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I received the news of the releases of three prisoners of conscience from Amnesty International. If you ever wonder about who is the woman in the header image of this blog, that’s Mao Hengfeng.
Mao Hengfeng was released on November 29, 2008 after two-and-a-half years in prison. She is in very poor health as a result of frequent torture; she now suffers from hearing loss, high blood pressure and chronic stomach pains, among other ailments. Mao was ill-treated right up to the day of her release and has suffered mentally as well as physically. She has considered suicide, but was encouraged by messages of international support, including those from Amnesty International members. Mao is currently resting and receiving medical treatment. She is still considered to be at high risk of detention, and AI will continue to monitor her situation.
Ye Guozhu was released on October 15, 2008. His brother, Ye Guoqiang, said that Ye Guozhu was forced to sign an agreement accepting compensation for his eviction. Ye was threatened with new charges and continued detention if he did not sign, and was pressured into stating that he did not require a lawyer during his time in custody. During his four years in prison, Ye Guozhu’s health has deteriorated. He was forbidden from seeing his elderly mother and father, and his mother died while he was in custody. Ye has been exhausted by his ordeal and is currently resting and receiving medical treatment.
Bu Dongwei, also known as David Bu, was released from the Tuanhe “re-education through labor” (RTL) facility in mid-July, approximately 4 months before the end of his term. Bu Dongwei was serving a two-and-a-half year sentence in connection with his activities as a member of the Falun Gong movement, which is banned in China. Bu has now left China and rejoined his wife in the LA area.
At a press conference yesterday, the director of the Beijing Olympics organizing committee announced there will be parks designated for demonstrations in response to a reporter’s question. But it is not a free for all. Anyone who wants to protest has to apply for permission. I am curious to know who would dare to apply to protest.
Almost four years ago, housing rights activist Ye Guozhu applied for permission to protest against forced eviction to make way for the Olympics. What happened to him next? He was detained, charged and sentenced to 4 years in prison. He is due to be released in less than a week. But the police plugged him out of prison, told his family not to go to prison to pick him up, and relocated him to an unknown location. They said he is being kept out of sight to keep his family out of trouble during the Olympics and he won’t go home until after October 1.
Would others get the same experience if they apply to demonstrate during the Olympics? I am thinking if they don’t get arrested during the Games, the police would catch up with them when the festivities are over. Besides, the official was not completely open about the protest parks. The names of the parks were blurted out at the press conference and they were not included in the official transcript. The foreign journalists caught the names as much as they could for their reporting. As for the press in China, a quick search yielded a detailed English reporting in the online version of the Shanghai Daily. I wonder if there is any similar reports appearing in Chinese online, in a newspaper or on TV/radio so that ordinary citizens in China would hear about it.
About 2 months ago, AI released an Urgent Action for Ye Guoqiang and Ye Mingjun, the brother and son of imprisoned housing rights activist Ye Guozhu. Since then, AI learned that Ye Mingjun was released after a month in detention but he is still under surveillance. Ye Guoqiang remained in detention at an undisclosed location. AI is concerned for the safety of both men. The original Urgent Action was updated calling for further action.
Related news and links:
- Amnesty International: Urgent Action – China: Fear of torture or ill-treatment/ fear of unfair trial
- Guardian: Amnesty asks China to free anti-Olympic activists
The second Urgent Action released by AI last week involved the family members of Ye Guozhu who was sentenced to a four-year prison term in December 2004 after he applied for official permission to hold a public demonstration against forced evictions in Beijing. In 2003, the Beijing authorities demolished a restaurant owned by Ye Guozhu and his brother Ye Guoqiang, and their homes, to allow for construction related to the 2008 Olympic Games. The family received no compensation.
Ye Guoqiang protested on September 29th with a home-made placard against forced evictions to clear space for construction for the 2008 Olympics. He was taken away by police to an unknown location. The police also searched his home and confiscated documents and two computers. On the same day, Ye Guozhu’s son Ye Mingjun was taken from his home by police along with his cousin who was later released. Ye Mingjun and Ye Guoqiang are now both detained on suspicion of “inciting subversion”.
Related news and links:
- Amnesty International: Urgent Action – China: Fear of torture ill-treatment/fear of unfair trial (AIUSA version in PDF)
- Reuters: China mistreating detained dissidents
