Human Rights in China (HRIC) has learned that Shanghai lawyer Zheng Enchong and his wife, Jiang Meili, were taken from their home separately by police on the evening of July 12. Sources say that though Jiang Meili has since returned home, Zheng remains in custody.

Zheng Enchong was released from prison on June 5 after serving a three-year sentence for "illegally providing state secrets overseas." Under the terms of his sentence, he is deprived of his political rights for an additional year. Since his release, Zheng has been under constant police monitoring and effective house arrest, and has been warned not to speak to the media.

Sources in China told HRIC that more than a dozen Public Security police from Shanghai's Zhabei District North Station dispatch station burst into Zheng's home around 6:30 in the evening on July 12 and summoned Jiang Meili to report to the police station on suspicion of "impeding the officials of state organs in the execution of their duties" under Section 82 of China's Criminal Procedure Law. Sources say police produced a written summons at the time. Police also carried out a search on Zheng's home and took away a computer that Jiang Meili's brother had left there, along with a quantity of documents. Among the seized documents was a letter Zheng had written to President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao. Sources say police produced a search warrant only after the search.

Sources say that around 10:00 that same night, about a dozen Public Security and State Security police came to Zheng's home again and produced a summons requiring Zheng to accompany them to the police station on suspicion of "during a period of deprivation of political rights, impeding officials of state organs in the execution of their duties."

Since his release Zheng Enchong has been under effective house arrest and under constant surveillance by police that prevents him from virtually all activities, even those allowed under his sentence of deprivation of political rights. HRIC urges the international community to continue to monitor Zheng's situation, and calls on the Shanghai authorities to immediately release Zheng and stop its harassment of Zheng and his family.

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