China Human Rights and Rule of Law Update - May 2008
Message From the Chair and Co-Chair
On behalf of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, we express our most heartfelt condolences to the Chinese people for the terrible loss of life and injury suffered as a result of the tragic earthquake of May 12, 2008. Our thoughts and sympathies are with all those who now must endure the pain and heartbreak of losing family and friends. We sincerely hope for the complete success of all rescue efforts, the health and welfare of China’s emergency responders, and the speedy recovery of all those who have been injured. We offer our full support and hope for recovery and healing at this difficult time.
Sander Levin, Chair
Byron L. Dorgan, Co-Chair
Announcements
CECC Translation: Hu Jia's Indictment
The Commission has prepared a translation of activist Hu Jia's Indictment, issued by the Beijing Municipal People's Procuratorate No. 1 Branch on March 7, 2008. For more information, see previous CECC analyses on Hu Jia's sentencing, trial, arrest, and detention, and his record of detention, searchable through the CECC's Political Prisoner Database.
China Commits to "Open Government Information" Effective May 1, 2008
In a move that Chinese officials claim is intended to combat corruption, increase public oversight and participation in government, and allow citizens access to government-held information, the State Council on April 5, 2007, issued the first national Regulations on Open Government Information (OGI Regulation), which take effect May 1, 2008.
Censorship of Internet and Foreign News Broadcasts Following Tibetan Protests
Foreign media in mid-March reported incidents of censorship of the Internet and international news broadcasts in China following Tibetan protests that began on March 10. The Chinese government and Internet companies operating in China routinely censor political content on the Internet in China, but the recent actions indicate stepped up efforts to control access to information about the protests.
China Blocks Foreign Reporters From Covering Tibetan Protests
Chinese officials have barred foreign journalists from entering large parts of western China to cover recent incidents of Tibetan protests. The closed areas include the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), about half of Sichuan province, and parts of Qinghai, Gansu, and Yunnan provinces, according to a March 20 Deutsche Welle article and an April 10 Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article.
Authorities Block Uighur Protest in Xinjiang, Detain Protesters
Authorities suppressed demonstrations by ethnic Uighurs in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) who gathered on March 23 and 24 to protest human rights abuses, according to reports from U.S. media. The protests, which took place in Hoten city and nearby Qaraqash county, appear to have stemmed from a prominent businessman's death while in official custody and from general grievances over government policy in the region.
Government Official Reaffirms State Controls Over Religion
Ye Xiaowen, Director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, called for continued controls over religion to meet state goals in a March 13 interview in the Southern Weekend newspaper. (Translation cited here via Open Source Center, subscription required, April 10, 2008). "We should not expand religions," Ye said, "but strive to let existing religions do more for the motherland's reunification, national unity, economic development and social stability."
Wang Zaiqing Presumed Released From Prison, Shi Weihan Detained in Separate Bible-Printing Cases
House church pastor Wang Zaiqing completed his two-year prison sentence for "illegal operation of a business" on April 27 and is presumed to have since been released from prison, according to information from the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) Political Prisoner Database.