Human Rights in China (HRIC) has learned that Shanghai lawyer Zheng Enchong, released from prison in June, was prevented from attending a church service as part of ongoing restrictions on his personal liberty. In addition, HRIC has learned of a mass roundup of petitioners in Shanghai around the time of the sixth plenary session of the 16^th Communist Party Congress in Beijing.

Sources in China told HRIC that Zheng and his wife, Jiang Meili, left their home at around 6 a.m. on Saturday, October 14, with the intention of attending a religious service at the Mu’en Christian Church near Shanghai’s Renmin Square. However, as they left their neighborhood, they were reportedly surrounded by a dozen police officers, who prevented them from proceeding. When Zheng insisted on attending the church service, police reportedly knocked him to the ground.

Sources say Zheng sat on the ground in protest, and soon drew a crowd of several hundred onlookers. Eventually three police vehicles arrived along with another dozen police officers. Police officers grabbed Zheng by his arms and legs and took him to a small room on the ground floor of his building. Zheng was allowed to return home later that day.

Around the same time, a friend who had arranged to accompany Zheng and his wife to church, Shen Peilan, was reportedly also stopped outside her home by police officers and prevented from attending the service.

Earlier this month, on October 4, shortly before the Chinese Moon Festival, sources say that Zheng Enchong’s former high school teacher, a 76-year-old man surnamed Zhu, attempted to visit Zheng along with several old classmates, but police prevented them from going to Zheng’s home. On the day of the Moon Festival, October 6, police also reportedly prevented Zheng and his family from visiting his 94-year-old mother as is custom during the holiday. Police also reportedly refused to allow delivery of a box of moon cakes from Zheng’s Beijing-based legal advisor, Zhang Sizhi. A police officer reportedly told Zheng Enchong that Shanghai’s deputy Party committee secretary, Liu Yungeng, had specifically ordered that Zheng be kept under the tightest possible restrictions at home. Police officers have also reportedly harassed Zheng’s daughter at school.

HRIC has also received information that Shanghai police recently carried out a large-scale roundup of petitioners to prevent them from going to Beijing during the sixth plenary session of the 16^th Communist Party Congress. HRIC has learned of more than 30 people detained or placed under other forms of restriction since September, but sources say the names below represent only a portion of the people harassed under orders from deputy Party secretary Liu Yungeng and others:

• Zhu Libin, along with his wife and two children aged 10 and 8 – from September 30 to October 11, security officers at Shanghai’s Zhabei District train station held Zhu and his family in a room of the Nanning Bathhouse.
• Guo Rong – from September 30 to October 12, police officers from Shanghai’s Hongkou District detained Guo in a room in the Yuanzhen Hostel in Zhapu Road. Guo’s elder sister died while he was in detention, but police did not allow Guo to attend her funeral on October 7.
• Sun Xicheng – Police held Sun under house arrest starting on September 27. Sun jumped out of his window on October 7 and attempted to take a train to Beijing, but police detained him at Shanghai’s South Station on October 8 and detained him at the Jinhui Guest House on Zhongshan West Road. Sun went on hunger strike that day and was eventually taken to the hospital on October 11.
• Wei Qin – After signing a petition to the Central Discipline Inspection Committee in September, Wei was detained on September 21 and held for 15 days in the Jing’an District Detention Center. When his term of detention was completed on October 6, he was transferred to the Qingpu Clubhouse, where he was held until October 11.
• Liang Faxiang – Liang was placed under administrative detention in the Jing’an Detention Center for nine days beginning on September 19. She was then transferred to the Qingpu Clubhouse, where she was held until October 11.
• Chen Enjuan – Chen was detained from September 29 to October 11 at the Chuansha Party School. After she was found to have made phone calls, her cell phone was confiscated and she was transferred to a tourist resort outside of the city.
• Zhou Jinmei – detained September 30 to October 11 at the Jing’an District Transit Center.
• Lü Longzhen – detained September 30 to October 11 at the Labor Model Holiday Village.
• Li Shujia – detained September 30 to October 11 in a guest room at the Jinshan Hongda Building.
• Ma Zhishen – detained September 30 to October 11 at the Labor Model Holiday Village.
• Duan Muyun – detained September 30 to October 11 at the Labor Model Holiday Village.
• Wang Linzhen – detained September 30 to October 11 at the Labor Model Holiday Village.
• Wang Feiyue – detained September 30 to October 11at the Minxing District Reception Center.
• Ou Chunfang – detained from September 30 to October 11 at the Minxing District Reception Center. During this time, Ou suffered from a heart ailment, but was not provided with medical treatment.
• Wu Yuping – placed under administrative detention from September 13 to 28 at the Hongkou District Detention Center, then transferred to the Jiajiang Hostel in Sangshan Road until October 11.
• Chen Zonglai – placed under administrative detention from September 20 to 29 at the Hongkou District Detention Center, then transferred to the Hongkou District Reception Center until October 11.
• Shen Yonghai – detained from September 28 to October 11 in the guardroom of the Dongqian Company in Tangbin South Road, Luowan District.
• Ma Changfa – placed under administrative detention from October 2 to 11 in the Minxing District Detention Center.
• Zhang Xinzhen – placed under administrative detention from October 2 to 11 in the Minxing District Detention Center.
• Zheng Shumei – placed under administrative detention from October 2 to 11 in the Minxing District Detention Center.
• Shao Zhegen – Detained from September 28 to October 11 in the Hongkou District Reception Center.
• Deng Weixiu – placed under administrative detention in an unnamed detention center for 10 days starting on September 20, then transferred to an unnamed hostel until October 11.
• Liu Pingying – detained October 1 to 11 in the Qibaotian Hostel.
• Yang Chunhua – detained September 28 to October 11 in the Zinjiang Zhi Xing Hotel.
• Lu Shanming – detained October 6 to 11 in a building at 351 Longhua East Road, where he was given only a small amount of rice each day and was deprived of sleep.
• Wang Hong – held under house arrest from September 27 to October 11.
• Li Caidi – held under round-the-clock house arrest from September 27 to October 11.
• Zhu Donghui – placed under round-the-clock surveillance from August 21 to the present.

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