Three Shanghai Petitioners go to Trial, Others Abused in Detention
November 07, 2006
Human
Rights in China (HRIC) has learned that three petitioners, Du Yangming, Wang Shuizhen and Tian
Baocheng, are scheduled to appear in Shanghai’s Zhabei District People’s
Court on November 8 and 9 on charges of “causing a disturbance.” All three were
detained and charged in connection with their activities around the time of the
meeting of the intergovernmental Shanghai Cooperation Organization in June.
Sources
in China
told HRIC that Du Yangming, now in his 60s, was detained on June 2, when police
came to his home and took him away for questioning. Du has been petitioning the
authorities for years over the demolition of his former home. He has previously
spent 18 months in Reeducation Through Labor (RTL), and has been put under
criminal detention three times, during which he reportedly suffered serious
physical abuse.
Wang
Shuizhen was detained on June 5 while on her way to accompany lawyer Zheng
Enchong’s wife, Jiang Meili, to Tilanqiao Prison to await Zheng’s release upon completion
of his three-year prison sentence on charges of revealing state secrets
overseas. Wang was formally arrested in early July. She previously served two
years in prison for “causing a disturbance” when in April 2003 she refused to
undergo ideological training as ordered by her local housing committee
chairman.
Tian
Baocheng and his wife Zhang Cuiping were detained on June 2, after which Tian
was formally charged with “causing a disturbance” on July 8, and Zhang was
sentenced to 18 months of RTL. Both Tian and Zhang had previously served terms
of RTL in 2003, and during his detention, Tian was reportedly subjected to
serious physical abuse that resulted in the loss of two teeth and multiple
injuries to his head, chest, arms and legs.
Sources
say that neither Du, Wang nor Tian can afford a lawyer, and will be defended by
court-appointed counsel. However, family members report that they have been
unable to talk to or meet with the lawyers. Wang Shuizhen’s husband requested a
copy of the indictment against Wang from her lawyer after the court refused to
provide it to him. The lawyer reportedly also refused to assist him, saying,
“That’s up to the government—don’t bother me!” Du Yangming’s lawyer, who
reportedly kept putting off a visit to Du in prison, was recently involved in a
traffic accident and as a result is not expected to see Du at all before the
trial.
HRIC has also learned of that two other Shanghai petitioners have been abused in detention.
Sources say that Duan Chunfang and Duan Huimin, who are brother and
sister, went to Beijing
to petition the central authorities at the beginning of November. Early on the
morning of November 3, a dozen plainclothes police officers burst into the resthouse
where they were staying and took them away. While in the police van, Duan
Chunfang felt ill and asked to be allowed to sit near the window, but police
officers reportedly responded by yanking her hair. Sources say that when Duan
Huimin saw what was happening to his sister, he tried to move near her, only to
be pulled from the vehicle and beaten by more than 10 police officers.
Witnesses to the incident told HRIC that Duan was then handcuffed and forced
into the rear of the vehicle. Duan Chunfang and Duan Huimin were kept separate
on the train back to Shanghai, and Duan Chunfang
was unable to find her brother upon arriving in
Shanghai. Some
petitioners report having seen Duan Huimin on the train with obvious injuries,
and sources say he has now been placed under criminal detention on accusations
of assaulting a security officer with a weapon. Duan’s parents reportedly spent
all day and night outside of the detention center trying to see him, until police
finally forced them to return home.
HRIC
has heard of other recent instances of police abusing petitioners while
forcibly bringing them back to Shanghai.
Ju Ronglin was reportedly kicked and
beaten after requesting a drink of water. Another petitioner, Hu Peiqin, was slapped in the ears when
she said she was hungry. Petitioners Ge
Meiling and Xu Guining objected
to Hu’s treatment and were themselves beaten. Zhou Jianguo, who had gone to Beijing
to petition three times within a month, was reportedly beaten after accidentally
bumping an escorting police officer. Tong
Guoqing, Zhu Libin, Feng Yuzhen, Zhou Youlan and Wu Dangying are among other petitioners reported to have recently
suffered abuse in detention.
HRIC
is deeply concerned that petitioners Du Yangming, Wang Shuizhen and Tian
Baocheng do not have effective representation for their upcoming criminal
trial, and deplores the abusive treatment they and other petitioners have
suffered in detention. Only by addressing the serious social problems fueling
social unrest, and respecting the legal rights of citizens, can the central
government promote a truly stable “harmonious society.” HRIC calls upon the Shanghai authorities to take steps to curb
the abusive treatment of petitioners, and to ensure that the rights of Du, Wang
and Tian, including the right to effective legal representation, are fully
respected.
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