention, according to her brother and fellow activists who blasted the government for using denial of medical care as leverage to silence critics. Cao had been in police custody since September last year and was admitted to intensive care at two Beijing hospitals suffering from various medical conditions, but only after she became seriously ill with tuberculosis in both her lungs, cirrhosis of the liver, and uterine fibroids. Chinese officials have denied refusing her medical treatment, but fellow activists and supporters have unleashed a storm of online criticism and public protest in recent days. "We want the authorities to make public information[surrounding Cao's death]," Hubei-based rights activist Chen Yunfei told RFA's Mandarin Service on Monday. Netizens banded together in a "human flesh search engine" to track down officials in charge of Cao's case, he said. "We are going to tell their relatives what terrible things they did," Chen said. "We call on all people of good conscience to demand justice." 'Prayers and hunger strike' Meanwhile, Beijing-based Protestant pastor Hu Shigen said he was also currently under house arrest after staging a 'prayers and hunger strike' event while Cao was still alive in hospital. "More than 50 people took part, and there were still a lot of people who planned to continue with it," Hu Shigen said. "Then Sister Cao died, so we will pray for her to rest in peace, and for comfort to her loved ones." Also in Beijing, artist Kuang Laowu said he had been warned by the authorities after he signed an online petition titled "Opposing the persecution of Cao Shunli," he said on Tuesday. Cao was set to travel to Switzerland to take part in a U.N. Human Rights Council review last September but police detained her at Beijing's international airport. She had earlier joined a rare protest outside China's foreign ministry in June last year to demand greater participation in the U.N.'s review of human rights in China. Cao went into detention in ill health, and told her lawyer in October that she was not receiving medical treatment, overseas rights groups say. Other prominent Chinese activists, including Liu Xia, wife of jailed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, have been denied medical treatment. Liu Xia, who is under extrajudicial house arrest, was denied treatment for a serious heart condition. She was finally allowed to receive hospital treatment in late February. Cao's death came just five days before the United Nations Human Rights Council's second review of China under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism, to which Cao submitted a civil society report detailing the plight of petitioners in China. China won a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council in November along with Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba, despite criticism of their rights records. UPDATE 28/03/2014: it has been revealed that since Cao's death, her family and their lawyer have been subject to intimidation to prevent them from learning more about the circumstances surrounding her death. Cao was denied medical treatment until she was in critical condition and was transferred from prison to a hospital only shortly before she died. Her family and their lawyer have been denied access to her body and have received text messages and physical visits from police insinuating that they may suffer the fate of to Lu Xiaofang, a friend of Cao's who was disappeared shortly after her death, if they continue to probe the authorities. UPDATE 02/04/2014: Hu Jia remains under house arrest. His house arrest was originally due to Cao Shunli's death, but reasons since have shifted from this to occurrence of the National People's Congress, Michelle Obama's visit, and currently, Lui Xia's (wife of nobel peace prize winner Liu Xiaobo) birthday.

Following Cao Shunli's death on March 14, 2014, Hu Jia (prominent rights activist) and Hu Jigen (protestant pastor and activist) have been placed under house arrest for protesting her denial of medical treatment. Artist Kuang Laowu was also warned by authorities after signing a petition protesting her death. It is suspected that other activists have also been muted by authorities following Cao's death, but their identities are not known at the moment. UPDATE 28/03/2014: it has been revealed that since Cao's death, her family and their lawyer have been subject to intimidation to prevent them from learning more about the circumstances surrounding her death. Cao was denied medical treatment until she was in critical condition and was transferred from prison to a hospital only shortly before she died. Her family and their lawyer have been denied access to her body and have received text messages and physical visits from police insinuating that they may suffer the fate of to Lu Xiaofang, a friend of Cao's who was disappeared shortly after her death, if they continue to probe the authorities. UPDATE 02/04/2014: Hu Jia's house arrest has once again been extended. He has been under house arrest since the March 14 death of HRD Cao Shunli. His arrest was prolonged first by the occurrence of the National People's Congress, then by Michelle Obama's visit, and as of March 28, Lu Xia's (wife of Nobel Peace Prize recipient Liu Xiaobo) birthday. Lu Xia herself has been under house arrest since her husband won the prize in October 2010.

Police have detained the founder of a human rights website and at least four writers after the site reported on a self-immolation in Beijing's Tiananmen Square and a defacement of Mao's portrait there. Amnesty International reported that Huang Qi, the founder of the human rights website 64 Tianwang, was detained in Chengdu after a raid by 11 police officers Thursday afternoon. Police confiscated computers, mobile phones, and USB sticks, Amnesty said. "There now appears to be a concerted campaign of intimidation by the Chinese authorities against those associated with the 64 Tianwang website. Once again the authorities have shown their intent to stifle debate on human rights within China," said William Nee, China researcher at Amnesty International. "These are spurious charges against Huang Qi and others detained solely for their work for 64 Tianwang. They must be immediately released," Nee said. Last weekend three volunteer journalists who had reported on the sensitive issues of the self-immolation and the Mao defacement for 64 Tianwang website were taken away and detained by the police. Two of the journalists quoted witnesses to the Tiananmen Square self-immolation in interviews with foreign media, and photos of the smoke from the incident were published by the 64 Tianwang website. The citizen journalists, Liu Xuehong, Xing Jian, and Wang Jing, were detained during a series of raids on charges of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," Amnesty said. The website, 64 Tianwang, which was founded in order to report on missing persons, has expanded to report human rights news for Chinese readers, covering protests, petitioners, and other rights issues. The website is still operational, but has not been updated since March 11. In another incident in the ongoing crackdown against activists and dissidents, activist Hu Jia reported on Twitter that former Masanjia labor camp detainee, Liu Hua, was taken from a friend's home in Beijing by over 10 plainclothes agents from Liaoning Province, and transported to the Honglin police station in Shenyang City, Liaoning. When the Epoch Times called the police station in Honglin just after midnight Thursday, a man named Liao, who answered the station phone, said he "didn't know" whether Liu Hua was there. "Liu Hua?! I don't know!" he barked. Hu Jia later said that she had been criminally detained on charges of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," and had been moved to a police lockup in Sujiatun. Liu was interviewed in the documentary "Above the Ghosts' Heads: The Women of Masanjia Labor Camp," which revealed the extent and detail of torture and physical abuse in the labor camp. More than three times the number of activist detentions were documented by Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) in 2013 than in 2012, CHRD said in a recent report, which detailed the deteriorating human rights situation in China.

On 13 March 2014, Huang Qi, founder of human rights website 64 Tianwang, sustained a raid on his workplace and was detained in Chengdu. Huang's detention comes after three writers for the website were detained for reporting on a self-immolation and a defacement of Mao Zedong's portrait in Tiananmen Square, and may be connected to this event. In a separate incident, again on 13 March 2014, Liu Hua, a former prisoner at Masanjia labour camp and campaigner for remedy for former prisoners, was detained in Beijing and transported to Liaoning.

China has begun releasing activists it rounded up before Wednesday's 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Human rights lawyer Shang Baojun said in an interview with VOA's Mandarin service that at least three dissidents have been set free by police in Beijing. Xu Youyu, Hu Shigen and Liu Di had been detained last month after attending a private seminar about the Tiananmen Square crackdown. Family members for all three have confirmed their release and said they have returned home safely. Dozens of dissidents were detained or put under virtual house arrest in the weeks leading up to the Tiananmen anniversary. Most appear to still be in custody or confined to their homes. China annually detains dissidents ahead of the June 4 anniversary to prevent them from speaking out on the subject. Most are usually released in the weeks after the anniversary passes. Meanwhile, China has responded angrily to U.S. calls for Beijing "to account for those killed, detained or missing in connection with the events surrounding June 4, 1989." China's Foreign Ministry Thursday said it is "strongly dissatisfied" with the statement, which showed what it called a "total disregard of facts." In an article in the official Xinhua news agency, spokesman Hong Lei said China has "lodged solemn representations" over the comments. Wednesday's anniversary of the Beijing massacre passed quietly in China, where public discussion of the incident is not allowed. In Hong Kong, tens of thousands of people held candles, sang songs and listened to speeches Wednesday at a vigil to mark the anniversary. An activist taking part in the vigil, Renz Tse, says it is crucial Beijing know Hong Kong supports democratic freedoms and opposes violence. "We understand the importance of fighting for the democracy of the China. As Hong Kong is a part of China and nowadays the political reforms are now opposed by the Communist Party - they are trying to elect a chief executive[of Hong Kong] that only responds to the mainland China government," said Tse. Hundreds, or even thousands, of people died on June 3-4, 1989, when troops broke up the student-led pro-democracy protests. China's government has never given a death toll or an official statement of what happened, It defends its actions as necessary to preserve stability.

On June 5 2014, Xu Youyu, Hu Shigen and Liu Di- a researcher, writer and cyber activist respectively- were released after having been detained for a month for attending a private seminar about the Tiananmen Square crackdown on 3 May. The crackdown in the lead-up to the Tiananmen anniversary was unusually harsh this year: an estimated 91 people have been detained, disappeared or questioned by police.

This appeal concerns the arrest and detention, and in some instances disappearances, of 20 individuals in connection with their participation in peaceful assemblies or human rights campaigns in different parts of the country, protesting, inter alia, against alleged corruption among Government officials or calling on the State to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Many of them are believed to belong to, or be inspired by, the New Citizen Movement, a network of peaceful activists who reportedly call for transparency about the financial assets of top Chinese leaders, and promote political and legal reforms. According to the information received: The following individuals have reportedly disappeared: - Mr. Yang Tingjian was arrested in late May 2013 in Guangdong province, and has disappeared since. It is alleged that Mr. Yang had organised an event in which participants would share information about democracy and freedom via mobile phone on 4 June, which is the anniversary of the June 1989 pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square. Mr. Yang's whereabouts are currently unknown. - Mr. Zhang Fuying of Lianoning was arrested on 13 June 2013 in Beijing municipality, and has disappeared since. Sources indicate that Mr. Zhang had sought public disclosure of the financial assets of top Chinese leaders. There are further indications that Mr. Zhang may have been transferred to Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, where officials have reportedly said he would "disappear forever". The following individuals have reportedly been criminally charged: Mr. Xu Zhiyong, legal advocate and founder of the NGO Open Constitution Initiative, has spearheaded the New Citizen's Movement. He was allegedly taken into custody on 16 July 2013 and was formally arrested on 22 August 2013. - Mr. Liu Yuandong, was taken into custody on 23 February 2013 outside the headquarters of the Southern Weekly where there had been a demonstration in support of press freedom. Mr. Liu had also been supporting activists in Guangzhou province, as well as engaging in human rights advocacy work. He was formally arrested on charges of "withdrawing contributed capital after incorporation of a company". He is detained at the Tianhe District Detention Center. There have been allegations that Mr. Liu has been subjected to illtreatment, including sleep deprivation, whilst in detention. - Ms. Ying Jixian of Zhejiang was apprehended on 18 May 2013 and charged with "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order". She was detained at the Xicheng District Detention Center, and released on bail on 26 July 2013, pending trial. - Mr. Deng Zhibo of Jilin was apprehended on 18 May 2013 and charged with "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order". He was detained at the Xicheng District Detention Center, and released on bail on 25 July 2013, pending trial. - Ms. Zhang Jixin was apprehended on 18 May 2013 and charged with "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order". She was detained at the Xicheng District Detention Center, and released on bail on 26 July 2013, pending trial. - Mr. Zhao Guanjun of Liaoning was apprehended on 18 May 2013 and charged with "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order" and "creating a disturbance". He was detained at the Fengtai District Detention Center, and released on bail on 26 July 2013, pending trial. - Ms. Zhu Pingping of Shanghai was apprehended on 18 May 2013 and charged with "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order" and "creating a disturbance". She was detained at the Fengtai District Detention Center, and released on bail on 26 July 2013, pending trial. - Mr. Xu Nailai of Tianjin and Mr. He Bin of Hubei were apprehended on 27 May2013 after they and other petitioners expressed their sympathy for hurricane victims in the US by gathering outside the US embassy with banners. They have been criminally detained since late June on charges of "creating disturbance". Both are in detention at The Chaoyang District Detention Center. - Mr. Gu Yimin was apprehended at his work place on 1 June 2013, and sources indicate that police simultaneously searched his home and confiscated his computer. He was formally arrested on 14 June 2013 on charges of "inciting subversion of State power" and is being detained at the Changshu City Detention Centre. He had allegedly posted photos of the 1989 Tiananmen Square prodemocracy protests online and had also refused to withdraw a petition to hold a gathering to mark the anniversary of the event. Sources indicate that Mr. Gu faced trial on 29 September 2013 at Changshu People's Intermediate Court. Although his family was allowed to attend the trial, it has been indicated to us that fellow pro-democracy campaigners were forbidden from doing so. - Mr. Zhao Zhenjia of Liaoning was apprehended on 9 June 2013 at the Beijing South railway station, and is currently being held at the Haidian District Detention Center on unknown charges. He had been working on the campaign for disclosure of public assets. It is alleged that he was held incommunicado for some weeks after his arrest. - Mr. Shen Guodong was apprehended on 5 July 2013, and was formally arrested on 6 August 2013 on charges of "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order". He is being detained at the Wuxi City No.1 Detention Center. - Mr. Yin Xijin was apprehended on 5 July 2013 and formally arrested on 6 August 2013 on charges of "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order". He is being detained at the Wuxi City No.1 Detention Center. - Mr. Song Ze was apprehended on 12 July 2013 and temporarily fell out of contact before being formally arrested on 16 August 2013 on charges of "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order". He is being detained at the Beijing No. 3 Detention Center. Mr. Song is reportedly involved in the New Citizen's Movement. - Mr. Guo Feixiong and Mr. Sun Desheng were detained on 8 and 13 August 2013, respectively, on suspicion of "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order" and have been detained since then at the Tianhe District Detention Center. On 27 August 2013, it is reported that officials refused Mr. Sun's lawyer's request to meet him, citing the need for permission from higher authorities. Mr. Sun and Mr. Guo have both participated in the New Citizen's movement and Mr. Sun has also sought the release of legal advocate Mr. Xu Zhiyong. - Mr. Zhou Weilin, apprehended on 6 September 2013 in Hefei, has been detained since on the charge of "gathering a crowd to disrupt order". Police simultaneously searched his home and confiscated his computers, cell phone and publications. He is being detained at the Feixi County Detention Center. Mr. Zhou had previously been detained for participating in the campaign for the right to education of Mr. Zhang Lin's daughter. - Mr. Yao Cheng was apprehended on 6 September 2013 and has been detained since. Neither Mr. Yao's place of or reason for detention are known. He had previously been detained for his role in the campaign for the right to education of Mr. Zhang Lin's daughter.

On 22 October 2013, a Joint Urgent Appeal (JUA) to China was issued by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. The JUA traced 19 cases of human rights defenders (HRDs) being arbitrarily detained due to their work from May to October 2013. Many of the HRDs were involved in the New Citizens' Movement, a civil society organisation promoting political and legal reform as well as advocating against corruption. China responded to the JUA on 7 January 2014, providing information on the cases but denying that the detentions were arbitrary.

Mr. Wang Gongquan is a business man and supporter of the New Citizens' Movement which reportedly calls for, inter alia, transparency about the financial assets of top Chinese leaders. He is also a supporter of Mr. Xu Zhiyong, a legal advocate who was the subject of an urgent appeal, among other activists, on 9 August 2013. According to the information received: On 13 September 2013, a group of police officers raided the home of Mr. Wang Gongquan in Beijing, and searched it, before arresting him on suspicion of "gathering a crowd to disrupt order of a public space". He is being detained at the Beijing No. 3 Detention Center, along with several other activists linked to the New Citizens' Movement. Serious concerns are expressed that the arrest and detention of Mr. Wang Gongquan may be linked to his legitimate human rights activities, including his support to Mr. Xu Zhiyong, a founder of the New Citizens Movement.

On 13 September 2013, Wang Gongquan, a businessman and supporter of the New Citizens' Movement, was arrested on charges of "gathering a crowd to disrupt order of a public space." Mr. Wang's house was also searched. It is thought that the charges against him are related to his support for the NCM, an anti-corruption civil society organisation, and his support of Xu Zhiyong, a detained NCM member. 18/09/13: A JUA is issued by the Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; and Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. 03/12/2013:China acknowledged the communication. UPDATE 22/01/2014: Wang was granted bail for "confessing to his crimes." Xu, meanwhile, goes on trial.

On 19 July 2013, Mr. Yang Lin, a 45-year old pro-democracy activist, was arrested on suspicion of "inciting subversion of state power" in southern Guangdong province. He is one of the signatories of "Charter 08' which is a manifesto signed by over 300 Chinese reformists, co-authored by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo. Mr. Yang Lin has criticized the one-party system and also called for disclosure of widespread corruption in China. On 8 August 2013, Mr. Yang Maodong, also known by his pen name Guo Feixiong, based in Guangzhou province, was arrested by the police, and has subsequently been detained in Tianhe District Detention on charges of "gathering a crowd to disrupt order in a public space". The family of Mr. Yang Maodong was only informed of his arrest on 17 August 2013, which is believed to be linked to his participation in a public protest in January 2013 to show support for the Southern Weekend, a Guangzhou newspaper which was struggling against censorship. Mr. Yang Maodong is a prominent human rights defender who spent five years in prison, in very difficult conditions, due to his human rights work. On 10 August 2013, Mr. Li Huaping, originally based in Hunan province, was taken into custody and has been held in police custody since. He was arrested in Changsha City for "gathering a crowd to disrupt order in a public place," and believed to be in custody in Hefei in Anhui province where the detention notice was issued. However, it is currently unknown where he is being held as of the date of this communication. Mr. Li has written extensively online using his pseudonym and advocated for democracy, rule-of-law reforms, constitutionalism, and social justice. On 12 August 2013, Mr. Liu Jiacai, based in Hubei province, was arrested and detained on charges of "inciting subversion." It is alleged that this detention is viewed as retaliation for his role in gathering fellow activists for dinner parties where the issues of human rights and justice are discussed. Sources inform that Mr. Liu was arrested various times in the past on the same charges, and that he was also dismissed from his job in late 2012 due to his activism. He is currently being held at Yichang City No. 1 Detention Centre. UPDATE 11 May 2015: On 11 May 2015, a Chinese court in Yichang City, Hubei Province sentenced human rights defender Liu Jiacai to five years' imprisonment on charges of 'inciting subversion of state power.' Liu Jiacai had been awaiting sentencing since his trial on 23 July 2014. He had been formally arrested on 18 September 2013, after being 'criminally detained' on 12 August 2013. This followed the expiration of ten days' administrative detention ordered by the authorities in Yichang City on 2 August 2013, on grounds of 'disrupting public order' based on writings he had posted online. It is believed that the charge against him relates to Liu Jiacai's support of the New Citizen's Movement, a loose network of activists which has campaigned for greater transparency among Chinese Communist Party officials, greater equality within the education system, as well as for Constitutional government.

In July and August 2013, human rights defenders Yang Lin, Yang Maodong, Li Huaping, and Liu Jiacai were arrested and detained on charges of "inciting subversion of state power" and "gathering a crowd to disrupt order in a public space" in Guangdong, Guangzhou, Anhui and Hubei provinces respectively. Their work included criticism of the one-party system and state censorship, in addition to calling for rule-of-law reforms. The series of arrests shows a worrisome sign of an escalating crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly. On 22 August 2013, a Joint Urgent Appeal was issued by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. UPDATE: On 11 May 2015, a Chinese court in Yichang City, Hubei Province sentenced Jiacai to five years' imprisonment on charges of 'inciting subversion of state power.' Liu Jiacai had been awaiting sentencing since his trial on 23 July 2014.

On 31 March 2013, four activists, Ms. Hou Xin, Mr. Yuan Dong, Mr. Zhang Baocheng and Mr. Ma Xinli, were allegedly detained in Beijing. The activists were reportedly detained on charges of "unlawful assembly" after a demonstration in which they campaigned for the public disclosure of assets of Chinese officials. Ms. Hou Xin was subsequently released on bail on 12 April 2013, while Mr. Yaun Dong, Mr. Zhang Baocheng and Mr. Ma Xinli were formally arrested on 7 May 2013. All three are reportedly being held at Beijing No. 3 Detention Centre. On 10 April 2013, Mr. Li Wei and Ms. Qi Yueying were allegedly taken into custody on charges of "unlawful assembly". Mr. Li was formally arrested on 18 May 2013, and is being held at Beijing No. 3 Detention Centre, Ms. Qi was arrested on 8 May 2013, on charges of "extortion" and is in detention at Chaoyang District Detention Centre. On 15 April 2013, Mr. Wang Yonghong was reportedly taken into custody on charges of "disturbing social order" after unfurling a banner in Beijing which called for public disclosure of assets. He was formally arrested on 24 May 2013, on charges of "unlawful assembly". On 17 April 2013, Mr. Sun Hanhui, Mr. Zhao Changqing, Mr. Ding Jiaxi, all allegedly suspected of having participated in organizing the campaign for public disclosure of assets, were reportedly taken into custody on charges of "unlawful assembly". Mr. Sun Hanhui was arrested and charged on 22 May 2013, while Mr. Zhao Changqing and Mr. Ding Jiaxi were arrested on 24 May 2013. All three are allegedly detained at Beijing No. 3 Detention Centre. On 22 April 2013, sources report that there was a demonstration in Xinyu City, Jiangxi province, in which a group of activists publically expressed their support for the aforementioned detainees. It is reported that they also called for public disclosure of assets. On 27 April 2013, police allegedly detained a number of people who participated in this demonstration, including Ms. Liu Ping, Mr. Wei Zhongping, Mr. Li Sihua, Ms. Li Xuemei and Ms. Zou Guiqin. Of these, threeallegedly remain in custody: Ms. Liu Ping, Mr. Wei Zhongping and Mr. Li Sihua. They were initially charged with "inciting subversion of state power", a charge which was reportedly later changed to "unflawful assembly". It is reported that Ms. Liu Ping and Mr. Wei Zhongping are being held at Xinyu City Detention Center, and Mr. Li Sihua is detained at Fenyi County Detention Center. All three face trial on these charges on 18 July 2013. Ms. Zou Guiqin was released in mid- May 2013, but is reportedly under surveillance. On 25 May 2013, Mr. Huang Wenxum, Mr. Yuan Fengchu (also known as Yuan Bing), Mr. Yuan Xiaohua, Ms. Li Yinli, and Mr. Chen Jianxiong were allegedly taken into custody in Hubei province. Ms. Li Yinli and Mr. Chen Jianxiong were released on 13 July 2013, while Mr. Huang Wenxum and Mr. Yuan Fengchu were reportedly arrested on 19 June 2013, on charges of "inciting subversion" and "subversion", respectively. Mr. Yuan Xiaohua is being criminally detained on suspicion of "endangering state security". All three are reportedly currently being held in Chibi Detention Centre. On 2 July 2013, Mr. Zhang Xiangzhong was reportedly arrested, along with two others, in Beijing after they had left a sum of money with detained activists at Beijing No.3 Detention Centre. It is alleged that since being questioned, no-one has been able to contact Mr. Zhang Xiangzhong. On 8 July 2013, family members reportedly learned that he had been detained without further details. It is reported that police indicated that his case was being "secretly handled". According to sources, his family has not received information regarding charges pending against him. He is reportedly being held at Beijing No. 3 Detention Centre. On 12 April 2013, Mr. Xu Zhiyong was placed under house arrest at his home in Beijing. On 16 July 2013, he was detained at Beijing No.3 Detention Centre on suspicion of having "gathered crowds to disrupt public order". Computers and phones were also allegedly confiscated by police from his house. Mr. Xu Zhiyong is a leading advocate in the campaign for government officials to reveal their wealth. He has also actively campaigned on behalf of inmates on death row. It is also alleged that on 18 July 2013, when Mr. Xu Zhiyong's lawyer, Mr. Liu Weiguo, attempted to visit him, he was taken into custody by the Beijing Daqing District Public Security Bureau, on the same charges of "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order" and brought to Suncun police sub-station. Also on 18 July 2013, a human rights defence organization, the Transition Institute, with whom Mr. Xu Zhiyong has worked before, was allegedly shut down, apparently because it had not registered with the Bureau. On 12 July 2013, Mr. Li Gang and Ms. Li Huanjun were reportedly arrested on charges of "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order". It is alleged Mr. Li Gang is being held at Beijing No. 3 Detention Centre, and Ms. Li Huanjun at Beijing No. 1 Detention Centre.In October 2012, the family and lawyer of Ms. Ni Yulan applied for medical parole due to the alleged detection of a tumour in her thyroid gland. In March 2013, prison officials reportedly rejected this application. Ms. Ni Yulan's daughter reportedly visited her mother at Beijing Women's Prison in mid-June of 2013. She allegedly observed that Ms. Ni's tumour, which was detected last autumn, had been left untreated and had swollen to the "size of an egg". According to sources, Ms. Ni is serving a sentence of two years and six months for "creating a disturbance". She is reportedly due to be released in October 2013. Ms. Ni is allegedly incapacitated due to past torture, or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. In February 2013, Mr. Huan Tiejun reportedly took part in a gathering held by alleged victims of forced demolitions during the traditional lantern festival. On 1 June 2013, he was allegedly taken into custody on charges of "extortion". On 9 July 2013, it is reported that he was arrested on suspicion of "gathering a crowd to disrupt social order" and "extortion". Other human rights activists On 30 May 2013, Ms. Ye Haiyan was reportedly arrested and placed in thirteen days administrative detention after she was forced to defend herself when she was allegedly assaulted in her home by a group of unknown women. The incident took place after Ms. Ye had reportedly initiated a protest about the alleged sexual abuse of schoolchildren in a school in Hainan province. On 6 July 2013, Ms. Ye, together with her family, was allegedly forced to leave her house in Zhongshan, Guangdong province by security police. It is alleged that she and her family were left on the side of the road in the early morning with their belongings. On 31 May 2013, Mr. Du Bin was allegedly arrested at his home and reportedly held incommunicado for more than ten days. It was later learned that he was detained on 2 June 2013. On 26 June 2013, police allegedly rejected an application for bail by Du Bin's lawyer, which had been made the same day. He is reportedly being held at the Fengtai District Detention Centre, in a cell measuring thirty square meters, along with more than twenty other detainees. Du Bin has produced a book on the events that took place in connection to the Tiananmen Square protest in 1989 and a documentary film about the Masanjia Re-education through Labour camp. On 22 June 2013, sources have indicated that six human rights defenders, namely Ms. Ding Hongfen, Mr. Qu Fengsheng, Ms. Shen Aibin, Ms. Xu Haifeng, Mr. Wu Ping, Mr. Zheng Bingyuan were arrested when they broke into a guesthouse in Wuxi City where a private security firm was illegally detaining five people in an unknown pace of detention, including relatives of Ms. Ding and Ms. Xu. As theyreleased the detainees, it is alleged that 50 civilians arrived from the local police station and tried to seize Ms. Ding and Ms. Xu. On 23 June 2013, sources indicate that approximately one hundred people, some in civilian clothes, others in security personnel clothes, took Ms. Ding Hongfen, Ms. Xu Haifeng and her husband Mr. Qu Fengsheng, along with several others, away. On 26 June, police allegedly arrested Mr. Wu Ping, Ms. Shen Aibin and several others. Sixteen people were arrested altogether after they engaged in the rescue action, but only six remain in detention. Wu Ping is held at Wuxi City No. 1 Detention Centre, and Ms. Ding Hongfen and Ms. Xu Haifeng at Wuxi No. 2 Detention Centre. The whereabouts of Mr. Qu Fengsheng, Ms. Shen Aibin and Mr. Zheng Bingyuan are as yet unknown. Ms. Ding Hongfen and Ms. Xu Haifeng were denied access to their lawyers on 9 July 2013, but on 11 July 2013, it is reported that Ms. Ding Hongfen was allowed to see her lawyer. It is reported that she had been held in three different unknown pace of detention between 23 June and 2 July, as well as having been shackled to a tiger bench, allegations which, if proven to be accurate, would amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. On 18 July 2013, police arrested Mr. Zhang Lin and confiscated his computer and cellphone. After eight hours of interrogation he was sent to Benbu City No. 1 Detention Centre and on 19 July 2013, he was detained on suspicion of "gathering a crowd to disrupt social order of a place". When Mr. Zhang's lawyers visited him on 19 July, he informed them that the interrogation had focused on protests organized in April 2013, when activists in Hefei had gathered to demand that Mr. Zhang's 10-year-old daughter be allowed to attend school. According to reports, Mr. Zhang's daughter was seized from school on 27 February 2013, by four unidentified men and was held in custody for a number of hours until her father arrived. It is alleged that she was not allowed to attend school for a number of weeks after this, and many activists gathered to protest this fact during April 2013. We have also received credible information regarding human rights activist Ms. Zhu Guiqin, indicating that she might have been subject to torture, or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment during her time in the aforementioned Masanjia Re-education through Labour camp. It is alleged that since her release from this camp she has suffered extreme physical and psychological distress. It is further alleged that she was raped in April 2012 by men who claimed they were hired by local government officials to punish her for seeking redress.

On 9 August 2013, several UN Special Procedures Mandate Holders sent a Joint Urgent Appeal (JUA). The JUA outlined the abuses suffered by activists working on the right to information, anti-corruption and housing rights, who were detained mainly on charges of unlawful assembly. UPDATE 11/11/13: China acknowledged receipt of the communication.

Foreign media workers Wednesday expressed alarm at Beijing's detention of a Chinese employee with a Japanese newspaper, the latest in a series of arrests before the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown. The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China said it was "alarmed and deeply concerned" by reports of the detention of Xin Jian, which "raise the disturbing possibility that she is being punished for the routine discharge of her professional duty on behalf of her employer." "The FCCC calls on the authorities to present evidence that Ms. Xin has broken the law or, in the absence of such evidence, to release her immediately," it said in a statement. Xin, an assistant for Japan's Nikkei newspaper working in the southwestern megacity of Chongqing, was taken away from her home by police on May 13, the paper said earlier. She was detained on suspicion of "picking quarrels and provoking troubles," the paper said, citing a detention notice given by police to Xin's family on Monday. The vague charge has been increasingly abused by the ruling Communist Party to round up dissenters, journalists and others it sees as a challenge to one-party rule, rights groups say. Xin's detention came after a recent interview she conducted with Pu Zhiqiang, one of China's most celebrated human rights lawyers who was himself recently detained on the same charge, Nikkei has said. Pu was detained in Beijing earlier this month with four others who attended a private seminar to discuss the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests. They were crushed on June 4 that year when soldiers killed hundreds of unarmed civilians. Police have detained on criminal charges some 20 prominent liberal academics, lawyers and activists in the past month, according to the US-based group Human Rights in China. China tightly censors domestic media and has arrested several prominent journalists in the past year, while foreign reporters are subject to surveillance and restrictions on their freedom of movement. Those restrictions increase in the run-up to dates the Communist Party deems sensitive, such as the Tiananmen anniversary. Xin's husband Wang Haichun lamented his wife's detention in a series of postings Tuesday and Wednesday on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter. "This time 14 days ago, you were taken away," he wrote on Tuesday morning. "8:35 on May 13. Our family should mark this moment." "Please come back soon," he added. "I can't take being alone any longer."

On May 13 2014, Xin Jian, a journalist with the Japanese daily Nikkei was detained in Chongqing, likely in connection with an interview she had conducted with the now-detained human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang. Xin was detained on the same grounds as Pu, for "picking quarrels and provoking troubles," a catch-all charge often used to target rights activists and political opponents who have in fact committed no real crime. Xin remains in detention as of May 29 2014.

Police in China's restive Xinjiang region opened fire Tuesday at a protest by hundreds of mostly Muslim ethnic minority Uyghurs angry over the detention of several women and middle school girls for wearing headscarves, according to residents who fear several were shot dead. The mass protest in front of government buildings in a township in Aksu prefecture's Kucha county turned violent when participants beat the principal of the girls' school and a township official and pelted stones at the buildings, the residents said. Eyewitnesses said up to four people may have been killed and several others wounded when special armed police blasted several rounds of gunfire at random apparently to control the swelling crowd near the Alaqagha township state buildings. Police also detained dozens among the protesters, who had demanded the immediate release of the girls and several other women detained by local authorities for wearing headscarves and Islamic robes. "I heard the sound of gunfire. All the protesters were shocked and fled in different directions," a Uyghur woman who was at the protest scene told RFA's Uyghur Service. "I don't know for sure how many people were shot dead but the people around me were saying three or four were gunned down on the spot and several others wounded, including in the legs," she said. "The armed police also detained many people." Trigger She said the incident was triggered by an ongoing crackdown by local authorities on Uyghur men sporting beards and women wearing headscarves as well as on schools with girls adhering to Islamic dress. An unknown number of them had been detained by the authorities in recent days. "Their families and relatives gathered at the main door of government buildings today and demanded that the detainees, including schoolgirls, be freed," the woman said, adding that the protests became bigger as other residents joined to express their anger over the detentions. She said the protesters beat the principal of the Alaqagha township middle school-identified as Tursun Qadir-who helped the authorities round up girls wearing headscarves. "The head of the township government[identified just as Ahmad] emerged to speak to the protesters but he was also beaten by the angry protesters." Police who were contacted by RFA said the situation had calmed down by late Tuesday but refused to provide details such as the number of fatalities and of those detained. "The situation is already under control," an officer at the Alaqagha township police station said, declining to elaborate on the incident, the latest in a series of violent events to rock Xinjiang. An officer at the neighboring Dongqotan police station, when contacted, said police were huddled in an emergency meeting and wanted all queries to be directed to the county authorities. Curbs on Islamic practices Uyghur rights groups accuse the Chinese authorities of heavy-handed rule in Xinjiang, including curbs on Islamic practices and the culture and language of the Uyghur people. Many Uyghurs say headscarves are a marker of Uyghur rather than Muslim identity. Chinese authorities, however, discourage the wearing of headscarves, veils, and other Islamic dress in the region. More than 100 people, mostly Uyghurs, are believed to have been killed in violence in the region over the last year as the authorities launched an aggressive campaign to clamp down on dissent and suppress what they call "separatist" campaigns. A woman resident of Alaqagha said she heard numerous gunshots from her house several meters away from the protest site on Tuesday. She said power supply to the township has been cut off and security forces were in full force in the streets. "Now, the police and other security forces are patrolling everywhere. We cannot walk in the streets. The electricity has been cut off and we are staying at home without lights." Security tightened Security has been stepped up across Xinjiang since three people were killed and 79 injured in a knife and bomb attack on a railway station in the regional capital Urumqi when President Xi Jinping concluded a visit to the region last month. Following the attack, Xi called for "decisive actions" against such raids, saying "the battle to combat violence and terrorism will not allow even a moment of slackness," the official Xinhua news agency said. Deadly 2009 ethnic riots between Uyghurs and Han Chinese in Urumqi left around 200 people dead and sparked a security crackdown targeting Uyghurs.

On 20 May 2014, Xinjiang police opened fire on a group of Uyghurs protesting the detention of a number of women and girls for having worn headscarves. According to eyewitness reports, at least four demonstrators were killed, several were wounded, and dozens were detained. The incident was sparked by an ongoing crackdown against Islamic practices including men sporting beards and women wearing headscarves.

Authorities in the Chinese capital have placed under criminal detention the lawyer and relative of detained human rights attorney Pu Zhiqiang, as well as a prominent rights lawyer based in the southern city of Guangzhou, lawyers and rights groups said. Qu Zhenhong, Pu's niece and legal representative, is being held by Beijing police on suspicion of "illegally gathering citizens' information," her colleague and lawyer Zhang Sizhi told RFA. "They said she is being held under criminal detention," Zhang said. "Originally, I thought it was because of the Pu case, but the charges don't seem to fit, so it's hard to say." Zhang said the detention center where Qu is being held had turned down his request for a meeting with her for a second time on Thursday. Meanwhile, Chinese police on Friday detained prominent rights lawyer Tang Jingling on charges of "causing a disturbance." Chinese authorities have detained and questioned dozens of activists and family members of victims of the 1989 military crackdown on the Tiananmen Square student-led pro-democracy movement after they held a seminar to mark the sensitive 25th anniversary. Around 20 human rights lawyers, academics, and family members of victims attended the May 3 seminar in Beijing, where they called for a public inquiry into the crackdown on unarmed civilians by the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Some of those questioned were subsequently released, but Pu Zhiqiang and four other activists-online writer Liu Di, social scientist Xu Youyu, house church leader and democracy activist Hu Shigen, and Beijing Film Academy professor Hao Jian-were held on public order charges last week. Tang, who also attended the seminar, is the sixth of the seminar group to be charged and held under criminal detention. Meeting refused Meanwhile, a lawyer for outspoken writer Liu Di, who is being held on suspicion of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," said the authorities had repeatedly declined his requests for a meeting with his client, although Xu, Pu, Hu and Hao had already met with their attorneys. "I had arranged to meet[with Liu] last Friday, but when I got there, they said her case had been sent for arraignment," lawyer Ma Gangquan said, in a reference to the formal reading of charges to pave the way for a trial. "So I rescheduled it for Monday, but they called me back the same day and said she had been taken away again," Ma said. "[On Thursday], it was the same excuse." He said the refusal to allow a meeting with Liu Di wasn't legal. "It's an excuse, 100 percent," Ma said. "The rules on lawyers state clearly that any request by a lawyer for a meeting with a suspect must be met within 48 hours." Hunger striker Meanwhile, Henan-based rights lawyer Jia Lingmin, who has represented victims of forced evictions, was finally able to meet with her lawyer on Wednesday after a week of hunger strike under criminal detention. Her lawyer Lin Qilei said Jia had refused food for seven days in protest at the refusal of her right to meet with a lawyer. "She is still walking unsteadily, but there's nothing wrong with her mental state," Lin said. "She still speaks with plenty of animation." "The main point[of her hunger strike] was to protest that the police were breaking the law, in refusing to allow her a meeting with her lawyer." "Now she has met with a lawyer, she has gone back to eating her food." Lin said police had been holding Jia under a false name, possibly as a way of deterring visits from lawyers. String of charges The detentions are the latest in a string of similar charges against activists, lawyers and journalists widely regarded as moderately critical of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Earlier this month, authorities in Beijing placed outspoken veteran journalist Gao Yu under criminal detention on charges of leaking state secrets. Meanwhile, freelance journalist Xiang Nanfu was criminally detained for "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble" after he contributed sensitive stories to the overseas-based Boxun news website.

On 15 May 2014, Qu Zhenhong, niece and lawyer of detained human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, was placed in criminal detention for "illegally gathering citizens' information." Qu was denied access to a lawyer for at least the first two days of her detention. Qu's arrest is part of an ongoing and harsh crackdown on dissent in China.

Journalist and activist Wu Wei, a former Beijing based reporter for the South China Morning Post, reportedly arrested by Beijing police, has not been heard from by family or friends for several days. Several Hong Kong media outlets reported the arrest, based on messages published on the Weibo social network, then relayed by journalist and blogger Wen Yunchao. No information has been released on why she would have been arrested. But the action may stem from her support for the release of human rights advocate Pu Zhiqiang. Reporters Without Borders demands an immediate explanation from the Beijing government. The news followed by one day the arrest of Xiang Nanfu, a regular contributor to the Boxun news website. Several days before that came an official announcement that journalist Gao Yu had been placed in criminal detention. She has not been heard from for more than one week. "As in the case of Gao Yu, the fact that a committed journalist such as Wu Wei has not been heard from is of the utmost concern," said Benjamin Isma��l, head of the press freedom organization's Asia-Pacific desk. "All the more so because the police are stepping up the pace of kidnap-style arrests as the anniversary of the Tienanmin Square events approaches." Isma��l added: "In the absence of charges against her, we demand that Wu Wei be released immediately." Information concerning the journalist's arrest had circulated on 13 May on Weibo. But, at her family's request, word of the detention did not immediately circulate more widely. In the run-up to the 25-year anniversary of the Tian'anmen massacre, arrests of dissidents and censorship operations are on the increase in China. The country is ranked 175th out of 180 countries in the 2014 Reporters Without Borders World press freedom index.

On or around 6 May 2014, activist and journalist Wu Wei went missing; she was likely detained by Chinese police. The specific date of her disappearance is unclear due to her family's efforts not to let the story spread for fear of further reprisals. Her detention is thought to be linked to her support for the release of detained prominent human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, who was arrested as part of a crackdown on dissent in the lead-up to the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident. Her whereabouts are unknown.

Chinese state media say Beijing police have detained a man for "seriously harming" China's image by providing "false information" to a foreign website. The Xinhua news agency said Xiang Nanfu published "numerous false stories" on the U.S.-based Boxun dissident news website. It said the fabricated stories included claims the Chinese government harvested organs from living humans and buried people alive. Xinhua said the 62-year-old's actions were "instigated and highly paid with U.S. dollars by a man surnamed Wei who was in charge of the website." Xiang, who was detained on May 3, is reported to have "confessed to his crimes and has repented." Boxun often covers political scandals or human rights abuses that go unreported in China's government-controlled media. Its stories are sometimes sensational and anonymously written. In a statement, Boxun said it "strongly protests" the detention of Xiang and denied paying a large amount of money to him. It said the case is "another clear sign of the rapid worsening of China's human rights." As they do every year, Chinese police have been arresting activists and government critics ahead of the sensitive anniversary of the violent crackdown on democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. Those detained include prominent rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang and at least four others (Liu Di, Xu Yonyu, Hao Jian and Hu Shigen) who attended a recent Beijing seminar to commemorate the crackdown. A well-known journalist, Gao Yu, was also detained on charges of "leaking state secrets." It has been almost 25 years since Chinese troops backed by tanks moved in to crush the student-led demonstration during the crackdown, which triggered worldwide condemnation. China still considers the incident a "counterrevolutionary rebellion" and has never admitted any wrongdoing in its handling of the protests. It has never disclosed an official death toll or other key details on the crackdown, which is not discussed in state media. Government censors also work hard to erase any reference to the incident in the country's very popular social media outlets.

On 12 May 2014, Xiang Nanfu was arrested for having allegedly provided false information to a foreign website and tarnishing China's image. Xiang was a contributor to the exile-run Boxun news website which often exposes abuses of power or corruption by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and is banned in China. Boxun contributors within China often face intimidation and harassment. The arrest is part of a continued crackdown on perceived subversion ahead of the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident of 1989.

It is not unusual for dissidents and activists to find themselves under increased scrutiny, even detention, ahead of the anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown. But with the 25-year milestone still almost a month away, it is a sign of just how sensitive things are that a group of gay rights activists should also find themselves caught up in the security sweep. The seminar due to be held in a Beijing hotel was to discuss, among other things, legal procedures for establishing gay advocacy groups. Gay relationships have been legal in China since 1997 but, shortly before the seminar was due to begin on Wednesday morning, nine of the participants were taken to police stations for questioning and told to send out a message to say the event had been cancelled. Subversive One of the organisers told the BBC that while they sometimes face difficulties with the police pressurising venues not to host their events, they have held such seminars before. This time, though, they say the link to the Tiananmen anniversary was made quite explicit. "Arresting nine of us altogether is unusual," the organiser said. Nonetheless, however high the current level of official anxiety might be in the run up to 4 June, the targeting of a gay rights group probably says something significant about the way in which homosexuality is still viewed as subversive in China. After all, one has to assume that whatever the time of year, nine people organising, say, a cookery seminar in a Beijing hotel would not find themselves similarly hauled off. In Shanghai at least the city's increasingly open gay subculture can lead to the misconception that stigma and prejudice are no longer major problems in China. Things are certainly changing. What is being called "the largest gay club in Asia" recently opened here, and next month's Shanghai Pride event (scheduled to begin a good few days after that all-important anniversary) has a 10-day line up of activities including a gay movie festival, a 6km (3.7 miles) run and panel discussions. But gay people in China still face deep cultural barriers to acceptance, pressure from their families to marry and a complete lack of any legislation under which they can challenge discrimination. Shanghai Pride lacks one key ingredient - a parade - because any such gathering needs state approval, and the gay film festival takes place only with the help of friendly foreign consulates providing the venues. All nine of the activists detained this week have been released. The state-run Global Times newspaper reported the story but omitted any mention of a possible connection with the Tiananmen anniversary. It is, by far, the bigger taboo.

On 7 May 2014, 9 LGBT rights activists were detained for having organized or planned to attend a seminar on the legal procedures for establishing gay advocacy groups in China. They were arrested as the seminar was set to begin and the event was cancelled by police. They were released after questioning. Their detention is part of a crackdown on any activity the state considers subversive in the lead-up to the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, and highlights the fact that LGBT activism is still perceived as dissent by the state.

We would like to draw the attention of your Government to information we have received regarding the sentencing of eight student protestors to prison terms following their participation in peaceful demonstrations in the Tibet Autonomous Region in November 2012, calling for, inter alia, equality among nationalities, and respect for and freedom to study the Tibetan language. The arrest and detention of, and the alleged excessive use of force against, peaceful protestors during these demonstrations were the subject of an urgent appeal, dated 10 December 2012, by the Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; and Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. We acknowledge receipt of the reply of your Government dated 7 February 2013. According to the information received: on 10 April 2013, the Gonghe County People's Court sentenced the following student protestors from the Tsolho Technical School for "illegally holding demonstration" and "causing harm to social stability" in November 2012 in Gonghe: - Mr. Sangye Bum sentenced to four years in prison; - Messrs Kunsang Bum, Lhaten and Jampa Tsering sentenced to three years and six months in prison; - Messrs Wangyal Tsering and Choekyong Kyap sentenced to three years and three months in prison; and - Messrs Tsering Tashi and Dola sentenced to three years in prison. The above mentioned individuals have been detained since then. Serious concerns are expressed that the sentencing of the eight aforementioned students may be linked to their legitimate human rights activities, in the exercise of their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, and of opinion and expression. Further concerns are expressed for their physical and psychological integrity while in detention. 12/06/2013: JUA sent by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. 12/07/2013: China responds to the JUA, stating that the arrests and convictions were in accordance with the law and not in violation of the rights of the accused.

On 10 April 2013, the Gonghe County People's Court sentenced 8 student protestors from the Tsolho Technical School for "illegally holding a demonstration" and "causing harm to social stability." Mr. Sangye Bum was sentenced to four years in prison; Messrs Kunsang Bum, Lhaten and Jampa Tsering were sentenced to three years and six months in prison; Messrs Wangyal Tsering and Choekyong Kyap sentenced to three years and three months in prison; and - Messrs Tsering Tashi and Dola sentenced to three years in prison. They had been arrested in November 2012 for their participation in peaceful demonstrations in the Tibet Autonomous Region in November 2012, calling for, inter alia, equality among nationalities, and respect for and freedom to study the Tibetan language. UPDATE 12/06/2013: JUA sent by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. 12/07/2013: China responds to the JUA, stating that the arrests and convictions were in accordance with the law and not in violation of the rights of the accused.

Chinese authorities have detained an activist who was accompanying detained veteran dissident Zhang Lin's family while they visited Shanghai to apply for a U.S. visa for Zhang's 10-year-old daughter. Yao Cheng, a close friend of Zhang's, was taken away late Tuesday after more than a dozen police raided a hotel where he and the family were staying, Zhang's former wife Fang Cao said. The family was in Shanghai to apply for a visa for Zhang Anni to leave China as a last resort after they were unable to secure a place in school for her during the new academic year. Anni was removed from an Anhui province school in February, sparking protests that she was being punished for her father's activism. Yao had been helping take care of the family while Zhang, a veteran activist with a banned opposition party, is held on public disorder charges stemming from a long-running dispute with the authorities over Anni's schooling. In the raid, police from Anhui and Shanghai took Yao away in handcuffs, Fang said in an interview Wednesday. "I don't know where they have taken him," she said. "I have no way of contacting him now, and Yao Cheng's family has had no official information, either." "[The police] showed no documents, except the ID of the Shanghai police officers who checked the room," she said. "I asked them why they were taking him away, and they said it had nothing to do with me." Application denied Fang said the family had turned to relatives in the United States as a last resort after a school in Nanjing turned down their application for Anni. "We are planning to send her to my aunt's family in America, so she can go to school there," Fang said. Uncle Yao Cheng Anni gave her own account of the raid. "They said they had to check our[hotel] room yesterday evening at about 11:00 p.m., so my mother and sister showed their ID cards," she said. "Then they came to check my uncle Yao Cheng's ID card. One of them said 'Yes, that's Yao Cheng,' and took him away." "About 10 or 20 minutes later, they came back to uncle Yao Cheng's room to pick up his things, and then they left," Anni said. Campaign for schooling Zhang, a veteran activist with the banned opposition China Democracy Party (CDP), was formally arrested on Aug. 22 for "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order" following a dispute with the authorities after they pulled Anni out of primary school in February. In April, Zhang and Anni left the provincial capital of Anhui for the family's hometown of Bengbu after more than 30 activists from around the country converged on Hefei in protest at Anni's Feb. 27 removal from the city's Hupo Elementary School by police. The family was held under house arrest and Anni was still denied permission to attend school, prompting Zhang to escape house arrest to press his case with National People's Congress delegates in Beijing. State security police brought the pair back to Bengbu amid firm promises that Anni could attend school and that no retaliatory action would be taken. But the authorities swiftly moved against Zhang, holding him under criminal detention soon after his return, and prompting a lone protest from Anni outside the Bengbu detention center, where she held up a placard which read: "Release my father and let me go to school." Anni said she was worried that the police would continue to detain the rest of her family. Right to education Fellow activist Kang Suping, who is tutoring Anni at home, said the authorities' action against Anni was unacceptable. "Even if her father was a murderer, she would still have the right to an education," Kang said. "My motivation for helping her was that simple; I wanted her to have an education." "She hasn't done anything[wrong]...She desperately wants to go to school, and I feel very sorry for her and her helpless situation." "They should at least give the child a way forward." The campaign for Anni's schooling sparked clashes with unidentified men in Anhui, as well as the detention of journalist Sun Lin, who filmed it for the overseas-based news website Boxun. China's nationwide "stability maintenance" system, which now costs more to run than its People's Liberation Army, tracks the movements and activities of anyone engaged in political or rights activism across the country. Under this system, activists and outspoken intellectuals are routinely put under house arrest or other forms of surveillance at politically sensitive times. Zhang, 50, is a veteran of the 1989 pro-democracy movement in Anhui and served more than 13 years in prison on subversion charges for his political activities since the banning of the opposition China Democracy Party (CDP) in 1998.

On 3 September, Yao Cheng, an activist close to Zhang Lin, was detained. Yao has been an active participant in the protest led by Zhang against his daughter's rejection from school due to his political activities. Authorities have detained a number of activists who have taken up the cause.

A popular Buddhist leader and advocate for herders' rights in China's Inner Mongolia region is in failing health following his arrest on charges of "fraud," a rights group said on Monday. Yunshaabiin Seevendoo, who was detained for a month before being formally arrested on July 4 for the "crime of fraud," is being held in the Right Ujumchin Banner[county] Detention Center and denied visitation rights, according to the U.S.-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC). The group said family members are concerned about the deteriorating health of Seevendoo, who had frequently clashed with Chinese authorities over his efforts to organize ethnic Mongolian herders to uphold their rights to collective ownership of threatened grasslands. Interviewed by phone, Seevendoo's wife Hongmei told SMHRIC that she had been shown an arrest warrant "without any further details of the alleged crime," adding that she and the couple's children had been allowed to visit him only once since he was taken into custody. "I am really concerned about his health," Hongmei said. "He had a serious kidney problem and had been in medication until his arrest. The condition at the detention center is terrible, and he has no access to any medical treatment." "During my visit last month I noticed his health was deteriorating," she said. Outspoken criticism SMHRIC said that Seevendoo's activities promoting herders' self-organization and self-empowerment and his outspoken criticism of the Chinese authorities' "illegal" land expropriation had put him at high risk for harassment and retaliation from local officials and the government. Beginning in 2008, Seevendoo had worked to help ethnic Mongolian herders request Certificates of Collective Land Ownership "to defend their grazing lands collectively from government and corporate encroachment," the group said. "Inner Mongolia's grassland is suffering from the worst environmental rampage in history," Seevendoo told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post in an interview last year. "Fear won't save us," he said. "The invaders charge like wolves when we're afraid but scatter like rats when we're angry," Seevendoo told the Post. "It's time to fight back." The newspaper said that Seevendoo had been previously arrested for "compiling, printing and distributing illegal publications," though these were only pamphlets of Chinese laws translated into the Mongolian language. The report also referred to his direct confrontation of local officials and mining company representatives who attempted to seize the Mongolian herders' grazing land. Herders 'unaware' of rights According to China's Land Law, Inner Mongolia's grasslands "should be, and mostly had been" divided among self-governing pastoral communities called gachas, the Post said in a July 19, 2012 report. "It was just that the Mongolian gacha chiefs, themselves herdsmen, had never been told, and were therefore entirely unaware that they owned the land," the newspaper said. Ethnic Mongolians, who make up almost 20 percent of Inner Mongolia's population of 23 million, frequently complain of environmental destruction and unfair development policies in the region. On Aug. 19, Bayanbaatar, a Mongolian herder, was beaten to death by Han Chinese railroad workers while protesting the occupation of grazing lands. He was at least the fifth Mongolian herder to die amid altercations over grazing land in recent years, including one who committed suicide in July after stabbing to death the head of a local "livestock grazing prohibition team." In 2011, the death of herder Murgen, who was run over by a worker driving a coal-hauling truck while protesting the destruction of grazing lands by a mining company, triggered weeks of demonstrations by herders and students across Inner Mongolia.

On July 4, Yunshaabiin Seevendoo, a herder's rights activist for Inner Mongolia, was formally arrested on charges of fraud. He had previously been detained without charge for a month in connection with his outspoken criticism of the government's land grabs. He is now in a poor state of health; prior to his detention, he was on medication for a serious liver condition.

Beijing police have detained a graft-busting journalist who reported on corruption among officials of the ruling Chinese Communist Party from his hometown of Chongqing in southwestern China. Liu Hu, a reporter with Guangzhou's Modern Express newspaper, was detained in Chongqing Friday around noon by men identifying themselves as Beijing police, while his account on the hugely popular social media site Sina Weibo was suspended. His detention comes as the trial of disgraced former Chongqing Party chief Bo Xilai entered its second day in the eastern province of Shandong, but no connection between the two cases was immediately apparent. A reporter who answered the phone at the Modern Express newspaper editorial offices on Friday said Liu's colleagues were shocked and surprised at the news. "I saw that his wife sent out a tweet around noon saying he had been taken away for investigation by Beijing police," said the reporter, who declined to give their name. "He always dared to speak up and dared to take action," the reporter said. "His is a fiery sort of personality typical of people from Chongqing." "I always thought he was a good sort of person, and he won a lot of respect from[his colleagues]," the reporter said. Among the cases of corruption probed by Liu was that of Ma Zhengqi, deputy director of the National Chamber of Commerce. Ongoing crackdown Some analysts saw his detention as part of an ongoing crackdown on whistleblowers and activists who called on Party officials to reveal details of their assets, and those of their families. Guangzhou's cutting-edge Southern Metropolis website posted a report about Liu's detention, but it was later unavailable from the same address. Calls to the editor-in-chief of the Modern Express went unanswered during office hours on Friday. Liu had also exposed the case of Shanghai High People's Court president Cui Yadong, accusing him of stealing tons of Maotai liquor, a favorite at official banquets, during his tenure in the southwestern province of Guizhou, netizens said, although RFA was unable to verify these claims. "Liu Hu was taken away in handcuffs by Beijing police," tweeted Sina Weibo user @zuojiacaojunshu, who also sent the original tweet exposing Cui. "It always comes to this; the whistleblowers get arrested by police and have no peace ... and yet no official body will come out and say whether or not Liu Hu's reports are correct, or whether those officials really are corrupt." Guangzhou-based rights lawyer Tang Jingling said Liu's detention was part of a continuing crackdown on freedom of expression. "I think it has to do with the recent crackdown on 'rumor-mongering' online," Tang said. "They ... have recently targeted very active netizens and news professionals, who make it their business to expose official scandal." "Their use of criminal measures ... shows they wish to prevent netizens from exposing the truth about official corruption," Tang added. Unofficial detention Liu's detention comes after the unofficial detention of a veteran journalist by state security police in Beijing, after he campaigned for the release of anti-corruption activist Xu Zhiyong. Chen Min, best known by his pen-name Xiao Shu, was detained by Beijing's state security police and held at a guesthouse earlier this month. He said at the time that the detention of anti-graft activist Xu Zhiyong and 15 other activists who had called on China's leaders to reveal details of their assets constituted an attack on China's nascent civil society. Meanwhile, the authorities have shut down more than 100 privately run websites since May 9, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Some of the closed sites were accused of "blackmailing" companies or individuals by threatening to publish negative information about them, it said. Leading transparency campaigner Xu Zhiyong was detained by Beijing police in July on charges of disrupting public order, in a widening crackdown on activists who have called on government leaders to declare their assets, activists and lawyers said at the time. Xu, a key figure in the nascent "New Citizens" anti-corruption movement, is currently being held in the Beijing No. 3 Detention Center. A teacher at the Beijing Postal University who has served as a delegate to the Haidian district-level People's Congress, Xu has also been active in fighting for the rights of the children of migrant workers to be educated and to sit exams in the capital. His pro-democracy group, the Open Constitution Initiative, was banned after Xu was targeted by the authorities for "tax evasion" in 2009. He has been repeatedly called in for questioning and held under house arrest since then. Beijing-based lawyer Li Fangping said he believed the authorities were proceeding with the case against Xu. "I think this decision came from very high up," Li said on Friday.

On August 23 2013, Liu Hu, a journalist with Guangzhou's "Modern Express" who had been active in exposing corruption within the Chinese Communist Party, was detained in Chongqing. Liu was outspoken on graft and had exposed it at high levels in the CCP. It is thought that his detention is likely related to this work. UPDATE 30/09/2013 - Liu Hu was officially charged with defamation regarding his note on his Sina Weibo account about alleged corruption of Ma Zhengqi, state administration deputy director for industry and commerce.

BEIJING--China has arrested an activist on a charge of subversion, his brother and a rights group said on Sunday, the second such arrest in less than two months and the latest sign that the authorities are hardening their stance toward dissent. Yang Lin, 45, a critic of China's one-party system who lives in the southern province of Guangdong, was arrested on a charge of "inciting subversion of state power," his brother, Yang Mingzhu, said by telephone. In China, an inciting subversion charge is commonly leveled against critics of one-party rule. It carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail, though lengthier sentences have been handed down. Yang Mingzhu said he had received a notice of his brother's arrest, dated July 19, but it gave few details. The U.S.-based group Chinese Human Rights Defenders said Yang Lin, had spent a year in a labor camp, and he was also a signatory of "Charter 08" - a manifesto organized by jailed Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo - which calls for political reform. "He would not hesitate in throwing himself wholeheartedly in helping disadvantaged citizens fight for their rights and in activities promoting constitutional democracy," the advocacy group said on its website on Sunday. Chinese liberals and intellectuals had hoped the new government that took over this year, under President Xi Jinping, would be more tolerant of calls for reform but authorities have seemed to indicate they will not tolerate any challenge to their rule. In recent months, authorities have detained at least 16 anti-corruption activists involved in demonstrations calling for government officials to disclose their assets. The Futian District Detention Centre, where the brother said Yang Lin was being held, declined to comment. A formal arrest usually leads to a trial. Activists who are detained are sometimes released before they are formally arrested. In June, authorities formally arrested a man for inciting subversion after he applied for permission to demonstrate on June 4, the 24th anniversary of the bloody crackdown on protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

On 11 August 2013, Yang Lin, a critic of one-party rule and signatory of Charter 08, was arrested in Guangdong on charges of subversion. Yang's criticism of the CCP has previously landed him in labor camp for a year. His arrest comes on the heels of the arrest for subversion in July of an activist wishing to stage a demonstration commemorating the Tiananment Square crackdown of 1989.

Chinese authorities have formally arrested or sentenced a number of anti-graft and human rights activists on the eve of the traditional mid-autumn moon festival, rights groups said on Thursday. Authorities in the central province of Hubei formally arrested Liu Jiacai, an activist in the nascent New Citizens' anti-graft movement, for "disturbing public order," paving the way for a trial, a Chinese rights group reported ahead of Thursday's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. Liu Jiacai was initially criminally detained by police in Hubei's Yichang city on the more serious charge of "incitement to subvert state power" after he had completed a 10-day administrative sentence handed down by police, rights activists and relatives said earlier this month. But Hubei-based activist Liu Feiyue, who runs the People's Livelihood Watch website, said any charges against Liu were unjust, as his actions had been entirely legal and reasonable. "Liu Jiacai's action in Yichang[city] were rights defense work of an entirely legal and reasonable kind," Liu Feiyue said. "He took part in meal gatherings with the New Citizens' Movement, all of which were legal." Liu had recently become active in the movement, which targets ruling Chinese Communist Party officials for graft, and has staged public protests since March, demanding they reveal their assets. "This is yet another case of suppression of the New Citizens' Movement, which is a violation of human rights," Liu Feiyue said. 'Disturbance' Meanwhile, a court in Shanghai sentenced two activists on charges of "creating a disturbance" in apparent retaliation for their longtime rights activities and petitioning, the overseas-based China Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) group said in an e-mailed statement. The city's Zhabei District People's Court on Tuesday handed a 30-month jail term to long-term activist and petitioner Wang Kouma after holding him for nearly one year. The same court sentenced fellow activist Wei Qin to 27 months' imprisonment during a trial closed to foreign journalists and supporters of the two men. Wang Kouma had previously served a two-year prison sentence for seeking to expose the circumstances surrounding his mother's suspicious death and the role local officials played in it. Meanwhile, a labor activist in the eastern province of Zhejiang found himself without a job ahead of the festival after he took part in protests outside local government offices in a bid to recover unpaid wages. Guo Xizhen, a former worker at the Aiteli shoe factory in Zhejiang's Wenzhou city, said he had been fired with no pre-festival wages. "This happened yesterday evening," he said in an interview on Thursday. Millions of Chinese look forward to the nation's traditional moon-viewing and cake-eating festival, which typically features poetic couplets, moon-gazing picnics, and colorful lanterns. The Mid-Autumn Festival, which often runs into the Oct. 1 National Day holiday, starts on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, when the harvest moon appears at its roundest and largest. This year's Mid-Autumn Festival falls on Sept. 19. UPDATE: 12/ 05/ 2015 Authorities in the central Chinese province of Hubei on Monday handed a five-year jail term to an anti-corruption activist for subversion, after he organized gatherings to discuss human rights and social justice, and tweeted in support of a fellow activist. Liu Jiacai was sentenced by the Yichang Intermediate People's Court to five years' imprisonment for "incitement to subvert state power," his second jail term on the same charge, his wife and lawyer told RFA. "The sentence was too harsh, and was the maximum possible," Liu's lawyer Wu Kuiming said after the sentencing hearing in Yichang, which took place Monday morning local time. "There are two categories of 'incitement to subvert state power,' and the maximum penalty in the first category is five years," Wu said. "He clearly wasn't a ringleader, nor were the specifics of the case very serious, so he came under the first category," he said. Wu said Liu, who was held in the police-run Yichang No. 1 Detention Center ahead of the sentencing, had rejected the guilty verdict in a post-hearing meeting with his lawyer, and plans to appeal. "He told me that while he can endure the deprivations of detention, he feels terribly guilty about his family," Wu said. "His wife understands him deeply, and is supportive of him, but he feels he has let her down by being unable to give her any financial support," he said. "He was weeping as he told me this. "The couple also has a grown daughter, who has a job, Wu added.Liu's wife Wang Yulan, who attended the sentencing hearing on Monday, said it lasted just 10 minutes. "I think the sentence was too harsh; I didn't think it would be so heavy," Wang said. "We will definitely be appealing. If he doesn't, I will," she said. Wang said Liu had been handed a heavier jail term than New Citizens' Movement founder Xu Zhiyong or prominent rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi. "I really find this unacceptable[because] his actions had no[ill] effects on society," she said. "All he did was post some stuff online." Liu's detention came after he retweeted a microblog post in support of Shandong-based civil rights activist Li Xiangyang, activists said at the time. Wang added: "It only took 10 minutes, and when they were done sentencing him, they took him away." "They didn't even allow the lawyers to speak." Active in the movement Liu was initially detained by police in Hubei's Yichang city after becoming active in the "New Citizens' Movement" in August 2013 and charged with "incitement to subvert state power" after completing a 10-day administrative sentence handed down by police. Liu had recently become active in China's nascent New Citizens' Movement targeting officials for graft and demanding they reveal their assets. However, his sentencing comes after many years of being targeted by the authorities for his pro-democracy activism and rights advocacy. Liu previously served a two-year jail term in 2002, also for "incitement to subvert state power," and returned to his hometown in Hubei in 2012 after being dismissed from a job in the southwestern province of Yunnan, in a move that rights groups said was likely linked to his activism. Meanwhile, rights activists Wang Fang and Yi Xu'an were detained by police outside the court buildings and forcibly escorted back to their homes in the provincial capital, Wuhan. Wang, who spoke to RFA during her train journey home, said security was tight outside the court buildings, where 20-30 supporters had gathered ahead of the hearing on Monday morning. "They had police there from 7:30 a.m.," she said. "Then, they came over just after 8 a.m. and stopped us by the side of the road and asked to see our ID," she said. "Then they took us to the Gaoxin district police station in Yichang." "This should have been open to the public, but they were worried that people would get into the court as spectators," Wang said. "Then they drove us to the high-speed railway station and sent us back home." Yi, who was recently held in criminal detention on suspicion of "leaking state secrets" before being released on "bail" last month, said he fears the ruling Chinese Communist Party will deal with future dissent with an even heavier hand. "I think we are going to see a much heavier crackdown, especially for online[activism]," he said. "They'll be laying trumped-up charges on people left and right." Yi said police had physically escorted them aboard the train and watched it leave before moving away from the platform. Jail terms handed down Beijing's Haidian District People's Court handed down jail terms of up to three-and-a-half years to four New Citizens' Movement activists on April 18, 2014, including rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi, for "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order." Legal scholar and movement co-founder Xu Zhiyong received a four-year jail term in January on identical charges. In May 2012, Xu had penned an article titled "China Needs a New Citizens Movement," which is believed to have spurred the loose nationwide network of activists to action. The article called on responsible citizens to oppose corruption and work to support disadvantaged groups, as well as holding political meetings and collaborating to achieve these goals. Xu was the highest-profile Chinese dissident to be sentenced to jail since 2009, when Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo was ordered imprisoned for 11 years for subversion after helping organize the "Charter 08" petition calling for sweeping political change and a constitutional government.

On September 18, Chinese courts sentenced Liu Jiacai, a New Citizen's Movement activist, and -in a seperate case- Wang Kouma and Wei Qin, two Shanghai-based activists, to prison. All three were found guilty of disturbing public order, a charge related to their activist work. The trial of the latter two was closed to supporters and foreign journalists.

Authorities in China's capital detained an editor of a well-known Uyghur website over the weekend on charges of "attempting to escape the country" before releasing him following pressure from a number of prominent activists. Perhat Halmurat, an editor for Uyghur Online, was taken into custody at Beijing International Airport around midnight on Sept. 28, minutes before his scheduled departure to Turkey, he told RFA's Uyghur Service following his release. He had received a scholarship for anthropology at Istanbul University and was traveling to Turkey to pursue his studies. The Uyghur Online website is run by university professor Ilham Tohti, a vocal critic of the Chinese government's treatment of Uyghurs, whose homeland is in China's northwestern Xinjiang region and who complain of discrimination by the authorities and the country's majority Han Chinese. Perhat Halmurat, who is ethnically Uyghur, said that authorities never explained to him why he had been taken into custody where he was held for 16 hours, but that the documents he was given on his release stated that he was "attempting to escape overseas." "When I was arrested I told them that I did not break any law and was innocent," he said. "The police didn't say anything about what law I broke, nor did they explain why I was being arrested. There was no official seal on the warrant, which only stated in the reason section "attempted to escape the country.' I oppose the allegations." He said that only through the intervention of a number of prominent activists-including Ilham Tohti, activist artist Ai Weiwei and rights lawyer Wang Lixiong-was he released. "When the police took me in, I informed Ilham Tohti through my girlfriend. Later, Ilham Tohti contacted Ai Weiwei, Wang Lixiong and other human rights lawyers," he said. "With their help I was released after 16 hours. I express my gratitude to those who worked on behalf of my release." Uyghur Online published a report after Perhat Halmurat's release, detailing his experience in detention. The young man from Illi Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture's Tokkuztara (in Chinese, Gongliu) county, near Xinjiang's Ghujla (in Chinese, Yining) city, was educated in Chinese schools from a very early age and was fluent in Mandarin Chinese. He received a bachelor's degree in ethnic studies from Beijing's Minzu University in 2012 and had been pursuing graduate studies in anthropology at the same university before his planned trip Turkey. He has no criminal record. Xinjiang role Ilham Tohti confirmed that he and other activists had worked to secure Perhat Halmurat's release, adding that the pressure may have led the Beijing police to refuse to hand him over to authorities from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region who he said had originally ordered his detention. "Not even the Xinjiang police would explain to him why he was detained," he said, adding that he believed the police in Xinjiang had likely "wanted to ask him questions about[other Uyghur activists]." "The reason why the Beijing police did not give Perhat up to the Xinjiang authorities is that they don't agree with the arbitrary detentions frequently employed in Xinjiang. But we really don't know why he was detained in the first place." According to Ilham Tohti, Perhat Halmurat was arrested in front of his girlfriend and family members. He had previously visited Hong Kong and other East Asian countries, including majority Muslim Malaysia, without any intervention from the government. But he added that people associated with Uyghur Online, including a former volunteer for the website who was detained at the Beijing airport in July as he prepared to fly to Turkey to continue his studies and remains missing, were "always at the center of the government's attention." "The detention of Perhat Halmurat and disappearance of[former volunteer] Mutellip Imin ... shows how little space there is for freedom of speech in China," he said. "The authorities are breaking their own laws, blocking the channels we[Uyghurs] have to communicate with the government and the Chinese people. I condemn the Xinjiang authority's systematic oppression against these authors and other people who are expressing their discontent in a peaceful way." Other detentions Ilham Tohti was himself detained in February at the Beijing airport and prevented from taking a flight to the United States to take up a post as a visiting scholar at Indiana University. Following Beijing's refusal to allow him to leave the country, unknown hackers attacked his website, which is hosted overseas and discusses Uyghur social issues and news from Xinjiang, briefly shutting it down. He has spoken out for better implementation of China's regional autonomy laws in Xinjiang, where Uyghurs say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness. Another of Uyghur Online's webmasters, Shohret, was detained and interrogated earlier this year by police and forced to disclose Uyghur Online webmaster passwords, sources said.

On 28 September 2013, Perhat Halmurat, an editor of the Uyghur Online, was detained at Beijing International Airport when attempting to leave the country. The Uyghur Online is outspoken on the treatment of the minority by Chinese authorities. Mr. Halmurat was held for 16 hours without any charge other than "attempting to escape the country."

Authorities in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou are continuing to hold a top human rights lawyer with no announcement of criminal charges against him, in spite of a vocal campaign for his release, activists said Thursday. Yang Maodong, better known as Guo Feixiong, was criminally detained on Aug. 8 on charges of "incitement to disturb public order," after being involved in anti-censorship and anti-corruption protests. "The authorities have made one arrest after the other in recent months, and this is still going on," said Beijing-based fellow activist and poet Wang Zang, who was among dozens of campaigners who signed a public petition calling for Guo's release. "This is human rights violation on a massive scale." Wang said those who signed the letter were angry at the ongoing crackdown on activists who have called since March on the highest-ranking ruling Chinese Communist Party leaders to reveal details of their assets, and those of their families. "We wanted to protest this political oppression, but also to reiterate that Guo Feixong is innocent, and should be released immediately," he said. "None of us is safe, and any one of us could be next." Corruption activist Guo was released from jail in September 2011 following a five-year jail term and has previously been subjected to extrajudicial detention and torture. The rights lawyer, whose wife and two children were granted political asylum in the United States in 2009, rose to prominence during a 2005 campaign by the people of Guangdong's Taishi village to recall their elected chief amid allegations of corruption. He was sentenced to five years' imprisonment in 2006 by a Guangdong court for "illegal business practices" after repeated beatings and detentions did little to deter his rights campaigns. Detained civil rights activist Xu Zhiyong, who is being held at a Beijing detention center on public order charges after calling on China's leaders to reveal their assets in March, had recently called on ordinary Chinese to take a stand to protect the rights of citizens. President Xi Jinping has launched a nationwide clampdown on corruption, warning that the Communist Party must beat graft or lose power. However, police continue to detain activists who call for greater transparency. The overseas-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) said last week it has confirmed the criminal detentions or disappearances of 58 individuals in the ongoing crackdown on anti-corruption activists, half of whom have been formally arrested. Authorities in Beijing are preparing to try anti-graft activists Yuan Dong, Zhang Baocheng and Ma Xinli for "unlawful assembly" after they held up banners in the street calling on officials to disclose their assets in late March. Hubei activist Liu Jiacai, Shenzhen-based activist Yang Mingyu, known as Yang Lin, and Hunan-based activist Li Huaping, known by his online nickname Nuowei Senlin are also being held in detention centers for similar activities. 'Gray economy' China's hidden household income-otherwise known as its "gray economy"-has topped 6.2 trillion yuan (U.S. $1 trillion) or about 12 percent of the world's most populous nation's economic output, a new report says, indicating a widening wealth gap fueled by corruption. The state-backed China Reform Foundation report, which provided the 2011 figures, said most undeclared income in the Chinese economy is undocumented and is held in the hands of relatively few people, according to Caixinmagazine this week. The richest 10 percent of urban Chinese made an average income of 188,000 yuan (U.S. $31,000) in 2012, more than three times the officially reported income level. According to the study, rich city-dwellers have an income around 21 times that of the poorest Chinese, compared with an officially reported factor of 8.6. Widespread mismanagement of public funds, loose monetary policy and lax enforcement of regulations were to blame for the growth of China's hidden economy, the report said. It said state-sponsored monopolies, rampant public sector corruption, and a lack of effective public oversight had contributed to the problem. UPDATE: 27/ 11/ 2015 Chinese rights activist jailed for 6 years A prominent Chinese rights activist, Guo Feixiong, was sentenced to six years imprisonment on Friday by a court in southern China, amid a continuing crackdown on human rights advocates across the country, his lawyer said on Friday. Two other activists, Liu Yuandong and Sun Desheng, were sentenced to three years and two-and-a-half years respectively, according to Guo's lawyer, Zhang Lei. Guo and Sun had been accused of "gathering crowds to disturb social order" during a nearly week-long peaceful demonstration outside the gates of a newspaper, the Southern Weekly, in January 2013. The protest called on authorities to respect media freedom amid a censorship row. "He wasn't guilty of anything at all. This sentence is unacceptable and unfair," Zhang told Reuters by telephone after attending the court on Friday. Guo had previously been jailed for nearly five years for his grassroots activism. Guo, 48, whose real name is Yang Maodong, had been detained by Chinese authorities for over two years before sentencing, with his trial stuck in limbo due to delays and a boycott by his lawyers last year to protest what they called procedural violations. As with previous hearings for Guo, and other rights activists in Guanghzou, the area around the court was blocked off and heavily policed. Guo had been held in a crowded cell, and barred from exercising outside in violation of international standards on the treatment of prisoners, according to rights groups. His lawyer said Guo's health had deteriorated and that two police officers had handled his Guo roughly in court, injuring his arms. Amnesty International said Sun Desheng had been forced to wear handcuffs and leg cuffs for long periods in detention. Human rights groups and Western countries have expressed repeated concern about a widening campaign by President Xi Jinping to quash dissent among academics, journalists and social activists. A Chinese court on Thursday upheld a conviction against a prominent journalist, Gao Yu, 71, who was accused of leaking an internal Communist Party document to a foreign website but reduced her seven-year jail term by two years. "Beijing's assault on civil society seems to know no bounds as peaceful activists are increasingly subject to criminal prosecutions," said Sophie Richardson, China Director at Human Rights Watch in New York. "The Chinese government should immediately drop all charges against Guangzhou activists Guo Feixiong and Sun Desheng and release them."

On 8 August 2013, Yang Maodong, also known as Guo Feixiong, a well-known human rights activist and lawyer, was detained in Guangzhou for "assembling a crowd to disrupt order in a public place." Yang's detention is likely related to his participation in a protest in January 2013 in support of an embattled Guangzhou newspaper which had been resisting censorship. Yang has previously been harassed, jailed, and allegedly tortured by Guangdong authorities. UPDATE 14/11/2013: Yang's lawyer has finally been permitted to meet him. UPDATE 24/06/2014: Prosecutors have decided to put Mr. Yang on trial on charges of "assembling a crowd to disrupt public order."

Authorities in the central Chinese province of Henan are holding a prominent rights activist in administrative detention after she retweeted news of ethnic unrest in the troubled region of Xinjiang, her husband said. Liu Linna, widely known by her pseudonym Liu Shasha, was detained on Monday by authorities in her home city of Nanyang after she went to apply for a permit to visit her husband in Hong Kong, a former British colony that still maintains an immigration border with the mainland. Liu's husband, political activist Yeung Hung, who captained a converted fishing vessel that carried nationalist activists to the disputed Diaoyu islands where they were detained and deported by Japan in October 2012, said she had been summoned by Nanyang state security police on suspicion of "spreading false information to disrupt social order." "On Monday morning I suddenly received a phone call from the National Security Bureau of Henan province," Yeung told RFA this week. "They told me that Shasha would be held for five days, due to her retweeting news about police in Xinjiang opening fire on Uyghurs." "[They] said that Liu Shasha had sent out a tweet on July 1 concerning a crackdown there on June 28, in which 15 people were killed." Yeung, who married Liu two months ago, said he was very concerned for his wife's safety. "They could use this as an excuse to keep her in detention," he said, adding that he was considering hiring a lawyer. Local authorities in China's Xinjiang region confirmed on June 30 that police fired at hundreds of ethnic minority Uyghur Muslims protesting the arrest of a young religious leader and closure of a mosque, acknowledging that up to 15 people may have been killed and 50 others injured in the incident retweeted by Liu. Uyghurs say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness, blaming the problems partly on the influx of Han Chinese into the region. Online 'rumors' Last month, a 16-year-old boy from the western province of Gansu became the first person to be detained under a new set of rules issued by the judiciary targeting online "rumors." Blogger Yang Hui was held for seven days by Gansu police over a tweet accusing local authorities of improper conduct. Amid a crackdown on China's usually outspoken social media sites, the Supreme People's Court and state prosecution service issued guidelines on Sept. 9 warning that "rumor-mongering" is a crime punishable under law. Anyone posting information online deemed by the authorities to be "spreading rumors" or "defaming" another person may now be punished for a serious offense if the post is subsequently viewed at least 5,000 times or re-posted at least 500 times. Beijing-based dissident Hu Jia denounced Liu's detention. "The case of Liu Shasha demonstrates that Chinese authorities are furthering crackdown on dissidents," he said. "Liu Shasha was arrested only for retweeting a news item, and this fact itself is telling evidence that cyber control in China now has reached an unprecedented degree." Tireless activist Liu Shasha has worked to support a number of human rights causes across China in recent years. She was detained and beaten by Beijing police in February after she tried, alongside Yeung Hung, to visit Liu Xia, the wife of jailed Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo under house arrest at her Beijing home. Holding a placard with the words "Liu Xia, everyone is behind you!" and shouting slogans through a megaphone, she and Yeung were quickly detained by police. But while Yeung was released back to Hong Kong officials, the feisty and outspoken Liu was handed over to officials and police from Henan, and was incommunicado for several days. She later told fellow activists she was suffering from perforated eardrums after police "pinned me to the floor and boxed my ears a great many times" during an altercation about her confiscated bank card. Liu Shasha was also instrumental in promoting Charter 08, a controversial document calling for sweeping political change in China that led to the jailing of Liu Xiaobo for 11 years in December 2009 on subversion charges.

On October 14, 2013, Liu Shasha, a prominent civil and political rights activist was detained in Nanyang. Liu was detained on suspicion of "spreading false information to disrupt social order," related to a July 1 retweet of a news story on police crackdown on Uyghur protestors in Xinjiang. Her detention comes in the wake of new legislation dating from September 2013 targeting "rumor-mongering."

Prominent Chinese anti-corruption campaigner Xu Zhiyong was on Sunday ordered jailed for four years after a court found him guilty of "disrupting public order" in a conviction seen as punishment for his efforts to expose high-level graft within President Xi Jinping's government. Xu is China's most highest profile dissident to be sentenced to jail since 2009, when Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo was ordered imprisoned for 11 years for subversion after helping organize the "Charter 08" petition urging the overthrow of one-party rule. Also on Sunday, another top Chinese dissident Hu Jia, who had demanded officials to publicly disclose their assets, was detained by police on a charge of "suspicion of causing a disturbance" after he spoke to RFA's Mandarin Service on Xu's jailing. Xu's conviction came four days after a U.S.-based journalism group released a report linking relatives of President Xi and other leaders of the ruling Chinese Communist Party to an intricate network of thousands of offshore companies in tax havens that allegedly helped shroud the Communist elite's wealth. Xu, who has been detained by Chinese authorities since July last year, was found guilty of "gathering a crowd to disturb public order," the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court said on its official microblog. Xu and several other members of his "New Citizens' Movement" had staged peaceful protests for asset disclosure by officials and campaigned for the rights of children from rural areas to be educated in cities. The verdict on Xu was announced amid tight security as hundreds of police stationed around the court kept foreign journalists at bay and briefly detained Xu's lawyer Zhang Qingfang after he denounced the court process as "totally unjust and unacceptable." "What remained of the respect for rule of law in China has been completely destroyed today," Zhang told RFA. "It is unacceptable to jail a man who has been a longtime staunch promoter for social progress." Appeal Zhang said he would appeal against the court ruling although he said he did not expect a favorable decision, adding that he would meet with Xu on Monday when several other New Citizens Movement members are scheduled to stand trial. "Appealing will not change the outcome," he said. "However, as other co-defendants have not yet been tried and if we do not appeal, this ruling will go into effect[against others]." Zhang said the government wanted to use Xu's conviction to scare off other activists. "The authorities want to use it to tell rights activists that, "You should not cross the red line set by the government. If you do, Xu Zhiyong's jailing sets a precedent for you.'" Xu's long time friend, Beijing-based human rights advocate Hu Jia said before he was detained Sunday that the Chinese people's struggle for freedom and democracy would not be shaken be the conviction. "If the Chinese people fear tyranny, China would still be under the Qin dynasty," he told RFA, referring referring to the harsh rule of emperor Qin Shi Huang from 259 to 210 B.C. "Thus the despotic measures taken by the current Chinese authorities will only create more enemies[for the government]" and solidify the anti-government movement, he said. Hu Jia, who was jailed in 2008 for three and a half years on subversion charges for criticizing human rights restrictions, was taken away by the Beijing National Security Police on Sunday after the interview. 'Defiance' Hu's friend Li Xiaoling said Hu Jia might face charges of "defiance and provocation." Beijing-based rights lawyer Tang Jitian said "the authorities can no longer use terms such as "subversion' or "inciting subversion' to intimidate the people." Hu was seen by some of his supporters as a potential recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize before it went to Liu Xiaobo in 2010. Human Rights Watch said Xu's conviction and four-year sentence was a pretext to chill popular protests against corruption while another rights group Amnesty International called it a travesty. "The harsh sentence for a moderate critic who reflected widespread public concern about corruption shows just how little tolerance there is towards dissent in China today," said Brad Adams, Asia Director at Human Rights Watch. "Xi Jinping has made fighting corruption the linchpin of his presidency, but when an average citizen takes up the same cause, he is sent to prison. This hypocrisy makes a mockery of the president's anti-corruption campaign." 'Predictable verdict' Roseann Rife, East Asia Research Director at Amnesty International, said the action against Xu was "a shameful but sadly predictable verdict," adding that the Chinese authorities "have once again opted for the rule of fear over the rule of law." "At best the injustice of prosecuting Xu Zhiyong is hypocrisy of the highest order. On the surface his calls to expose corruption coincide with President Xi Jinping's own much heralded clampdown," Rife said. "But the message sent from the courtroom today runs far deeper: In Xi Jinping's China the Communist Party maintains a monopoly on the political process and anyone that speaks out will be severely dealt with." Western governments expressed concern over Beijing's action against Xu. The United States said it was "deeply disappointed" at the verdict, saying it is concerned that Xu's prosecution "is retribution for his public campaign to expose corruption and for the peaceful expression of his views." "We call on Chinese authorities to release Xu and other political prisoners immediately... and guarantee them the protections and freedoms to which they are entitled under China's international human rights commitments," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement. European diplomats also called on Chinese authorities to release Xu immediately. Raphael Droszewski, first secretary of the European Union delegation to China, said the case has "heightened our concern at the situation being faced by a number of Chinese human rights defenders who have been prosecuted in relation to peaceful action against corruption and public advocacy of the law, transparency and social justice," the Associated Press reported. In a video message filmed secretly from behind bars at the Beijing No. 3 Detention Center after his detention, Xu said he is willing to take the consequences of his activism and called on others to do the same. More trials Chinese courts have tried two other activists in the New Citizens Movement in the past week, including Zhao Changqing, who was a student leader during 1989 pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square and previously served eight years in jail. Three others were tried in December but no verdict has yet been released. In total 20 to 40 people involved with the New Citizens Movement have been detained since last year, according to members. Last week, multimillionaire businessman Wang Gongquan,who backed the New Citizens Movement, was bailed after he apparently confessed to helping "organize and incite criminal activities", a Beijing court said in a statement.

On January 26, 2014, Xu Zhiyong, a prominent anti-corruption activist, was sentenced to four years in jail for "disrupting public order." Xu had led a number of peaceful protests against corruption within the Chinese Communist Party. 10/04/2014 - Beijing court rejected an appeal by Xu Zhiyoung.

Outspoken ethnic minority Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti, who was detained at his Beijing home nearly two weeks ago, may have been taken to Xinjiang but his lawyer who traveled to the restive western region of China to inquire from police about his whereabouts returned to the capital without any clues, according to Tohti's wife. "I think my husband may be in Urumqi now," the wife, Guzelnur, told RFA's Uyghur Service referring to Xinjiang's capital. "But neither the Beijing police nor Urumqi police are giving me any information about him." Chinese authorities detained the Central University for Nationalities professor on Jan. 15 but have refused to say where he is being held, accusing him of leading a separatist group that advocates violence to overthrow the Chinese rule in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) - charges which Guzelnur totally refuted. Tohti's Being-based lawyer Li Fangping traveled at the weekend to Urumqi where he believed Tohti is being held but was given the cold shoulder by police, she said. "He was made to wait for eight hours outside the police bureau and then they said they cannot give him any information," Guzelnur said. "One officer told him his boss is busy and there may be some news after the Lunar New Year[this weekend]. Li, who returned to the capital on Sunday night, has not been allowed to see Tohti or register to defend him since he decided to defend the scholar. "It is impossible to communicate with the officials and they are refusing to answer phone calls. It has been exhausting," he told Reuters news agency. Not formally charged yet Tohti has not been formally charged but Chinese authorities on Saturday said that Tohti was being investigated for promoting Xinjiang's independence and abetting separatists. The Bureau of Public Security for Urumqi said in an online statement that Tohti recruited followers through a website he founded to cause trouble, spread separatist thoughts, incite ethnic hatred, and engage in separatist activities. It alleged that the scholar told students that Uyghurs should use violence and oppose the government as China opposed Japanese invaders during the World War II. Guzelnur, who said policemen were still on guard outside her house, dismissed the charges as absurd, saying she was "very angry" with the accusations. "I have no idea, he is only a university lecturer.... All the courses he taught were arranged by the university. How could he say those things[as the Bureau of Public Security has alleged]?" she asked. "I hope the world will understand the true situation as Ilham Tohti and his students have done nothing wrong," she said. "His website has operated in line with the Chinese law." She said that Tohti's elderly mother, who was detained together with Tohti but released a few hours later, was admitted to the hospital when she returned home to Atush city in western Xinjiang in the Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture. "She's still very sick," said Guzelnur, who resides with her two young sons in Beijing. Hardline stance Uyghur human rights groups have said that Tohti's detention was part of Beijing's broad strategy to drown the voices of the minority Uyghurs and underscored its increasing hardline stance on dissent surrounding Xinjiang, the homeland of China's mostly Muslim ethnic minority Uyghur population and where a series of deadly riots has been reported over the past year. In fresh violence Friday, state media reported that 12 people were killed in explosions and clashes with police but a spokesman for an exiled Uighur advocacy group blamed authorities for the deaths. In February 2013, Tohti was prevented from leaving China to take up a year-long university position in the United States. Tohti also runs the moderate Uyghur Online website to discuss social issues involving Uyghur-Han Chinese relations, in articles published in both Chinese and Uyghur. His overseas-hosted website has not been functioning since he was detained. UPDATE 25/02/2014 - Ilham Tohti's wife, Guzaili Nu'er was formally informed that Tohti was being held in a detention center in Urumqi, Xinjian Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and accused of separatism and fomenting ethnic hatred through Uighurbiz, the website he founded. He could face life imprisonment or the death penalty if convicted on this charge. UPDATE 26/06/2014 - For the first time since his detention in January, Mr. Tohti has been permitted to meet his lawyer. He revealed that for the first 20 days of his detention, he was held in leg irons and that he was refused food and water for 10 days in March, following an attack on a train station in Kunming which the authorities blamed on a Uyghur group. Mr. Tohti continues to reject the seperatism charges leveled against him. UPDATE 27/08/2014: Mr. Tohti's pre-trial hearing has been set for 7 September 2014. Tohti's lawyer expects the trial to take place behind closed doors, as the charges against him are related to national security. UPDATE: 12/ 05/ 2015 Jailed Uyghur Scholar Denied Visits or Support From Family Authorities in northwestern China's troubled Xinjiang region have denied the relatives of jailed Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti permission to visit him or provide him with clothing and money while he serves his life sentence for "separatism," according to his wife.The 45-year-old former professor at the Central University for Nationalities in Beijing was sentenced to life in prison, along with deprivation of political rights and confiscation of all his assets, following his conviction on a charge of "separatism" by the Urumqi Intermediate People's Court in Xinjiang on Sept. 23 last year. Tohti's Beijing-based wife Guzelnur, who has been left with the care of the couple's young sons, told RFA's Mandarin Service that the scholar's older brother had recently brought him clothing and money at the Urumqi No. 1 Prison where he is serving time in Urumqi, but was told to return home."When his elder brother went to the prison[with his family], they didn't allow them to see him," she said."The prison authorities said they would inform us around the end of June or near July when we could visit my husband, but now it is not even permitted to give him clothes. They said there are special clothes in prison and the prisoners don't wear outside clothing." Guzelnur said that prison authorities also refused to allow her brother-in-law to give Tohti money to use at the prison commissary."The prison refused the money his brother brought, saying there was still money on my husband's card," she said."Tohti's elder brother also went to the prison in March and had planned to give him 2,000 yuan (U.S. $320) but was refused. We are not sure if denying him money is a regulation in Xinjiang or not." Conviction Tohti's conviction sparked a wave of condemnation in China and from the international community, with human rights activists saying he never received the benefit of a fair trial, and that he should never have been tried in the first place for exercising his constitutional right to free expression.Tohti's Uighur online (uighurbiz.net) website included articles critical of China's ruling Communist Party's policies targeting Uyghurs in Xinjiang, including systematic religious controls, the enforcement of Chinese-medium education in schools, and lack of economic opportunity. These criticisms were used by prosecutors in Tohti's case as evidence that he had incited people to separatism and undermined "national unity," lawyers said at the time.He has repeatedly denied the charge of "separatism" and says the cases against him and his students-seven of whom were handed jail terms of between three and eight years in November-are politically motivated.The Xinjiang region, which is home to millions of Turkic-speaking Uyghurs, has seen an upsurge in violence that has left hundreds dead since 2012, and which China has blamed on terrorists and Islamist insurgents seeking to establish an independent state. But rights groups accuse the Chinese authorities of heavy-handed rule in Xinjiang, including violent police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people.Chinese president Xi Jinping announced a harsh, one-year anti-terrorism campaign in May, following a bombing in the regional capital Urumqi that killed 31 people and injured 90.Exile Uyghur groups have repeatedly said the root causes of recent violence in Xinjiang lie with China's treatment of peaceful Uyghur dissidents.

On January 15, 2014, Ilham Tohti, a Uyghur scholar and activist outspoken on Han-Chinese-Uyghur relations, was detained when attempting to leave China. He is being held at an undisclosed location and has not been given access to his lawyer. UPDATE 25/02/2014: Ilham Tohti's wife, Guzaili Nu'er was formally informed that Tohti was being held in a detention center in Urumqi, Xinjian Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and accused of separatism and fomenting ethnic hatred through Uighurbiz, the website he founded. He could face life imprisonment or the death penalty if convicted on this charge. UPDATE 26/06/2014: For the first time since his detention in January, Mr. Tohti has been permitted to meet his lawyer. He revealed that for the first 20 days of his detention, he was held in leg irons and that he was refused food and water for 10 days in March, following an attack on a train station in Kunming which the authorities blamed on a Uyghur group. Mr. Tohti continues to reject the seperatism charges leveled against him. UPDATE 27/08/2014: Mr. Tohti's pre-trial hearing has been set for 7 September 2014. Tohti's lawyer expects the trial to take place behind closed doors, as the charges against him are related to national security. UPDATE 23/09/2014: Mr. Ilham Tohti, was sentenced to life in prison for separatism. The Urumqi People's Intermediate Court ruled that he has been spreading lessons containing separatist ideas visa the website, Uygur Online. UPDATE; 25/10/2014: The Chinese ruling party seized jailed Uyghur scholar and activist Ilham Tohti's U.S $140,000 in savings, sparking fears his family will struggle to subsist. Tohti's wife Guzelnur didn't receive any warning of the asset seizure, and expressed grave concern over the fate of herself and her two young children. UPDATE 21/11/2014: Courts rejected Tohti's appeal against his life sentence. The appeal was rejected at a behind-closed-doors reading of its judgment, despite repeated bids by Tohti's defense team to have the appeal heard in court.

Chinese authorities have detained a number of high-profile rights activists in a nationwide crackdown ahead of the opening of the latest session of the country's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), this week. Liu Feiyue, founder of the Hubei-based Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch group, was placed under administrative detention by police in his hometown of Suizhou after refusing police demands that he not post articles online, fellow activists said on Tuesday. "Liu Feiyue agreed to not go out, but he was never going to agree not to post stuff online," a rights activist surnamed Wu from the eastern province of Zhejiang told RFA. "He was detained and taken to the local police station," Wu said. Liu's own website posted the news of his detention, saying that he had received a visit from state security police late on Monday night. An officer who answered the phone at the Dongcheng district police station in Suizhou declined to comment on Liu's case. "I don't really know. This is the duty officer," the officer said. "You need to speak to the case officer." Fellow Hubei-based activist Shi Yulin, who spoke to Liu shortly before he was taken away, said Liu had been arrested by a high-ranking state security police officer. "He said there was no basis in law, and that he would agree not to go out[for the duration of the NPC], but not to stop posting things online," Shi said. Repeated calls to Liu's cell phone rang unanswered on Tuesday. 'It's harrowing' In Beijing, rights activist Hu Jia?who is himself being held under house arrest during the NPC sessions, said Hong Kong-based rights activist Liu Linna, better known as Liu Shasha, was being held in Beijing's No. 1 Detention Center. "Liu Shasha has been very active in Guangdong and Hong Kong, so for her to come to Beijing would put huge pressure on the government, because Beijing is the political center of the country," Hu said. "I don't know what sort of future she faces, but every day in a detention center feels like a year," Hu said. "It's very depressing to be locked up in such a place for that sort of charge," he said. "It makes you feel intensely anxious; it's harrowing." Liu Shasha's husband, prominent Diaoyu Islands activist Yeung Hung, is under criminal detention in the southern city of Shenzhen on suspicion of illegally crossing the immigration border with neighboring Hong Kong. Hong Kong, China's Special Administrative Region, is a former British colony and still maintains an immigration border with the mainland. As the NPC's advisory body opened in Beijing on Monday, the iconic Tiananmen Square at the heart of the capital was under tight security, local residents said. "Tiananmen Square is under security lockdown, with police standing guard every five meters," a resident surnamed Li said. "As soon as they spot anyone with a petition or a complaint, they detain them." Open letter Meanwhile, a group of high-profile lawyers, academics and journalists have penned an open letter to the NPC calling for the convictions of New Citizens' Movement anti-corruption activists to be overturned. "The New Citizens' Movement activists are typical of cases in which someone is treated as a criminal for their speech alone," the letter said. "Lawyers say that the judgements against them fail to establish significant harm as a result of their gathering a crowd together, and that the witnesses called in the case were all either police or private security guards," it said. "We would like to ask the delegates whether these judgements are protecting public order, or the interests of corrupt officials?" China has jailed a number of "New Citizens' Movement" anti-corruption activists on public order charges in recent weeks after they staged public demonstrations calling on the country's leaders to reveal details of their wealth. Last month, a court in Beijing convicted Yuan Dong, Ding Jiaxi, Li Wei, and Zhang Baocheng for "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order," a day after the sentencing of prominent dissident Xu Zhiyong, a co-founder of the New Citizens' Movement, to four years' imprisonment on the same charges. The NPC opens in Beijing on Wednesday and is expected to debate economic growth, smog, official corruption and military spending, as well as domestic security in the wake of the deadly Kunming railway station attacks at the weekend. Dissenting votes are rare.

On 3 March 2014, Liu Feiyue, founder of a civil rights group, was put in detention by police. Mr. Liu was arrested because of his refusal not to post on the internet during the National People's Congress (NPC). Activists Hu Jia and Liu Shasha, along with many others, are being detained as well during the NPC.

United Nations independent experts today voiced serious concern over reports that Chinese activists have been intimidated and prevented from taking part in a major assessment of the human rights situation in the country. "Intimidating civil society members who seek to contribute to such an important international dialogue is completely unacceptable," said the Geneva-based experts in a news release. "Ensuring the free participation of civil society actors, including human rights defenders, and other national stakeholders, in this process is crucial." Activists have reportedly been threatened, arrested or banned from leaving China in the run-up to the second assessment of the country's record by the UN Human Rights Council through its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism. The review will take place on 22 October 2013 in Geneva. "These cases seem part of a pattern of increased harassment by China of those calling for greater accountability of public officials, transparency and political and legal reforms," the experts said. The experts received information that rights defenders Cao Shunli and Chen Jianfang were allegedly prevented from boarding flights to Geneva where they were due to participate in activities organized on the margins of a Human Rights Council session in September. Chen Jianfang was reportedly told that she was barred from travelling abroad for life, while Cao Shunli was detained by Chinese security authorities on 14 September. Cao Shunli's family has allegedly not received any formal notification of her detention. It was also reported that Chinese civil society activists, who have been demonstrating since June to defend their right to participate and receive information on China's report to the UPR, have been threatened by local authorities on various occasions. "These reports suggest there have been acts of reprisals against people who seek to cooperate with the UN," said Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders Margaret Sekaggya. "Defenders play a key role in holding States to account for the implementation of their human rights obligations, including at the international level. Their legitimate work should be fully respected." China accepted recommendations made during its first review in 2009 to strengthen its engagement with civil society to promote and protect human rights. The Government informed the UN experts that non-governmental organizations were consulted ahead of the UPR session and that the draft of the national report was available on its official website for comments. Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Frank La Rue, said that even if some organizations had participated in the UPR preparations, "nothing can justify excluding legitimate voices through intimidation." "Access to information and an open space for the free exchange of opinions and ideas are essential to ensure a proper review of the human rights record of any country," Mr. La Rue stressed. Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kai said preventing people to participate in the UPR and from demonstrating peacefully constitutes a breach of China's international obligations to respect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly. "This obligation includes facilitating peaceful protests by providing protestors with access to public space, and protecting them, where necessary, against any threats," he said. Regarding the situation of Ms. Cao, the Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances underlined that information on her detention, including the reasons and place of detention, should be made immediately available to her family members and counsel. The experts have also asked the Chinese authorities for further information regarding these allegations and called for the immediate release of all those detained after peacefully protesting for more civil society participation in the UPR process and advocating for human rights and good governance. "These serious allegations must be investigated thoroughly and impartially by the Chinese authorities," the experts concluded. Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back, in an unpaid capacity, on specific human rights themes. UPDATE 17/07/2013 JUA sent to China. UPDATE 23/09/2013 China acknowledgement of JUA. UPDATE 01/10/2013: JUA again issued by the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. UPDATE 21/10/2013: Cao Shunli was formally charged with "picking quarrels and making trouble." Cao was originally detained in September when attempting to leave the country for a human rights training in Geneva. The state of her health is poor and she has been refused medical treatment. UPDATE 04/11/2013: Cao Shunli has been refused access to medicine for her serious liver disease since her detention five weeks previously. UPDATE 14/11/2013: Joint Urgent Appeal (JUA) addressed to China by the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; and the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. UPDATE 07/01/2014: China sent a brief clarification regarding the 01/10/2013 JUA. UPDATE 24/01/2014: China acknowledged receipt of the 14/11/2013 JUA. UPDATE 28/02/2014: Cao is in critical condition due to authorities' withholding of medical care. UPDATE 14/03/2014: Cao Shunli died at 309 Military Hospital in Beijing. Cao suffered from liver cirrhosis, tuberculosis, and uterine fibroids, but her lawyer's numerous requests for medical parole were ignored and she was denied medical treatment until she was in critical condition. In late February 2014, Cao was transferred to Beijing Qinghe 999 Hospital, and in March to the 309 Military Hospital, where she passed away.

On 14 September 2013, Cao Shunli and Chen Jianfang were allegedly prevented from boarding flights to Geneva where they were due to participate in activities organized on the margins of a Human Rights Council session in September. Chen Jianfang was reportedly told that she was barred from travelling abroad for life, while Cao Shunli was detained by Chinese security authorities. Cao Shunli's family has allegedly not received any formal notification of her detention. UPDATE 17/07/2013 JUA sent to China. UPDATE 23/09/2013 China acknowledgement of JUA. UPDATE 01/10/2013: JUA again issued by the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. UPDATE 21/10/2013: Cao Shunli was formally charged with "picking quarrels and making trouble." Cao was originally detained in September when attempting to leave the country for a human rights training in Geneva. The state of her health is poor and she has been refused medical treatment. UPDATE 04/11/2013: Cao Shunli has been refused access to medicine for her serious liver disease since her detention five weeks previously. UPDATE 14/11/2013: Joint Urgent Appeal (JUA) addressed to China by the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; and the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. UPDATE 07/01/2014: China sent a brief clarification regarding the 01/10/2013 JUA. UPDATE 24/01/24: China acknowledged receipt of the 14/11/2013 JUA. UPDATE 28/02/2014: Cao is in critical condition due to authorities' withholding of medical care. UPDATE 14/03/2014: Cao Shunli died at 309 Military Hospital in Beijing. Cao suffered from liver cirrhosis, tuberculosis, and uterine fibroids, but her lawyer's numerous requests for medical parole were ignored and she was denied medical treatment until she was in critical condition. In late February 2014, Cao was transferred to Beijing Qinghe 999 Hospital, and in March to the 309 Military Hospital, where she passed away.

Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong have detained a labor activist who campaigned for workers affected by workplace-related sickness and injury. Wei Zhili was taken away during a 1:00 a.m. encounter with police on Thursday, as he made his way back to his parental home in the provincial capital Guangzhou, the Weiquanwang rights website reported. "The police then entered and searched his room, handcuffing him and confiscating his possessions," the report said. Police accused Wei of opposing the ruling Chinese Communist Party and of "disrupting public order." They told his parents he had been "brainwashed" into his activism, and was being taken away for "re-education." The same night, fellow activist Ke Chengbing was also detained, Wei's wife told RFA. Wei's detention came after he and Ke had supported workers in the central province of Hunan to pursue compensation for pneumoconiosis linked their working conditions. "They have long been concerned about the living conditions and rights of ... migrant workers, and have spoken out on behalf of vulnerable groups with no concern for themselves," Weiquanwang's report said. Wei's wife Zheng Churan, one of the five feminists detained ahead of International Women's Day 2015, said she had made inquiries with police in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, where Wei worked. "I couldn't get any information," Zheng said. "The police station near his[parental home] denied that they had detained him." "As for Ke Chengbing, I am pretty certain that he has been detained, because the police told Wei's parents that they were detaining a lot of people that night, and Ke Chengbing has been incommunicado for more than 24 hours now," she said. Crackdown on labor movements The detentions come amid an ever-widening crackdown on grassroots labor movements in Chinese factories. Activists in Hong Kong have called for the release of more than 30 former workers at the Jasic Technology factory in neighboring Guangdong province and members of the Jasic Workers' Solidarity Group (JWSG), who were supporting them. At least 44 labor activists, students, and recent graduates of China's top universities have been "disappeared" or criminally detained since the nationwide crackdown on the Jasic labor movement, which started in July and continued with further waves of arrests and detentions in August, September, November, and January, the JWSG reported on its Github page. Among the "disappeared" are Sun Yat-sen University graduate and Jasic movement spokeswoman Shen Mengyu and Peking University #MeToo campaigner Yue Xin.

On 21 March 2019 Wei Zhili and Ke Chengbing, labour rights activists, were arrested and their homes raided by authorities

BEIJING - A prominent Chinese human rights lawyer disappeared on the day of his scheduled release from prison Thursday and was reportedly taken away by unknown persons. Jiang Tianyong, who defended politically sensitive clients like blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng and followers of the outlawed Falun Gong spiritual group, had completed a two-year sentence handed down for crimes against the state. But supporters who arrived at the prison in central Henan province were told that unknown individuals had already picked him up and taken him away, said his wife Jin Bianling. "The Chinese government is so shameless," Jin said in a phone interview from Los Angeles, where she lives with their 16-year-old daughter. "He's completed his sentence now, so he should be free," she said. "Is Chinese law just a piece of scrap paper?" Jiang's sister and father have also been missing since Wednesday afternoon, when state security agents were supposed to be escorting them to the prison, Jin said. Calls to the prison Thursday rang unanswered. China has increasingly placed those it considers dissidents under various types of extra-legal detention even after they have served their sentences, with no due process or additional charges filed. Chen, the blind legal activist, was confined for years at his home in a northern Chinese village, guarded around-the-clock by hired thugs until his escape in 2012. Environmental activist Wu Lihong has been restricted to his home in the eastern city of Wuxi under constant surveillance since his release in 2010 after serving a three-year sentence over allegedly trumped-up charges of financial crimes. Such restrictions are tightened during politically sensitive occasions, such as next week's start of the annual session of China's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress. Jin said Jiang's sister visited him earlier this month and reported that he was in poor health. His skin tone was darker, he appeared gaunt, and his lips were cracked, Jiang's sister told Jin. He requested that his sister pick him on his release date and bring him to their ancestral home in Henan's Luoshan county. On Tuesday, however, state security agents visited Jiang's parents and said he would not be permitted to return home, and would instead be sent to Zhengzhou, Henan's capital, where the government would determine his housing and employment. The next day, state security agents said they would escort Jiang's sister and father to the jailhouse to meet him upon his release. The two have since been unreachable, Jin said, with their cellphones shut off despite a prior promise to call Jiang's mother when they arrived at the jail. Prior to Jiang's arrest in 2016, he had worked to publicize the plight of lawyers arrested in a sweeping crackdown on legal advocates that began in July 2015. He was forced to stop practicing law in 2009, after authorities refused to renew his legal license. Jiang was sentenced in 2017 to two years in prison for inciting subversion of state power, a vague charged often levied against human rights activists. Prosecutors accused Jiang of using social media platforms to denigrate the government and judicial authorities said he incited others to subvert state power, including fabricating claims that another lawyer had allegedly been tortured in custody. Jin said she worries about her husband's health, as he suffers from high blood pressure. "Our daughter was looking forward to talking to her father," Jin. "Now what can we do?"

On 28 February 2019, Jiang Tianyong, who defended politically sensitive clients like blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng and followers of the outlawed Falun Gong spiritual group, was abducted the day he was released for completing a two-year sentence handed down for crimes against the state

Former Chinese Supreme Court judge Wang Linqing, who in December helped blow the whistle on judicial misconduct at the highest level, is now under criminal investigation for "leaking state secrets," state media reported. State-run news agency Xinhua said a former disciplinary investigation into Wang's conduct had now been handed over to police. The announcement came as state television aired a video "confession" from Wang, his first public comment after he disappeared into incommunicado detention on Jan. 3, after making two whistle-blowing videos. Wang, a former assistant judge at the Supreme People's Court in Beijing, was likely being held under residential surveillance at an unknown location under disciplinary measures by the National Supervision Commission, a U.S.-based rights group said. The detention of Wang, who handled appeals and reviews of civil cases from around China, came after he exposed two cases in which crucial case files had disappeared, RSDL Monitor reported on its website. In the first whistleblowing video received by the China Times newspaper on Dec. 20, 2018, Wang said he had requested surveillance footage from the president of the Supreme Court after discovering that the case files had disappeared in a case he was reviewing. He was initially told that nobody had appeared to retrieve the files except him, and grew suspicious of foul play after later being told that "the camera was broken." His allegations were prompted by earlier claims from social media commentator and former state television talk show host Cui Yongyuan that files relating to a 100 billion yuan mineral ownership case had been stolen from Wang's office. Threat of trouble A second whistleblowing video made by Wang appeared online on Jan. 2, in which he said he had been under pressure from the supervision bureau within the Supreme People's Court to decide a multibillion yuan dispute in favor of a specific party. According to Xinhua, the month-long investigation "found that Yan Changlin, a former senior supervisory official with the SPC's supervision bureau, was suspected of accepting requests from one party involved in the case and attempting to meddle in the case, which was handled by Wang at the time." Yan is "suspected of serious violations of[Communist] Party disciplinary rules and laws and has been investigated by the anti-graft agency, but the 'revenge' claim of Wang was not true," it cited investigators as saying. In the Jan. 2 whistleblowing video, Wang said that when he refused the request, he was warned that he would face "trouble" as a result. He was detained the day after the video was published online. "Judge Wang was taken to a hotel near the Supreme Court in Beijing for interrogation by[an] investigation team on Jan. 3," RDSL Monitor said. He resurfaced on Feb. 22 in the now-familiar form of a video confession aired by state-run CCTV's "Focus On" program. 'Scapegoated' In the broadcast video, Wang admits to taking case files home after his superiors said he would no longer sit on the panel of judges. "Actually, my aim in taking them home was to stop other people handling this case," Wang said. "I had put a huge amount into this case over five years ... so I didn't want anyone else handling it." "This case were highly sensitive, with huge sums of money involved," he said. "It felt good to be in charge of such a case ... so I took the files home partly out of a personal grudge, and partly because I didn't want anyone else dealing with it." On Jan. 9, Cui Yongyuan-who has also commented that Wang is being 'scapegoated'-posted to the Sina Weibo social media platform, saying he had spoken with Wang, who was unable to meet with him. Beijing-based lawyer Li Zhuang confirmed to RFA that Cui is currently safe and well at home, but said he was "in a meeting and unable to comment." Meanwhile, a source involved in the whistleblowing effort said they also had been unable to contact Zhao Faqi, one of the parties to the mineral rights case. Another source close to the case said neither Cui nor Zhao had lost their liberty, but were currently being asked to "cooperate with an investigation." But it was hard to say how things would turn out for them further down the line, the source said. Books censored Meanwhile, the ruling Chinese Communist Party's censors have removed law books authored by Wang from the shelves of bookshops across China, according to his publisher. "We can't sell them because something happened with him," an employee at the Legal Publishing Co. told RFA. "We have been told we can't distribute them any more, starting last Friday." "Every volume is accounted for, so they would know if we sold even a single copy," the employee said. "We can't even send them to customers who have already paid for them. It's a real pain, because they're sitting in the warehouse and we can't sell them." An official who answered the phone at the Ministry of Justice referred enquiries to the main office, and declined to comment on the case. A former classmate of Wang's surnamed Zhang said he had paid "a heavy price" for his whistleblowing. "Under the current circumstances, he was never going to be able to help much with reform[of the judicial system] or progress," Zhang said. "But we didn't want this to happen to him. We would want to see him emerge unscathed." He said there was no good reason to ban Wang's books, as he had yet to be convicted or his right to publish stripped from him.

On 25 February 2019, it was reported thatWang Linqing, who in December helped blow the whistle on judicial misconduct at the highest level, is now under criminal investigation for "leaking state secrets".

Chinese authorities have revoked visas issued to an exiled veteran of the 1989 pro-democracy movement on Beijing's Tiananmen Square and his family, just hours after they were issued, RFA has learned. Veteran democracy activist Fang Zheng, now a U.S. citizen, had applied to return to China following his father's death, and had been issued with a visa along with his two daughters. Fang's father died suddenly on Feb. 3 during the Lunar New Year festival, and the family had hoped to hurry back to China to attend the funeral. But they received a call from the Chinese consulate in San Francisco not three hours after receiving their visas, informing them that they had been canceled. No reason was given, Fang said. "I picked up the three visas at around 11.00 a.m., for me and my daughters, and then we drove back from San Francisco, arriving home at around 2.00 p.m.," he said. "Suddenly, we got a phone call from someone saying they were a representative of the Chinese consulate calling to formally notify us that mine and my daughters' visas had been revoked," he said. "He said ... you won't be able to travel back to China on those visas," Fang said. "I asked him what was going on, but he gave no reason; just said it was to do with national sovereignty, and that there was nothing to discuss, and that he wasn't obliged to explain." "He said 'We can issue a refund for the fees directly to your card; I'm just letting you know,'" Fang added. Guilt by association Fang said he saw no reason to prevent his daughters from traveling back to China, as they had never done anything to anger the ruling Chinese Communist Party. "It's guilt by association," he said. "They are total thugs. This is unacceptable." "They stop one lot of[their citizens] from leaving, and another lot from returning," Fang said. "They create obstacles everywhere." Repeated calls to the San Francisco Chinese consulate's visa section, political section, publicity department, and office of Consul Wang Donghua rang unanswered during office hours on Friday. The denial of Fang's visas comes as democracy activists mark the 30th year after the bloody military crackdown on weeks of student-led protests on Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Fellow 1989 veteran activist Zhou Fengsuo, who heads the rights group Humanitarian China, said Fang is associated in the party's mind with the iconic "Tank Man" photograph. Fang was an eyewitness to the standoff between an unarmed civilian in shirt-sleeves carrying shopping and a column of People's Liberation Army (PLA) tanks advancing down Beijing's Chang'an Boulevard, that was beamed onto TV broadcasts and newspaper front pages around the world. "Fang Zheng represents the truth of what happened on June 4, 1989;[in a sense], he is the real "Tank Man" because he has never given up the struggle in all these years," Zhou said. "Fang Zheng is the best representative we have of the 1989 democracy movement, so of course the Communist Party is afraid of him." "It's the 30th anniversary this year, and they are afraid to allow Fang Zheng to go back to China," he said. "This is a violent and barbarous regime with no rule of law, and there are a lot things they are afraid to face up to, like the Tiananmen Massacre." A testing time Zhou said the 30th anniversary of the ending of the Tiananmen protests by the PLA, using live machine-gun fire and tanks, would be a testing time for those veterans now in exile, many of whom have never been allowed to return to visit loved ones. "It's very hard to bear, 30 years apart from your loved ones," Zhou said. But he added: "It's kind of a badge of honor to have been blacklisted from returning to China by the Chinese Communist Party." "It means they have stuck to their stance, and that this was the right thing to do," he said. The death toll from the night of June 3-4, 1989, when PLA tanks and troops entered Beijing, opening fire on unarmed civilians, remains unknown to this day. While the Chinese government once put the death toll at "nearly 300," it has never issued an official toll or list of names. A 2009 map published by the Tiananmen Mothers victims group listed more than 250 names garnered from confirmed eyewitness accounts and hospital records of those known to have died in the days after June 3.

On 8 February 2019,Fang Zheng, an exiled veteran of the 1989 pro-democracy movement on Beijing's Tiananmen Square and his family's visa to China arbitrarily revoked

Family members of a petitioner who died in the custody of "interceptors" after traveling to the Chinese capital to pursue a complaint against the government have questioned official claims that he had a heart attack. Liu Zhen died last week after being held for more than two months a police-run detention center in Liaoning's provincial capital Shenyang in northeastern China, his home city. He had been detained after setting out to lodge a petition at the U.S. embassy in Beijing last October, around with a dozen other people. He was detained and taken back to Shenyang by "interceptors," before being held under criminal detention in the city's Hunnan district before his formal arrest in December. His family was informed on Jan. 13 of his death from a "heart attack," but relatives who identified his body said there were visible marks of injury to his chest area that led them to distrust the officially registered cause of death. "Liaoning rights activist Zhu Zhongxiao told RFA that Liu's grown son is now incommunicado after being called in by police for "a chat." "His son had been planning to meet with some rights defenders in Shenyang[on Tuesday]," Zhu said. "But he was taken away by police, and we don't know if he even went willingly; it's likely that he now has restrictions on his freedom." He said Liu's son had been detained after he posted on the Sina Weibo social media platform about his father's death. "His son posted to Weibo that there were greenish-purple marks on his father's chest, which the authorities said were caused by their attempts to resuscitate him," Zhu said. "If that's so, then why wouldn't they allow the family to take photos?" He said the family had submitted a request for an autopsy to the local prosecutor's office on Monday, but that they have no idea where Liu's body is being held. "Where has the body gone?" Zhu said. "That is one question mark." "A long and slow process' Li Ning, whose mother Li Shulian's death in custody in 2009 led to the charging of six officials with "illegal detention" last month, said the remains of a loved one are the only evidence remaining for families who suspect foul play after a death in custody. "The family has the right to apply for an autopsy, and if they are suspicious about the official autopsy, they can apply for an autopsy carried out by a third party," Li said. "They can't stop you taking photos of the body, and the family also has the right hold the detention center to account and to hire a lawyer to represent them." "They can also demand access to relevant video and audio recordings," she said. But she said any attempt to see justice done isn't for the faint-hearted. "This is a long and slow process, and a very, very tough one," Li said. "There are some similarities between[Liu's death] and my mother's case, and it took me 10 years to get to this point because the family didn't have possession of the body." "It is very, very hard to take this through official channels," she said. Last month, authorities in the central province of Henan executed a petitioner for killing a police officer who was forcibly escorting him home from a petitioning trip in the Chinese capital. Veteran activist Xu Youchen, 58, was executed on Nov. 15 after the China Supreme People's Court approved his death sentence the month before, according to London-based rights group Amnesty International, which had campaigned for a reprieve. But rights groups have also cited procedural irregularities with the handling of the policeman's death. Authorities cremated the body of the policeman allegedly killed by the couple just four days after he died, making it impossible to re-examine the exact time and cause of death, Amnesty International reported. China's army of petitioners, who flood the ruling Chinese Communist Party's official complaints departments with more than 20,000 complaints daily across the country, frequently report being held in "black jails," beaten, or otherwise harassed, if they persist in a complaint beyond its initial rejection at the local level. They are often escorted home forcibly by "interceptors" sent by their local governments to prevent negative reports from reaching the ears of higher authorities.

On 13 January 2019, Liu Zhen, activist, died in the custody of "interceptors" after traveling to the Chinese capital to pursue a complaint against the government.

Authorities in China have detained seven members of Marxism study groups at two top universities amid a nationwide crackdown on Maoist supporters of a labor movement in the southern province of Guangdong after they engaged with foreign media to furtheri their cause. Seven undergraduate students at Peking University (Beida) and Renmin University (Renda) were detained in a coordinated operation on Jan. 21. All were Maoist activists who had shown support for the labor movement at a factory owned by Jasic Technology in Guangdong's Shenzhen city. Some were paid-up members of Marxist associations at their universities. A video of Beida student Zhang Ziwei providing an eyewitness account was found on his cell phone under a bed after he was himself detained. "I'm Zhang Ziwei," the recording says. "Six of my classmates have been detained already today, two of them just downstairs from where we live." "They were shoved into a car, shouting 'call the police!,'" Zhang says, adding that he too is a target. "Dark forces are conducting house-to-house searches right now," he says. "They want to take me away too, just like they did to the others." Zhang's fellow Beida students Li Ziyi, Ma Shize, Sun Jiayan were also detained, along with recent Beida graduates Li Jiahao and Huang Yu. Renda student Yan Zihao was also detained. Rights activists said the students were taken into custody after they hit out publicly at "confession" videos of previously detained members of the Maoist Jasic Workers' Solidarity Group (JWSG) shown to supporters protesting their ouster from the Beida Marxism society earlier this month. Jasic detentions Activists have called for the release of more than 30 former workers at a factory in neighboring Guangdong province and JWSG members, who were supporting them. Dozens more students and recent graduates of China's top universities have been "disappeared" or criminally detained since the nationwide crackdown on the Jasic labor movement made further waves of arrests and detentions in August, September and November, the JWSG reported on its Github page. Among them are Sun Yat-sen University graduate and Jasic movement spokeswoman Shen Mengyu and Peking University #MeToo campaigner Yue Xin. Yue, Shen, Zheng Yongming and Gu Jiayue "confessed" in the videos to trying to "overthrow" the ruling Chinese Communist Party by working with foreign media organizations to spread "false information." Yue also criticized her attempts, inspired by the global #MeToo movement, to force Beida to reveal information about a decades-old rape case that led to a student suicide, saying she had been exploited by "foreign forces." Gu and Zheng are in a form of detention known as "residential surveillance at a designated location," which enables them to be held incommunicado for up to six months with no access to lawyers. Video 'confessions' From 2013-2018, China aired nearly 50 video "confessions," which rights groups say are always made under duress, and likely indicate physical or mental torture. Chen Chuangchuang of the U.S. Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars, who has been following the Jasic crackdown closely, said the students had reacted in anger at being shown the videos. "When they had watched those videos, they uploaded them to the internet and then they gave a string of interviews to the foreign media about them," Chen told RFA. "They said they wouldn't back down." "Shortly after that, those same students were detained," he said. The JSWG said on its Github page that the appearance of two students-Gu Jiayue and Shen Mengyu-in particular gave cause for concern. "The most striking part of these videos are the images of Gu Jiayue and Shen Mengyu, who are pale, with dark circles under their eyes," the group said in a Jan. 17 statement. "Their eyes are dull and their speech unclear." "When they make their confession statement, they sound as if they are reading from a script," it said. "They pause often and blink a lot, as if they can't remember what they were going to say next; as if they had to try hard to remember." It said the police attempt to blame external forces was an attempt to avoid conflict in Chinese society

On 21 January 2019, seven members of Marxism study groups at two top universities were detained amid a nationwide crackdown on Maoist supporters of a labor movement in the southern province of Guangdong.

Authorities in the southwestern Chinese region of Guangxi have raided a legal consultation company started by disbarred human rights lawyers and ordered it closed, RFA has learned. Dozens of police officers on Tuesday raided the China Lawyers' Club set up last September by Tan Yongpei, a former rights attorney stripped of his license by the local justice bureau for taking on too many "sensitive" human rights cases. "There were more than 30 police officers, as well as officials from the civil affairs and justice bureaus, so 40-50 people in total," Tan told RFA. "They told us we couldn't hang up our sign, and that we are an illegal organization of banned lawyers." If the club continued to operate, members were warned that further action would be taken. Police then went around the premises taking photos and left, after which Tan said he rehung the sign. The club had initially lodged an application with the bureau of civil affairs to register as an organization, but was rejected, Tan said. "They are afraid that Chinese lawyers may later form a political opposition, maybe a political party," he said. Tan said he plans to lodge an official complaint with the civil affairs department and to apply once more to have the club's registration approved. He said he believes the order for the ban came from the police department. "Their aim was to frighten and threaten us ... they went around filming and taking photos in every corner," Tan said. "When I wouldn't give them the sign, they ripped it down." "This is an office environment. We have a right to display any sign we want to," he said. China Lawyer's Club A nationwide police operation under the administration of President Xi Jinping has targeted more than 300 lawyers, law firms, and related activists for questioning, detention, imprisonment, debarring and travel bans since it launched in July 2015. The China Lawyers' Club was set up in Guangxi's regional capital, Nanning, by a group of former rights attorneys who lost their "business license" at the hands of local justice departments, and may no longer represent clients in court. Formally established on Sept. 29, 2018, the club's aim is to find employment and income for dozens of experienced litigators who no longer have an income in the wake of the crackdown. The club is a legal services company, and signs lawyers in a manner similar to the way sports teams sign big stars. Under current regulations, Chinese lawyers need a business license to represent clients, but not to offer legal consultancy on petitions and complaints. Club executive secretary Chen Keyun agreed that the organization appears to have become a political target of the government. "They have already designated it a an illegal organization, so if we continue our public activities under the club's name ... their next step may be ... arresting people," Chen said. An official who answered the phone at the civil affairs bureau of Nanning's Xixiangtang district government declined to comment when contacted by RFA on Wednesday. "Sorry, we haven't heard about this," the official said. Oath required China last month further stepped up pressure on its embattled legal profession, requiring more than 100,000 lawyers to take a new national oath to "root out instability," particularly in ethnic minority areas of the country. Justice minister Fu Zhenghua attended a collective lawyers' oath-taking ceremony in Hohhot, the regional capital of Inner Mongolia, on Sunday, the same day as more than 100,000 lawyers took the same oath in hundreds of Chinese cities, the ministry of justice said at the time. The lawyers swore allegiance to the People's Republic of China, and to "strive to build a socialist country ruled by law," it said. The oath ceremonies were aimed at "strengthening lawyers' ideological and political education," the ministry said. But under newly revised rules on oath-taking, lawyers who failed to take the oath could face professional sanctions.

On 15 January 2019 China Lawyers' Club set up last September by Tan Yongpei, a former rights attorney stripped of his license by the local justice bureau for taking on too many "sensitive" human rights cases, had their legal consultation office raided

Chinese dissident Zhang Jilin (???) has been detained by police in the city of Chongqing after publicly saying that President Xi Jinping should be removed from office. According to Taiwan-based Apple Daily, on January 17 Zhang talked about China's current affairs on a WeChat group. His ideas received praise from the group members, and he later told friends that he wanted to give a public speech based on the thoughts he had expressed online. Other dissidents urged him to be careful, but he insisted that he had "the right to free speech." On January 19 Zhang went to Guanyinqiao Square, in the city of Chongqing, and delivered a speech about China's political situation, calling on Xi Jinping to be removed from office. "I think it's time for Xi Jinping to be removed from office," Zhang told a crowd according to an audio recording. "The Chinese Communist Party will not do anything to the people. If you don't believe me, look, I have been giving a speech on this square all day, and more and more people have gathered. I dare to speak out, will you not dare to listen? Therefore, I believe that Guanyinqiao is the bridgehead from which we will pursue and realize democracy and constitutional government." However, 10 policemen subsequently arrested and handcuffed him. He was taken away in a car and a notification was sent to his family on Saturday. Zhang has a wife and an 8-year-old child. Local dissidents and netizens have urged the authorities to release Zhang Jilin.

On 17 January 2019, Zhang Jilin, Chinese dissident was detained by police in the city of Chongqing after publicly criticising President Xi Jinping and saying he should be removed from office.

An outspoken Australian writer and political commentator who formerly held Chinese nationality is under "coercive measures" in Beijing on suspicion of "endangering national security," China's foreign ministry confirmed on Thursday. Yang Hengjun, whose name at birth was Yang Jun, was detained on arrival at Guangzhou Airport on Jan. 19, then taken to Beijing by officers of the state security police, according to friends and eyewitnesses. Dr Yang, whose legal name is Yang Jun, was a former employee at China's ministries of foreign affairs and state security before migrating to Australia where he reportedly obtained his citizenship in 2002. The 53-year-old had been living with his family in New York, where he has been a visiting scholar at Columbia University since 2017, before his arrest at Guangzhou airport in southern China earlier this month. In addition to Dr Yang's recent academic role, he has worn many hats over the years: an author of spy novels, a prominent blogger, an outspoken political commentator as well as a democracy advocate. "According to our understanding, the Australian national Yang Jun is suspected of engaging in criminal activities endangering China's national security, was recently placed under coercive measures and is being investigated by the Beijing municipal state security bureau," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing in Beijing. "Coercive measures" generally refers to detention in a location other than a police-run detention center, possibly a guesthouse or other property where the detainee is held incommunicado. "At present, the case is being handled according to law, and Yang Hengjun's legitimate rights and interests have been fully guaranteed," she said. Chinese law allows police to detain those suspected of vaguely worded "national security" crimes and hold them under residential surveillance at a secret location for up to six months, with no access to lawyers or family visits. Yang's lawyer Mo Shaoping confirmed that his client is being held under "residential surveillance at a designated location." "We don't know the exact charges yet, but Yang Hengjun is suspected of espionage," Mo said. "But even we, his lawyers, don't have the details." "We haven't seen any of the evidence in the state security bureau's case files," he said. "Our next step will be to get in contact with the Beijing municipal state security bureau and go through the necessary procedures as his lawyers, and to request a meeting with him." Yang's detention comes amid growing international tension over the detention in Canada of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of China's flagship telecommunications firm Huawei. Thirteen Canadians were detained in China after the ruling Chinese Communist Party vowed to retaliate for the arrest of Meng, who is wanted for questioning by investigators in the U.S. over alleged bank fraud linked to the breach of sanctions against Iran. 'The actions of terrorists and bandits' While at least eight have since been released, a court in the northeastern Chinese province of Liaoning handed down the death penalty to Canadian Robert Schellenberg after a review of his 15-year drug-smuggling sentence in the wake of Meng's arrest. Both the U.S. and Canada have now upgraded cautionary advice to any of their citizens traveling to China, amid growing calls for the release of former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and consultant Michael Spavor, who are also being detained on suspicion of "endangering state security." Australian Defence Minister Christopher Pyne, who arrived in Beijing on a long-planned trip on Thursday, said Australia wasn't notified of Yang's detention until four days later, past the three-day legal requirement for such notifications. "He's being held in residential surveillance," Pyne told reporters, adding that he would bring up the issue in talks with Chinese officials. Yang's friend and Sydney-based university lecturer Feng Chongyi said Yang's wife and stepdaughter are still with relatives in Shanghai, where they have been warned not to speak to the press about the situation. Feng said he doesn't believe the police have any real evidence to substantiate the charges of endangering state security, and that his detention is likely the result of Australia's recent expression of "concern" for Kovrig and Spavor. Feng said it was important not to waver when confronting Beijing with the recent string of detentions, which he linked to Meng's arrest. "You can't show any weakness, nor can you make any concessions or back down," Feng said. "All democratic countries should join hands and protect their red lines[and let China know that] they can't ignore international law and the most basic humanitarian requirements and just go around randomly detaining people." "These are the actions of terrorists and bandits," he said.

On 19 January 2019, Yang Hengjun, an outspoken Australian writer, democracy advocate and political commentator, was put under "coercive measures" in Beijing on suspicion of "endangering national security."

International rights groups, lawyers' associations and democratic parties have hit out at China's jailing of human rights attorney Wang Quanzhang, calling for his immediate acquittal and release. Wang was handed a four-and-a-half year jail term on Monday by the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court, which found him guilty of "subversion of state power." The verdict and sentence followed repeated delays resulting in Wang being held in pretrial detention of more than three years, with no access to a lawyer or family visits. "We strongly condemn the conviction and sentence on lawyer Wang Quanzhang by the Court," the Hong Kong-based Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group (CHRLCG) said in a statement co-signed by 30 organizations around the world, including the Geneva Bar Association and The Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales. "Since he was taken away by the police on Aug. 3, 2015, he has been denied the access to his family and family-appointed defense lawyers," the statement, which was also signed by Hong Kong democratic politicians and parties, including the Civic Party, Democratic Party and Demosisto, said. Dozens of activists marched to the ruling Chinese Communist Party's liaison office in Hong Kong on Tuesday to protest against Wang's jailing, chanting "There is no crime in defending our rights!" Rights attorney and campaigner Albert Ho said Hong Kong activists would continue to campaign for Wang's release. "None of these lawyers detained since July 2015, or the other people who have been locked up for something they said or expressed in a peaceful manner, should have to spend a single day in prison," Ho said. "We have a responsibility to speak out on behalf of these oppressed people." Concerns about mistreatment of Wang The CHRLCG statement said there are concerns that Wang may have been subjected to torture or other mistreatment in detention. "He has been detained incommunicado, during which he was reportedly tortured and suffered ill-treatment," it said. "We express grave concern over lawyer Wang's personal safety and health condition." During that time, the authorities failed to provide a proper account of Wang's prolonged detention to the public, including Wang's family and family-appointed defense lawyers, the statement said. The trial was held on Dec. 26 behind closed doors, with officials claiming that state secrets were involved in the case. "We maintain that the Chinese government, having imposed a prolonged incommunicado detention on lawyer Wang, has seriously infringed human rights, domestic law and international treaties ... including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights," the statement said. The statement said the claim that state secrets were involved was likely an abuse of national security provisions enabling closed trials, citing the "Johannesburg Principles" as saying that potential harm done by an open trial should threaten the existence or territorial integrity of a country before it a closed trial can be justified. The statement also hit out at the unilateral appointment by the authorities of Liu Weiguo as Wang's defense lawyer, disregarding Wang's right to hire lawyers chosen by him or his family. The overseas-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) network also hit out at Wang's jailing. "The case against Wang is centred on his legitimate activities in exercising his human rights and defending his clients' legal rights," the group said. "Authorities subjected Wang to months of enforced disappearance ... reportedly tortured him with electric shocks during interrogations, and denied him all access to lawyers of his own choice and cut off all communication with his family." It called on the governments, the E.U., the U.N., bar associations, law firms doing business in China, and law schools with exchange programs with Chinese universities to express serious concerns about the grave injustice involved in the imprisonment of Wang Quanzhang and other human rights lawyers.

On 28 January 2019, Wang Quanzhang,human rights attorney, was handed a four-and-a-half year jail term on Monday by the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court, which found him guilty of "subversion of state power."

Authorities in the central Chinese province of Hubei have tried a prominent blogger for insulting the country's president and late supreme leader Mao Zedong, RFA has learned. Former bank employee and blogger Liu Yanli, 44, stood trial at the Dongbao District People's Court in Hubei's Jingmen city on Thursday, on charges of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," her sister said. A member of the Independent Chinese PEN Center, Liu was initially detained in September 2016 for sending out around a dozen tweets on the popular WeChat social media platform relating to late supreme leader Mao Zedong, late former premier Zhou Enlai and current President Xi Jinping. The prosecution based its case on those tweets, which they said defamed the leaders concerned. "They said what she wrote was anti-communist and off-message with regard to Mao and Zhou ... as well as Xi Jinping," Liu's sister said. "[The posts] were on hot topics such as Xi Jinping's policies, as well as the tainted vaccines scandal." "They said that her posts on QQ, Sina Weibo and WeChat reached more than 10,000 people, because she had more than 160 people in the group chat, as well as more than 1,000 followers," she said. "They said she caused serious damage to public order." "They read out a long list of group chat members who had seen[her posts] and those who had liked them," Liu's sister said. Liu's blog was often critical of the Chinese government and of local-level authorities and police, according to PEN America. The group said Liu had been harassed by the authorities since 2009, who had summoned her for police questioning and confiscated her computer. Liu's sister, who attended the trial, said the prosecution had pressed for a jail term of 3-4 years. "This has been going on for more than two years now," she said. "If they find her guilty, there could be two outcomes. The first could be that she doesn't get any punishment, and the second would be that they sentence her to the same amount as time already served." A source close to the case said Liu was initially released on bail following her 2016 detention, under residential surveillance at her home. But she broke some of her bail restrictions by contacting "the outside world," and the police rearrested her, initially charging her with "defamation." The charge was later amended to "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," the source said. "It was confusing, how they changed the charges against her," the source said. "One minute it was one thing, and the next they had changed the charge." "There was no explanation or evidence[to support this]," the source said. "There were huge problems with the legal process in this case." China's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), passed a law last year criminalizing anyone deemed to have smeared the "reputation and honor" of the ruling party's canon of heroes and martyrs. The law, which came into effect on May 1, 2018 aims to "protect the reputation and honor of heroes and martyrs." It bans "insults or slander" of heroes and martyrs, as well as any damage to memorials of revolutionary martyrs or heroic deeds. The government's move is part of a much broader range of measures being rolled out under President Xi Jinping, which some analysts say hark back to the ideological controls of the Mao-era Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Earlier this month, a court in the Chinese capital sentenced citizen journalist Ding Lingjie and two petitioners to jail for making a video 'mocking' President Xi Jinping during a holiday season crackdown on dissent. Ding was tried alongside petitioners Li Xuehui and Wang Fengxian by the Shijingshan District People's Court in Beijing on Dec. 28. All three were handed 20-month jail terms after being found guilty of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble." The case against the three hinged on a video clip shot by Li that the authorities said had "insulted a national leader" by mocking Xi.

On 31 January 2019, Liu Yanli, prominent blogger, stood out on charges of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble".

At least five Chinese activists have been arrested by police for allegedly "disturbing public order" in what appears to be a coordinated crackdown on labour activism. Wu Guijun, Zhang Zhiru, He Yuancheng, Jian Hui and Song Jiahui were all arrested on Sunday evening. Jian was arrested in Changsha, Hunan province, while the four other activists were detained in Guangdong. Another activist, Lin Dong, is believed to have been picked up by police in Nanning, Guangxi, and subsequently released. Lin left for Vietnam on Monday, according to social media posts. He could not be contacted on Tuesday. Red Balloon Solidarity, a labour rights monitor in Hong Kong, said in a statement on Tuesday that Wu's family had received a letter from the police notifying them of his arrest. China Labour Bulletin (CLB), another workers' rights group in Hong Kong, said Zhang, Wu and He had all been charged with "disturbing public order" but the circumstances of Jian and Song's arrests were not known. Xiao Hongxia, Zhang's former wife who lives in Shenzhen, said police had visited her on Sunday night, returning to her care their eight-year-old son, who had been with his father when he was arrested. "Once we receive the official notification from the police, then we will think about hiring a lawyer, and try to see him," Xiao said. "We want to see him first and understand what he thinks. "They also said how long the investigation would take will depend on its results," she added. Human Rights Watch calls on China to free detained labour activists Activists who monitor labour movements in China said the authorities had tightened controls on non-government bodies since President Xi Jinping came to power six years ago. Geoffrey Crothall, communications director of CLB, suggested the latest arrests could be related to a labour dispute, and the subsequent campaign around it, at a welding factory in Shenzhen last year. A unionisation campaign at the Jasic Technology factory in Shenzhen led to the arrest of about 30 workers and supporters on July 27, and many are still in detention. The crackdown has drawn widespread attention and support among activists in China, while some university students have called for the right to unionise. Crothall said the Jasic case had brought attention to labour tensions in Shenzhen, China's prosperous technology hub, and support for the workers had made the authorities uneasy. "Clearly the authorities in Shenzhen are getting very nervous, and reacting the only way they know how, which is cracking down on the people who are actually trying to help the workers," Crothall said. Fears for young Marxist activist missing after police raid in China Wu was tried three times and detained for 13 months on charges of "gathering a crowd and disturbing the order of public transportation" after taking part in a demonstration of hundreds of workers at a furniture factory in Shenzhen in 2013, though the charges were eventually dropped by prosecutors. Crothall said Wu was "completely fearless", adding that the police were "grasping at straws" by targeting activists who were no stranger to police pressure. Zhang and Lin worked together at the Chunfeng Labour Dispute Service Centre, a Shenzhen-based workers' rights NGO, where Zhang is director. Both were detained for advising workers in the 2014 Yue Yuen strike - one of the largest in recent years - in the industrial hub of Dongguan. Zhang was detained for two days while Lin was held for 30 days. Sunday's coordinated targeting of labour activists was the latest of its kind since a crackdown in December 2015, when at least 25 NGO workers and activists around the country were detained and questioned by police in an apparent bid to break up the groups. Three leading activists - Zeng Feiyang, Zhu Xiaomei and Meng Han - were later charged with "disturbing public order". Zeng and Zhu were given suspended prison sentences after pleading guilty to the charges, while Meng served a 21-month jail term.

On 20 January 2019, at least five Chinese activists have been arrested by police for allegedly "disturbing public order" in what appears to be a coordinated crackdown on labour activism.

Liu Feiyue, founder of online rights monitor msguancha.com, has been sentenced to five years in prison and asset seizure for inciting subversion, AFP reports. Liu, who was detained in November 2016 and tried last August, is one of several citizen journalists to have been prosecuted in recent years. Liu Feiyue created and ran the Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch website, which covers a range of rights issues including protests, police abuses and government corruption - sensitive topics that are scrubbed from most Chinese media sites. Rights groups have been quick to condemn the sentencing. Human Rights Watch challenged the very basis of the case against Liu, noted several issues with the way it had been pursued, and highlighted the related prosecutions of Lu Yuyu, Zhen Jianghua, and Huang Qi, who stood trial last week.? "Prosecuting the editor of a human rights website shows just how frightened the Chinese government is about independent reporting on abuses from inside China," said Yaqiu Wang, China researcher. "Sending Liu Feiyue to prison for five years is a travesty of justice meant to scare off others who might follow in his footsteps." Similarly, from the Committee to Protect Journalists: "The harsh sentencing of Liu Feiyue illustrates how frightened and desperate Chinese leaders are to prevent the truth about their horrible record on human rights from being revealed," said Steven Butler, Asia program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists. "Liu Feiyue should be lauded for performing an important service in defense of the Chinese people, not locked away in prison." is mother Ding Qihua, who had never spoken to the media before her son's sentence, said she was promised by court officials and police ahead of the sentencing that he would get a suspended sentence resulting in his release if she and Liu's father agreed to undergo "ideological work." "The court wanted us to do some ideological work," Ding said, referring to a process through which those affected by a government decision come around to the authorities' way of seeing it. "They didn't want us talking to the media." "They said that once we'd done it, they would give him a suspended sentence," she said. But despite the fact that the elderly couple agreed to do as they were told, Liu was still handed a five-year jail term, Ding told RFA. "The court isn't to be trusted. They didn't keep their promise," Ding said. "They wanted us, his family, to go along with what they said, but they still handed him a heavy sentence." "I am extremely angry about this. We are very angry," she said.

On 29 January 2018, Liu Feiyue, founder of online rights monitor msguancha.com, has been sentenced to five years in prison and asset seizure for inciting subversion,

Authorities in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan on Monday put on trial veteran rights activist Huang Qi on state secrets charges, while detaining dozens of his supporters who tried to travel to the court buildings in Mianyang city. Huang, 56, stood trial beginning at 8.30 a.m. on charges of "leaking state secrets," and "leaking state secrets overseas" at the Mianyang Intermediate People's Court behind closed doors, amid a strong police presence outside the building. He was recently identified by Paris-based press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) as one of 10 citizen journalists in danger of dying in detention. One of Huang's former defense attorneys, Liu Zhengqing, said he wasn't informed of the trial beforehand, with the authorities saying that its content involved matters of "national security." Liu was warned off further involvement in Huang's case, lost his license to practice as a lawyer, and forced to sign a declaration to that effect, he said. "It's not convenient for me to talk right now; I'm not able to give interviews," he said. "I wasn't able to appear in court, and I wasn't informed of the trial by the court." Huang, who founded the Tianwang rights website, has repeatedly denied the charges and refused to "confess." His mother Pu Wenqing, who has repeatedly called for Huang's release on urgent medical grounds, and who says the charges are politically motivated, with no evidence to back them up, has been incommunicado since her detention on Dec. 7 at a railway station in Beijing, where she had gone to campaign for his release. Li Jinglin, another member of Huang's defense team, implied that the trial had only lasted a few hours. "Even[the time that the trial ended] is secret," Li told RFA. "I have now[left the court]," he said when contacted on Monday afternoon. Foreign diplomats from several nations arrived in Mianyang on Sunday in the hope of attending the trial, but weren't admitted, while local government, police and judicial websites and social media accounts made no mention of the trial. Forced vacations for supporters He Jiawei, a rights activist from the central province of Hunan, was detained by more than 10 state security police on arrival at Mianyang airport on Sunday, who threw a hood over his head and put him on a train to the northern city of Xi'an, fellow activist Ou Biaofeng said via his Twitter account. Huang's fellow activists Liang Kaixuan, Wei Wenyuan, Chen Mingyu, Hu Guiqin, Tianwang technician Pu Fei and Chengdu writer Tan Zuoren were all taken on enforced "vacations" to out-of-town tourist locations ahead of the trial. All detained activists were released by 5.00 p.m. on Monday. Rights attorney Sui Muqing, who formerly also represented Huang, said the activist is innocent. "Huang Qi is totally innocent, and has been framed," Sui said. "This is purely a case of political persecution, and his future looks pretty bleak now that they have brought these charges." Sichuan rights defender and petitioner Xie Junbiao said that more than a dozen fellow petitioners had been placed under house arrest ahead of the trial. "About 15 or 16 people went to the trial at the Mianyang Intermediate People's Court, but they were all stopped," Xie said. "Their local police stations are now bringing them back home." "I had a friend of mine go over to take a look at the court buildings, and they said that the whole area has been sealed off by riot police," she said. "They won't let anyone in." "All the apartments nearby had their windows shut, and they weren't allowed to drying their washing," Xie said. Huang's Tianwang website had a strong track record for highlighting petitions and complaints against official wrongdoing, and injustices meted out to the most vulnerable in society, including forced evictees, parents of children who died in the devastating 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and other peaceful critics of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Elderly mother dragged away A second petitioner, who asked to remain anonymous, said she was placed under house arrest by her local police on Friday. "I am now under surveillance and guard by[police] here," she said. U.S.-based rights activist and legal scholar Chen Guangcheng said the ruling Chinese Communist Party seems determined to cause Huang's death. "It's very clear that they are trying to kill him, using repeated jail sentences and detentions in the past few years to bludgeon him to death," Chen told RFA. He called on U.S. officials to bring sanctions against the officials and police involved in Huang's case, under the Global Magnitsky Act. "We stand entirely ready to supply evidence to the U.S. State Department and call on them to punish the perpetrators, whether they gave the orders or implemented them, under the Global Magnitsky Act," Chen said. Huang's mother Pu Wenqing, who is in her eighties, was stopped by "interceptors" from Sichuan during a trip to Beijing, where she was thrown to the ground and dragged away, the rights website Weiquanwang reported at the time. Video footage of her detention showed Pu lying on the ground shouting: "They're beating me! They're beating me!" as the person shooting the video comments: "Huang's mother has been pushed to the ground by interceptors." Huang, founder of the Tianwang rights website, which won an RSF prize in 2016, was arrested on Nov. 28 of that year and is being held at the Mianyang Detention Center. Fourteen rights groups called for Huang's immediate release on urgent medical grounds ahead of a United Nations review of China's rights record last year, warning that his condition is so serious that there is an immediate threat to his life.

On 14 January 2018, Huang Qi, rights activist, was put under a secret trial. His lawyer was not informed of this trial and lost his license to practice as a lawyer, and forced to sign a declaration to that effect. Various activist who protested for his released were arbitrarily detained and intimidated by state authorities

Two activists were taken away Wednesday after protesting outside the tightly guarded courthouse in northern China where the trial of a prominent human rights lawyer is set to take place, witnesses saw. Wang Quanzhang, 42, who defended political activists and victims of land seizures, disappeared in a 2015 sweep - known as the "709" crackdown - aimed at courtroom critics of Communist authorities. Charged in January 2016 with alleged "subversion of state power", Wang had been in legal limbo - detained without a trial date - until Monday, when his government-appointed lawyer finally contacted his wife with the court date. Just before 10.00am (0200 GMT), AFP journalists witnessed a man getting arrested after he protested outside the court in Tianjin, where Wang's trial is believed to be underway. "A refined scholar has been detained by you lot this way that even members of the public can't see him," shouted Yang Chunlin, a rights activist from Heilongjiang. "This is fascist rule, it's absurd. The Chinese people need to stop living in fear, we need to stand up to oppression and be brave." Shortly after, several plainclothes officers set on Yang and bundled him into a waiting black SUV. Another man holding up a sign that said "release (the) innocent Wang Quanzhang" was taken away by local authorities about 8.15am, a witness told AFP. Amnesty International researcher Patrick Poon identified the man as Zhang Zhecheng, a rights activist from Jiangxi in central China. Anti-China forces Wang is charged with being influenced by "infiltrating anti-China forces", of being trained by a foreign group and accepting their funding, and of having subversive thoughts as a result. The documents seen by AFP say he worked with Peter Dahlin, a Swedish human rights activist whose group offered training to lawyers who have tried to use the tightly controlled Chinese judiciary to redress apparent government abuses. Dahlin was deported in 2016 after a 23-day detention. Wang is also accused of hyping up and distorting facts in cases he worked on, including a "cult" he was defending. The Tianjin court was under virtual lockdown, cordoned off by white metal barricades while media, diplomats and other observers were kept even further away from the building, separated by a busy four-lane road. An AFP journalist at the scene counted at least 50 security personnel, both uniformed and plainclothes, who told journalists that the trial was not open to the public. Wang's wife and a supporter were also stopped from attending the trial. In an account posted on Twitter early Wednesday morning, Wang Qiaoling detailed how she and Wang Quanzhang's wife, Li Wenzu, were barred from leaving a Beijing housing compound by groups of police officers for over an hour. Li was placed under de facto house arrest on Tuesday with "more than 20" security personnel outside her apartment. Questionable timing In Hong Kong, about 50 people marched to China's liaison office on Wednesday, demanding the release of Wang and others detained during the 709 crackdown. Doriane Lau, China researcher at Amnesty International, earlier this week raised questions about the timing of the trial. "We think this is deliberate because obviously a big part of the world will be having a holiday and will not be able to respond." On Christmas Day 2009, Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, a Nobel laureate who died of terminal liver cancer last year while under police custody, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for subversion. And last year, Chinese activist Wu Gan, who refused to plead guilty to charges of "subverting state power", was sentenced to eight years in prison the day after Christmas.

On 26 December 2018, two activists were taken away Wednesday after protesting outside the tightly guarded courthouse in northern China where the trial of a prominent human rights lawyer is set to take place, witnesses saw.

Authorities in the southwestern Chinese region of Guangxi have charged a former student leader in the 1989 pro-democracy movement with subversion, RFA has learned. Zhou Yongjun was initially detained last August in Guangxi's Dongxing city, near the border with Vietnam. He has now been formally indicted for "incitement to subvert state power," and his case has been sent to state prosecutors in Fangchenggang city. Zhou is scheduled to meet with a lawyer on Monday. Hunan-based rights lawyer Xie Yang told RFA he would be willing to represent him if instructed by Zhou's family. "I myself have been arrested for incitement to subvert state power, and I would be very happy to help them, if that is a possibility," Xie said. Tan Yongpei, a former rights attorney stripped of his license by the local justice bureau for taking on too many "sensitive" human rights cases, said the "subversion" charge is a catch-all crime. "It's a catch-all crime that can be used to fit anything," Tan said, adding that Zhou has served a number of prison sentences ever since his initial involvement with the pro-democracy movement on Tiananmen Square. "He only just got out[from the last one] in 2015, and five years have to elapse for him not to be considered a re-offender," Tan said. "He could get five years on this charge, but he could also get 10." Zhou was a prominent figure on Tiananmen Square in 1989, and was photographed by international media kneeling on the steps of the Great Hall of the People in a plea for China's communist leaders to heed student calls for political reforms. He was arrested and jailed for two years in the subsequent crackdown on student protesters in June 1989, losing his university place and his Beijing "hukou," or residence permit. Zhou fled to Hong Kong and then traveled to the United States in 1993, living in New York City and Los Angeles. He was detained again in 2009 for using a false passport to visit his ageing relatives after the Chinese consulate refused to renew his passport and imprisoned on a fraud charge. His lawyers said Zhou was tortured in detention and denied family visits. Zhou had also tried to visit China once before in December 1998 but was arrested in Shenzhen and spent more than two years in a labor camp.