Criminal Justice
Zhu's Health is Critical, Officials Deny Him Medical Treatment
Prison Officials Threaten Chen Kegui and Subject Him to Physical Abuse
Chinese and U.S. Lawyers Allege Wrongful Conviction
Some Chinese and U.S. lawyers have called into question the conviction of Chen Kegui in a range of public statements. On December 1, 2012, Si Weijiang, one of the lawyers hired by Chen Kegui's wife to represent him, drafted a statement in response to the sentencing of Chen Kegui (Si Weijiang's personal blog, via Caijing, 1 December 12, link appears to be no longer available; English translation available at Seeing Red in China blog, 17 December 12). In his statement, Si Weijiang asserts that Chen Kegui's actions were "lawful self-defense and in no way criminal." He describes Chen Kegui's clash with officials as follows:
On February 27, 2013, the International Committee for Liu Xiaobo, a committee comprised of 6 Nobel Peace Prize laureates and 15 non-governmental organizations, led a petition campaign to deliver hundreds of thousands of signatures to Chinese Embassies and authorities, calling for the immediate release of imprisoned Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo and his wife Liu Xia. South African Archbishop Emeritus and Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu created the initial online petition (available here on Change.org) and wrote a letter, signed by 134 fellow Nobel laureates, to China's then incoming President Xi Jinping in December 2012, in response to the ongoing imprisonment of Liu Xiaobo and the illegal "house arrest" of Liu Xia.
Based on a Gansu Daily report (in Chinese, 3 December 12; translated in Dui Hua Human Rights Journal, 5 December 12), the "Opinion on Handling Self-Immolation Cases in Tibetan Areas in Accordance With the Law" (the Opinion), describes Tibetan self-immolations in terms stressing "evil" criminality, not as protests resulting from grievances that the government could address constructively:
Following the death of labor advocate and 1989 Tiananmen protester Li Wangyang in June 2012, Chinese authorities have employed a range of coercive measures to intimidate and silence family members and supporters of Li who have questioned the circumstances of his death and called for an investigation into his case. Beginning in June 2012, the Commission observed various reports of security officials placing restrictions on family members and supporters of Li that some have characterized as a "crackdown" and "punishment" for raising suspicions about the circumstances of his death (Guardian, 17 August 12; South China Morning Post (SCMP), 20 June 12).
According to a November 21, 2012, Associated Press article, public security officials in Miyun County, Beijing, detained blogger and businessman Zhai Xiaobing on November 7, after he posted a joke on November 5, mocking the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (18th Party Congress). Zhai, who blogs under the user name @stariver, posted a satirical tweet mocking the 18th Party Congress, suggesting that the political event would resemble the "Final Destination" horror film franchise.
Transcript (PDF) (Text)
Two years ago, the Nobel Committee awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to prominent intellectual and democracy advocate Liu Xiaobo “for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.” Today, Liu Xiaobo remains in a Chinese prison serving the fourth year of an 11-year sentence, while authorities hold hi
On December 5, 2012, the Longhua District People's Court in Haikou city, Hainan province, imposed a three-year suspended sentence and a 17,000 yuan (US$2,727) fine on Liu Futang, a retired forestry official and environmentalist, for allegedly engaging in "illegal business activities" (Chinadialogue, 5 December 12; Caixin journalist's blog entry, 11 October 12). Liu's sentencing came nearly two months after his trial on October 11 (Southern Weekend (SW), reprinted in Chinadialogue, 19 October 12).