China Human Rights and Rule of Law Update - March/April 2008

 
 
 

In This Issue

Tibetan Protest Activity

In recent weeks, Tibetan grievances erupted into a cascade of public protests across Tibetan areas of China. As events unfolded on the ground, the Commission assessed and reported information as it became available in a series of CECC Analysis pieces. Looking back on these pieces now offers a useful retrospective on how events in Tibetan areas – and our understanding of them – developed and changed over time. We are pleased to include these reports (as of March 27, 2008), in addition to CECC Updates on other issues and areas, in this newsletter.

 
 
 

Beijing Court Sentences Hu Jia to 3 Years 6 Months' Imprisonment

The Beijing Number 1 Intermediate People's Court sentenced activist Hu Jia on April 3 to three and a half years' imprisonment and one year deprivation of political rights for "inciting subversion of state power," according to an April 3 Xinhua article (no longer available via Xinhua, but reprinted via Boxun; shorter English version available via China Daily).

Land Rights Activist Yang Chunlin Sentenced to Five Years

Yang Chunlin, the land rights activist who organized a petition titled "We Want Human Rights, Not the Olympics," was sentenced to five years in prison on March 24 by the Jiamusi City Intermediate People's Court in Heilongjiang province for "inciting subversion of state power," according to March 24 articles by the Associated Press (AP) and Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD).

Xinjiang Authorities Pledge Crackdown Against "Three Forces"

Officials in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) renewed a pledge in early March to crack down against the government-designated "three forces" of terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism. The government has waged a longstanding campaign against the "three forces" and has used its anti-crime campaigns as a pretext for severe rights abuses in the XUAR. The pledges came as the government provided limited details on recent alleged terrorist activities in the region.

New Internet Regulations Tighten State Control Over Audio and Video Content

New regulations, which went into effect January 31, further tighten the state's control over online audio and video content in China. Notably, the Provisions on the Administration of Internet Video and Audio Programming Services (the Provisions) now require state ownership in companies providing these services (hereinafter referred to as A/V companies), although the Chinese government has said it will not impose this requirement on the mostly private companies already in operation.

House Church Leader Zhou Heng Released From Detention

Authorities in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) released house church leader and bookstore manager Zhou Heng from detention on February 19 after holding him for over six months for alleged involvement in plans to receive and distribute religious literature. According to a February 21 China Aid Association (CAA) article, authorities dropped the charges against him.

Party, Government Launch New Security Program, Patriotic Education, in Tibetan Area

Official Chinese Communist Party and government sources in Ganzi (Kardze) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (TAP), Sichuan province, have published unusually detailed accounts of anti-separatism and patriotic education activity in Ganzi county, and of a pilot security initiative underway in selected villages. A January 4, 2008, Ganzi Daily article (translated in OSC, 12 February 2008) noted that the county's remote location and "historical reasons" (a reference to Ganzi's reputation for pro-independence sentiment) had made the work of "maintaining public order and safeguarding stability . . . very arduous."

Foreign Minister "Freedom of Speech" Comments At Odds With Arrests, Detentions

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said that it is "impossible" for someone in China to be arrested for saying "human rights are more important than the Olympics," a statement that conflicts with the recent arrest, detention, and questioning of a number of Chinese citizens who have publicly criticized China's human rights record in relation to the Olympics. According to a February 28 Reuters article, Yang told reporters that Chinese citizens enjoy "extensive freedom of speech."

"Bilingual" Policy Reduces Use of Ethnic Minority Languages in Xinjiang Preschools

A new program in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) strengthens government measures to promote Mandarin Chinese at the preschool level via educational instruction that the government describes as "bilingual" but that places primacy on Mandarin at the expense of ethnic minority languages. According to a February 28 article from the Urumqi Evening News (via Tianshan Net), authorities in the XUAR implemented a program in February to send student-teachers from the Xinjiang Preschool Teacher's College to preschools in Kashgar prefecture to supplement the area's shortage of bilingual teaching staff.

China's Long-Awaited Action Plan on Trafficking Aims To Provide "Sustainable" Solutions

China's first national plan to combat trafficking of women and children formalizes cooperation among agencies and establishes a national information and reporting system. The State Council's General Office issued China's National Plan of Action on Combating Trafficking in Women and Children (2008-2012) on December 13, 2007. The long-awaited plan, which was submitted for approval in July 2006, went into effect on January 1, 2008, and will be implemented over the next five years.