HRIC Action Bulletin: Activist Hu Jia Arrested

Human Rights in China (HRIC) website has a very good post regarding Hu Jia and Jinyan with a little information on what’s happened to them, key facts and a easily readable chronology. It also includes press work, appeals and other useful information. It’s worth checking the bulletin occasionally. I will add it to the links page for future reference.

China mounts dissident assault before Games

From the Telegraph

China has been accused of committing new human rights abuses ahead of this August’s Beijing Olympics, while spending vast amounts on hi-tech surveillance and security systems.

The crackdown is making a mockery of China’s promise to the International Olympic Committee in 2001 that it would improve its dismal human rights record and allow greater media freedom if it were allowed to host the Games. [continues...]

Amnesty International Concerned…

China: Piling on the pressure

8 February 2008

Amnesty International is gravely concerned that the Chinese authorities are putting pressure on human rights activist Hu Jia to plead guilty to crimes against national security.

This comes on the eve of the six month countdown to the Beijing Olympics on 8 August 2008 and is the latest attempt by the authorities to silence domestic activists’ public criticism of China’s human rights record.

“The potential for a positive human rights legacy for the Beijing Olympics is swiftly being eroded by the Chinese authorities repression of dissenting voices, including the targeting of activists’ families and associates. This goes against the spirit of the Olympic Charter, which places the preservation of human dignity at the heart of the Olympic movement,” said Catherine Baber, Director of Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific programme.

After months under house arrest, Hu Jia was detained on 27 December 2007. He was formally charged with “inciting subversion” on 28 January 2008. There are fears that he may not be receiving his prescription medication for liver disease resulting from Hepatitis B infection.

Furthermore Hu Jia’s wife, Zeng Jinyan, is still under house arrest with their newborn baby. She is not permitted to leave their home, and her telephone line and internet connection have been cut.

Zheng Mingfan and netizen support Hu Jia

Human rights defender,the petitioner Zheng Mingfang, who is from Tianjin, is almost blinded due to brutal beaten by the authority. In January she started to support Hu Jia using all kinds of methods, including introducing Hu Jia’s endeavors to people in the street. Up to now she has collected hundreds of signatures to call for the release Hu Jia, even from one communist cadre who wanted to grant 100RMB to her and said, he is very sorry and didn’t know these political prisoners were in such a difficult situation; “This government is so dark and always uses hoodlum approaches. I’m very angry and want to stand with you.”

Zheng Mingfang is also one who has accepted the help from Hu Jua. Several months ago, Hu Jia drove to Tianjin and sent a lot milk and instant noodles to her and her husband; they spent two days without rice to cook.Hu Jia actually was placed under house in that time and broke through the blockade but was followed by two cars with policemen all the time. Zheng Mingfang condemned the current authority and wrote a public letter To Hu Jia in Prison on internet, this letter declaimed that she will stand with him and use her life to protect human rights.

At the same time, many netizens called for and support this couple although they haven’t seen them, using indirect or brunt words to condemn the persecution.

One active netizen (it is inconvenient to publish his name) said he had been interviewed by the security policeman recently. He had called for the Beijing government to release Hu Jia immediately in his blog, and attached this couple’s picture and wrote: Chinese citizen are welcoming Olympic with handcuffs under the post.

This blogger said, at beginning he was curious about why this couple’s information was blocked by the authority. Through proxy he found out the truth and started to support this couple, not only from a humaine perspective, but also because he realized that in this country, without just human rights, the same thing will happen on him on some day: “Many people didn’t know this couple initially, but after saw the video “Prisoners in Freedom City”were moved. Young people are curious and want to know the truth. This couple are honesty, upright citizens with love and consciousness, they are mistreated and intruded one by the government use of public rights, wrongly charged, if you don’t take any action, tomorrow, you, as honesty, upright citizen with love and consciousness also will be treated like this couple by the authority.” I built the blog to spread this information and later these words were deleted artificially.

Right now the current authority has banned any information of Hu Jia and Zeng Jinyan, while the voice of support has surpassed the Chinese group on internet. There are more than 25000 clicks on their video “Prisoners in Freedom City”on youtube, and more than two hundred people entered the facebook website page which also supports Hu Jia.

Please see The public letter to Hu Jia in prison from Zheng Mingfang, and pictures of Zheng Mingfang and signatures.

 

See a copy of the translated version “here“

Beijing is listening to our silence

Article from the National Post (Canada) of the 18 01 2008

“The fact that Time magazine named Zeng Jinyan, right, one of the world’s 100 most influential people did not help her much on Dec. 27, when 30 Chinese agents arrested her husband, prominent rights activist Hu Jia.

Security agents showed up at the couple’s Beijing apartment with a warrant for “subversion against the state,” a catch-all phrase used to lock up pretty much anyone who says something the Communist Party does not like. Despite liver problems and a two-month-old daughter, Hu now potentially faces years in prison.” [continues...]

Reporters Without Borders Protest Hu Jia’s Arrest in China

From Clear harmony

An “insult to the diplomatic efforts made by the numerous countries appealing for the release of Hu Jia”

The Procuratorate of Beijing Municipality announced the official arrest of famous Chinese human rights activist Hu Jia for the crime of “inciting subversion of state power”. Hu’s relatives received notice of his official arrest on the 30th of January 2008.

he headquarters of Reporters without Borders, based in Paris, made a strong protest against the arrest of Hu Jia by the Chinese Communist Authority regardless of the appeals of the international community. Reporters without Borders expressed in a news bulletin issued on the 31st of January, “It is an insult to the diplomatic efforts made by the numerous countries calling for the release of Hu Jia.” [continues...]

The Olympics and Dissent: Taping Over the Cracks

An article of the 30th Jan from TIME China blog. A little late I know but still…!

This is a picture of China’s youngest political prisoner, as she has been dubbed evocatively, Hu Qianci, daughter of activists Hu Jia and Zeng Jinyan, about whom we have written often. It’s from Zeng’s blog (here, though as ever those inside China have to watch out for GFW), which she is still managing to update despite being held under house arrest, something that sounds fairly benign but probably means she has up to six police living in her apartment with her. [continues...]

China Frees Journalist Ahead of Lunar New Year, Jails Activist

From Radio Free Asia - 06 02 2008

“HONG KONG-Chinese authorities have freed a Hong Kong-based journalist jailed for almost three years on spying charges in time for the Lunar New Year celebrations, but also sentenced a pro-democracy activist to prison.

Ching Cheong, formerly chief China correspondent for Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper, was handed a five-year jail term by a Guangdong court in August 2006 for spying for Taiwan. He had been held previously for some 16 months and has recently been described as suffering from poor health.

A court in the southern Chinese city of Hangzhou meanwhile sentenced Lu Gengsong, a democracy activist, to four years’ imprisonment for “inciting subversion of state power.”

Authorities have also approved the arrest on subversion charges of the AIDS activist Hu Jia, now detained for more than a month, and again barred supporters from visiting his wife and infant daughter, who are welcoming the Lunar Year of the Rat under house arrest at their Beijing home.” [continues...]

Facebook

For all you facebook users, the following add-on has been brought to our attention. In the “Causes” application there is the following cause to subscribe to:

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/58833?recruiter_id=2074037&m=4303549

Please support them and help spread the word!

Empty Olympic Promises

NYTimes Editorial

Six months out from the 2008 Olympics, China has jailed another inconvenient dissident. Hu Jia was dragged from his home by state police agents, and last week he was formally charged with inciting subversion. To earn the right to host the Games, China promised to improve its human rights record. Instead, it appears determined to silence anyone who dares to tell the truth about its abuses.

Mr. Hu and his wife, Zeng Jinyan, are human rights activists who spent much of 2006 restricted to their apartment. She used the power of the Internet to blog about life under detention while he wrote online about peasant protests and human rights cases.

Mr. Hu’s recent testimony, by telephone, to the European Parliament about Olympics-related rights violations may have been the last straw. Ms. Zeng and the couple’s two-month-old baby remain in their apartment under house arrest, with telephone and Internet connections now. [continues...]