After 37 days of detention, Wang Man (王曼), Wei Tingting (韦婷婷) and Zheng Churan (郑楚然), Li Tingting (李婷婷), and Wu Rongrong (武嶸嶸) were released in a procedural step known as “release on guarantee pending further investigation,” or, qubao houshen (取保候审). Unfortunately, instead of a full release, the women are still considered “criminal suspects,” and their status involves a host of restrictions and conditions including on:
The authorities should unconditionally release the five. The “release on guarantee pending further investigation”’ is a legal sword of Damocles hanging over the five activists with the potential to serve the authorities’ purpose to further chill citizen activism. As the Chinese government seeks to undertake formal legal measures to address domestic violence, attempts to curtail citizen actions can only undermine its efforts to tackle the serious social problems facing China.
Overview of “Release on Guarantee Pending Further Investigation”*
Mandatory | Optional |
---|---|
(1) not to leave city or county where s/he resides without PSB permission; |
(1) not to enter certain places related to the alleged criminal activities committed by the suspect; |
(2) to report any changes to their address, employer, and contact information to the public security bureau within 24 hours after change takes place; |
(2) not to meet or correspond, by any means, with witnesses, victims or his or her immediate family members, co-offenders, or other certain persons related to the case; |
(3) to appear before PSB without delay when summoned for interrogation; |
(3) not to engage in certain activities related to the alleged criminal activities committed by the person released on guarantee; |
(4) not to interfere, though any means, with a witness's plan to give testimony; |
(4) to surrender exit-entry documents, such as their passport, as well as their driver’s license to the enforcement agency. |
(5) not to destroy or falsify evidence, or to collude with other co-participants regarding confessions. |
*This is a general legal note, and is not intended to provide legal advice in an individual case.