May 29, 2014 • 10:20 pm Updated 29 May 2014
Two months before the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre, authorities in China began detaining, disappearing, questioning, and intimidating Chinese dissidents, human rights lawyers and activists, journalists, and others. Many of the targeted individuals took part in the pro-democracy demonstrations in the spring of 1989. The crackdown is meant to preemptively silence any public expression about the bloody suppression of the pro-democracy protests, and to prevent any show of support to victims and their families who have struggled for a quarter-century to tell the truth about Tiananmen and fight for justice.
CHRD has documented 53 individuals who have been affected, beginning at the end of April 2014, in the municipalities of Beijing, Chongqing, and Shanghai as well as the provinces of Guangdong, Guizhou, Henan, Hunan, Shaanxi, Shandong and Zhejiang, with 28 criminal detentions and one confirmed arrest. Additionally, five activists have received administrative detentions, and two are out of contact.
Some in custody have reportedly been mistreated. They have been deprived of necessary medications for serious illnesses or visits with their lawyers, or have faced physical assault or verbal intimidation.
CHRD urges the Chinese authorities to release all individuals who have been detained in the run-up to the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre, and to guarantee the physical and psychological wellbeing of detainees.
Location of Those Affected by Government Crackdown Around 25th Anniversary of Tiananmen Massacre
Cases documented by CHRD since late April 2014, categorized by types of detention, and in reverse chronological order:
Arrest
XU GUANG (徐光), a China Democracy Party member, was formally arrested in Zhejiang Province on May 9 after allegedly planning a hunger strike to commemorate the Tiananmen Massacre. Xu, a participant in the 1989 pro-democracy movement, was charged with “inciting subversion of state power,” and criminally detained on April 3.
Criminal Detention
CHANG BOYANG (常伯阳), a well-known rights defense lawyer, was summoned for questioning on May 27 by Henan police on suspicion of “gathering a crowd to disrupt order of a public place” and has since been criminally detained. Chang is being held at Erligang police station in Zhengzhou City. He is the attorney of Shi Yu, Hou Shuai, and Fang Yan, who were taken away by police on May 26 (see below).
XIN JIAN (辛健), a Chongqing-based news assistant with Japan’s Nihon Keizai newspaper who had interviewed Pu Zhiqiang in the past, was taken into custody on May 13, and her family received the criminal detention notice on May 26. Xin Jian was sent to Beijing after being seized, and she is held of suspicion of “creating a disturbance.” On May 26, Xin’s husband Wang Haichun (王海春) released a message asking friends in Chongqing to take care of her parents and child if he goes missing, as he planned to hold a news conference the next day to expose details of his wife’s case, but later cancelled it.
CHEN ZHAOZHI (陈兆志), a retired teacher from the University of Science and Technology in Beijing, Chen was criminally detained in Haidian District, Beijing in the second half of May. Chen was likely taken away because he had posted a commemoration for June 4th online, and calling for a political rehabilitation of the events. He had previously been criminally detained in May 2013 after taking part in the New Citizens’ Movement-led demonstrations demanding official transparency, and had been bailed after contracting a serious illness. It is unclear of his health status or if he is getting adequate medical treatment.
JI LAISONG (姬来松), a Zhengzhou, Henan lawyer Ji Laisong, was criminally detained on charges of “gathering a crowd to disrupt order of a public place” after going missing on May 26. Ji is being held in Xingyang City PSB No. 3 Detention Center.
Five activists have been criminally detained for taking part in a June 4th public memorial service in Hua County, Henan Province on February 2. The service commemorated the victims of the massacre, as well as former Chinese leaders Hu Yaobang (胡耀邦), whose death in 1989 was a trigger for the student protests, and Zhao Ziyang (赵紫阳), who was deposed for supporting the students.
Several activists who took part in this Tiananmen Massace memorial service in February were criminally detained in May
Several activists who took part in this February 2 Tiananmen Massace memorial service in Henan were criminally detained in May
陈卫和于世文CHEN WEI (陈卫), the organizer of the service with her husband Yu Shiwen (于世文), was taken away by police on May 23, along with Yu, and her criminal detention was confirmed on May 28. She and her husband had been held under house arrest from February until they were taken into custody. They were both student leaders during the 1989 student protests, and got married after they both served 18-month prison sentences.
YU SHIWEN (于世文), the organizer of the service with his wife Chen Wei (陈卫), was taken away by police on May 23, along with Chen, and his criminal detention was confirmed on May 28. He and his wife had been held under house arrest from February until they were taken into custody. They were both student leaders during the 1989 student protests, and got married after they both served 18-month prison sentences.
HOU SHUAI (侯帅), was taken away by Henan police on May 26, and put under criminal detention the next day for “gathering a crowd to disrupt order of a public place.” Hou is being held at the No. 3 Detention Center of the Zhengzhou City Public Security Bureau Prison Administration Department.
FANG YAN (方言), was taken away by Henan police on May 26, and his family received a criminal detention notice on May 29. Fang is being held on charges of “gathering a crowd to disrupt order of a public place,” and is being heldat No. 3 Detention Center of the Zhengzhou City Public Security Bureau Prison Administration Department.
SHI YU (石玉), a Henan journalist, was taken away by police on May 26 and was criminally detained the next day on charges of “gathering a crowd to disrupt order of a public place.” Shi is being heldat No. 3 Detention Center of the Zhengzhou City Public Security Bureau Prison Administration Department. When he was taken away by police, his home was searched and police confiscated his computer, hard drive, notebooks and iPad.
LI XUEHUI (李学惠), a 50-year old Beijing-based activist, was taken away by police on May 20 and is under criminal detention on suspicion of organizing petitioners’ protests. Li’s home was searched and police took away his computer, books, and other materials. Li had worked with Wang Xiuying (王秀英), an 83-year old activist, to create badges commemorating June 4th. Li was an associate of Cao Shunli (曹顺利) and has been detained many times for his activism, including for a month in February 2014 after he tried visit Cao in hospital before her death.
LIU WEI (刘伟), a 27-year old netizen, was forcibly returned to Chongqing from Beijing and criminally detained on charges of “creating a disturbance” on May 17. Liu travelled to Beijing in April to visit a friend and took a photo of himself in Tiananmen Square, which is believed to have led to his detention. In 2011, Liu Wei was sentenced to two years of Re-education through Labor after posting information online about the “Jasmine Revolution,” and authorities have monitored Liu since his release in January 2013.TANG JINGLING (唐荆陵), a 43-year old lawyer, was criminally detained in Guangzhou on May 16 on suspicion of “creating a disturbance.” Earlier that morning, police presented Tang with both a search warrant and a criminal detention notice at his home and then searched the residence. Police confiscated a laptop, a tablet computer, three phones, and books. Reportedly, police had warned Tang not to take part in any activities commemorating June Fourth. On May 21, lawyer Liu Zhengqing (刘正清) met with Tang at Baiyun District Detention Center. Tang told Liu that a discipline management officer had tried to force him to squat but he refused, prompting the enraged officer to violently kick Tang. In recent years, police have detained, threatened, and tortured lawyer Tang in retaliation for his defending a wide range of human rights cases, and authorities have revoked his license to practice law.
WANG QINGYING (王清营), a 32-year old activist, was taken away from his home and criminally detained on charges of “creating a disturbance” on May 16. National security police from the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau also searched his home and confiscated laptops and phones. Wang is being held at Baiyun District Detention Center, and his lawyer Sui Muqing (隋牧青) who visited him on May 23, reported that Wang had been tortured and mistreated in detention. Wang was repeatedly slapped in the face by authorities for refusing to falsify evidence against Tang Jingling and Yuan Xinting (below). He also has been forced to work long hours and held in a 20-square meter room with 30 other inmates, while being given very poor-quality and inadequate food. Additionally, Wang’s wife Zeng Jieshan (曾洁珊) has been harassed and threatened by national security officers. Wang is a close associate of lawyer Tang Jingling in what is known as the “Non-violent Citizens’ Disobedience Movement,” spearheaded by Tang. Wang previously taught economics at Huali College of Guangdong Industrial University. After signing Charter 08, the manifesto promoting political reform and democratization in China, he lost his teaching job in 2009.
QU ZHENHONG (屈振红), the niece of detained lawyer Pu Zhiqiang (浦志强), was criminally detained on May 15 in Beijing. She is a practicing lawyer who has worked in the same firm as her uncle and served on Pu’s defense team. The reason for Qu’s detention has not been confirmed, but some activists speculate that she was seized for “illegally obtaining personal information” about Pu, a student leader during the 1989 Tiananmen demonstrations (see more on Pu below).
LIU SHIHUI (刘士辉), a 49-year old Guangzhou-based lawyer, was criminally detained on May 14 in Shanghai and released into the custody of national security officers from Inner Mongolia on May 26. Liu was held on charges of “gathering a crowd to disrupt the order of a public place” at Pudong New District Detention Center, before he was released and forcibly returned to Inner Mongolia. Liu reported he suffered a hand injury while being violently taken to the airport from the detention center. Liu had gone to Shanghai to represent activist Chen Jianfang (陈建芳) at a hearing on May 13 for a lawsuit that Chen filed seeking public information from the Pudong District Public Security Bureau (see more on Chen below). Police turned Liu away from the courtroom and later took him into custody. Authorities declined requests by his lawyer Zhang Lei (张磊) for a meeting until May 21, when he found that Liu was weak and gaunt, and that Liu did not even recognize him at first. In recent years, police have detained, threatened, and tortured Liu in retaliation for defending a wide range of human rights cases, and authorities have revoked his law license.YUAN XINTING (袁新亭), a Guangdong-based activist in his 40s, wascriminally detained in Guangzhou on charges of “creating a disturbance.” His exact whereabouts are unknown, as is the exact date of his disappearance and detention. Yuan is a close associate of lawyer Tang Jingling in what is known as the “Non-violent Citizens’ Disobedience Movement,” spearheaded by Tang. Originally from Sichuan Province, Yuan was disappeared during the “Jasmine Crackdown” in March 2011, and then released from police custody and sent back to Sichuan four months later. He had returned to Guangdong and resumed his activism.
Several activists were criminally detained on May 10 after trying to monitor a court trial involving Guangdong activist Li Weiguo (李维国). Li had filed a complaint over his detention and deprivation of assembly rights that occurred in 2013 after he and others had applied to hold a demonstration on June Fourth. Li had been taken into custody by Haizhu police in late May of 2013 and then served a 15-day administrative detention. A lower court heard Li’s case in January and upheld the original punishment, finding it legally justified.
LUO XIANGYANG (罗向阳), from Guangdong, was criminally detained for “creating a disturbance” on May 10 after being seized outside the Guangzhou City Intermediate People’s Court on May 5.
WU BIN (吴斌, who uses the screen name Youcai Jianghu, 秀才江湖), from Guangdong, was criminally detained for “creating a disturbance” on May 10 after being seized outside the Guangzhou City Intermediate People’s Court on May 5.
XIE WENFEI (谢文飞), from Guangdong, was criminally detained for “creating a disturbance” on May 10 after being seized outside the Guangzhou City Intermediate People’s Court on May 5.
YANG CHONG (杨崇), from Guangdong, was criminally detained for “creating a disturbance” on May 10 after being seized outside the Guangzhou City Intermediate People’s Court on May 5.
ZHANG WANHE (张皖荷), from Guangdong, was criminally detained for “creating a disturbance” on May 10 after being seized outside the Guangzhou City Intermediate People’s Court on May 5.
WU WEI (吴微), who frequently interviewed lawyer Pu Zhiqiang during her career as a Beijing-based journalist, was criminally detained on charges of “creating a disturbance.” She initially disappeared on May 7 after being taken away by state security officers. Her last weibo post, sent out on that same day, discussed Pu’s case. Wu, now an adviser for the International Center for Communication Development, used to work for the South China Morning Post in Beijing.
Approximately 20 human rights lawyers, dissidents, and family members of June Fourth victims attended a seminar in Beijing on May 3, where they discussed unresolved issues about the Tiananmen Massacre and called for investigation of the truth surrounding the tragic events.
Many participants at a “Commemorating June Fourth Seminar,” held on May 3 in Beijing, were criminally detained, including lawyer Pu Zhiqiang (浦志强, at front right).
HAO JIAN (郝建), a Beijing Film Academy professor and critic, was seized after taking part in the seminar held in his home, and was criminally detained on charges of “creating a disturbance” on May 6. Hao is currently held at Beijing No. 1 Detention Center. Hao Jian lost a cousin in the Tiananmen Massacre.
HU SHIGEN (胡石根), a dissident writer, was seized after taking part in the seminar and was criminally detained on charges of “creating a disturbance” on May 6. Hu is currently held at Beijing No. 1 Detention Center.
LIU DI (刘荻), a writer/blogger, was seized after taking part in the seminar and was criminally detained on charges of “creating a disturbance” on May 6. She is currently held at Beijing No. 1 Detention Center. On May 9, Liu was denied a scheduled visit from her lawyers Ma Gangquan (马纲权) and Ding Xikui (丁锡奎). Authorities from the detention center said that she was being arraigned when the attorneys arrived. The lawyers waited for several hours after being told that she was unavailable, and they were advised to come back on May 12 to see her. Liu Di, who has written online under the name “Stainless Steel Mouse,” first rose to prominence in 2002 after being detained for satirizing the government’s Internet restrictions.
PU ZHIQIANG (浦志强), a human rights lawyer, was seized after taking part in the June Fourth seminar. Pu was criminally detained on charges of “creating a disturbance” on May 6 and is currently held at Beijing No. 1 Detention Center. On May 5, Pu was taken away by police after they searched his home and confiscated his computer, phone, books, and other personal belongings around 4 PM. The raid of his home followed his being summoned by police around 11 PM on May 4. Police questioned him until 2 AM the next morning, when officers took him home for a change of clothes and then brought him back to a police station around 4 AM to continue the interrogation.Pu has told his attorneys that he is not receiving proper treatment for illnesses, particularly diabetes, for which he needs daily medication. Due to his physical condition, Pu also requested lawyers Zhang Sizhi (张思之) and Qu Zhenhong (屈振红) seek his release on medical grounds, which was turned down.Pu Zhiqiang, a Tiananmen student leader in 1989, has defended Re-education through Labor detainees, writers, and journalists in several high-profile cases and been an outspoken critic of official policies.
XU YOUYU (徐友渔), a scholar retired from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was seized after taking part in the seminar and was criminally detained on charges of “creating a disturbance” on May 6. Xu is currently being held at Beijing No. 1 Detention Center. During a visit with Xu, lawyers Mo Shaoping (莫少平) and Shang Baojun (尚宝军) observed that Xu looked frail. In addition, Xu told them that his blood pressure is high and that police have not permitted him to take any diabetic medicine that Xu himself brought into detention. Xu Youyu, one of the original signatories to Charter 08, the manifesto promoting political reform and democratization in China, witnessed the 1989 demonstrations in Tiananmen Square.
GAO YU (高瑜), a Beijing-based dissident journalist, was criminally detained on charges of “illegally disseminating state secrets overseas” on April 24, according to official Xinhua news, which also released video footage showing Gao’s “confession” of “wrongdoing” on May 8 (see story). Reportedly, the charges against Gao stem from a “top secret document” linked to her that had been posted to an overseas website in August 2013 and then disseminated more widely. Gao, 70, went missing in late April, when she was preparing to submit a piece titled “Party Nature vs. Human Nature” to the Deutsche Welle, an international broadcaster financed by the German government. In reprisal for backing the pro-democracy movement a quarter-century ago, Gao Yu was barred from publishing within China and also imprisoned for six years on charges of “leaking state secrets.”Administrative Detention
LI HONGWEI (李红卫), a Shandong activist, was given a seven-day administrative detention on May 25 in order to block her and her husband Chen Qingquan (陈清泉) from commemorating the 25th anniversary of June 4th during her birthday dinner. Plainclothes police were monitoring the restaurant in Jinan City, and after Chen took a photo of the police, they beat him and took him and Li away in a police car. Li began her activism in 2007 when her home was forcibly demolished, and has been sentenced to Re-education through Labor and held black jails in retaliation for her activism.
CHEN QINGQUAN (陈清泉), the husband of Shandong activist Li Hongwei (李红卫), was given a five-day administrative detention after police dragged him and his wife away from her birthday dinner on May 25. Chen was beaten by police after he took a photo of them in the restaurant, where officers were monitoring the group.
Several activists were administratively detained on May 5 for “creating a disturbance” after going to Shaoyang City to pay tribute to the 1989 labor leader Li Wangyang (李旺阳). Li died under mysterious circumstances in a hospital while in police custody around the June Fourth anniversary in 2012.
LI JIANJUN (黎建军) was given a five-day administrative detention by Hunan police on May 5. A few weeks later he was summoned by Huaihua City national security officers for questioning and warned that he will not be allowed out during June 4th.
ZHANG SHANGUANG (张善光) was given a five-day administrative detention by Hunan police on May 5.
OU BIAOFENG (欧彪峰) was given a five-day administrative detention by Hunan police on May 5.
Detained
JIA LINGMIN (贾灵敏), from Zhengzhou, Henan, was seized on May 7 and is being held in Zhengzhou No. 3 Detention Center. It is unclear on what charges Jia is being held on.
LIU DEWEI (刘地伟), from Zhengzhou, Henan, was seized on May 7 and is being held in Zhengzhou No. 3 Detention Center. It is unclear on what charges Liu is being held on.
Enforced Disappearance
DONG GUANGPING (董广平), from Zhengzhou, Henan, was picked up by police in Luoyang City on May 26. His home in Zhengzhou was later searched, and it is unclear where he is at this time.
CHEN JIANFANG (陈建芳), who was with lawyer Liu Shihui (刘士辉)when he was taken into custody, has been out of contact since May 15. Her family inquired about her whereabouts at the Pudong New District
Detention Center, where Liu Shihui is being detained, but was told that she was not there. Chen, 43, has assisted victims of forced eviction in Shanghai and was a close associate of Cao Shunli (曹顺利), the activist who died in detention in mid-March, in the campaign to demand civil society participation in the Universal Periodic Review.
Soft Detention
LUO XI (罗茜), a former Renmin University student leader in 1989, was taken away by Hunan national security officers on May 29 to go “travelling” to ensure he would be away on June 4th. It is unclear where Luo was taken and how long he will be kept away.
YANG HAI (杨海), a Xi’an based activist, was taken “travelling” by national security officers on May 27 in order to ensure he would be away for June 4th. It is expected the “trip” will last 10 days, and he can return on June 7. Yang was a former student leader in the 1989 pro-democracy protests.
LI RENKE (李任科), a democracy activist from Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, is missing and likely held in a “black jail” in the mountains, in a bid by authorities to keep him away during the sensitive period leading up to June 4th.
MA XIAOMING (马晓明), a Xi’an-based activist, has been held under strict 24-hour house arrest since May 20. Ma is frequently put under house arrest during visits to Xi’an from foreign dignitaries or central government inspectors, and every year on June 4th his movement is restricted. A former journalist, Ma Xiaoming lost his job after joining the Tiananmen pro-democracy movement in 1989.
TAN KAI (谭凯), an environmental activist and member of the China Democracy Party in Zhejiang, who was detained at same time as Xu Guang (徐光) on May 9, has been released but reportedly placed under “residential surveillance.”
Summoned/Questioned by Police
LI JIANJUN (李建军), an activist from Huaihua, Hunan, was taken in by national security officers on May 29 to “drink tea,” a euphemism for police questioning.Li was warned not to participate in any June 4th commemoration activities, and Li’s movements are being strictly monitored.
ZHANG SHANGUANG (张善光), from Huaihua, Hunan, was taken in by national security officers on May 29 to “drink tea,” a euphemism for police questioning. Zhang was warned not to participate in any June 4th commemoration activities, and Zhang’s movements are being strictly monitored.
HUANG YONGHUA (黄勇华) was brought in by Hunan national security officers “to drink tea,” a euphemism for police questioning, on May 27. They questioned him on what June 4th activities he was involved in, and warned him not to take part in any events or make online statements. He was also told not to leave Hengyang City. Huang has had his movements controlled around June 4th for the past two years.
AN NING (安宁), a democracy activist, was seized by Zhengzhou City, Henan police and held for 24 hours. Police searched his house and confiscated a computer. An Ning was a student during the 1989 pro-democracy protests and was arrested and sent to jail as a result.
GUO YONGFENG (郭永丰), a democracy activist, was summoned for questioning on May 22-23 by Shenzhen national security officers and told that his movements will be restricted on June 4th. He was told that from May 24 until June 7, he would not be allowed to make any public statements and must completely cease all online activity. Guo is a signatory of Charter 08 and the founder of the Citizens’ Association for Government Oversight (公民监政会), and has previously been retaliated against for his activism, including being sent to Re-education through Labor.
CUI WEIPING (崔卫平), a professor at Beijing Film Academy, was summoned for questioning after taking part in the June 4th seminar in Beijing on May 3 and was subsequently released.
GUO YUHUA (郭于华), a Qinghua University professor, was summoned for questioning after taking part in the June 4th seminar in Beijing on May 3 and was subsequently released.
QIN HUI (秦晖), a scholar, was summoned for questioning after taking part in the June 4th seminar in Beijing on May 3 and was subsequently released.
LIANG XIAOYAN (梁晓燕), a scholar and writer, was summoned for questioning after taking part in the June 4th seminar in Beijing on May 3 and was subsequently released.
Home Searches
WANG XIUYING (王秀英), an 83-year old activist, had her home searched by Beijing police on May 22 after she signed a petition commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre. Wang also helped activist Li Xuehui (李学慧) create June 4th posters. Police confiscated her computer, camera, and June 4th materials. Wang had previously been sent to Re-education through Labor during the 2008 Olympics.
