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Human rights defender and legal
adviser Chen Guangcheng, who has been under a
form of house arrest since 6
September 2005, was detained by police on the
night of 11 March along with his
cousin, Chen Guangyu, and a local resident,
Chen Guangjun. Chen Guangcheng's
wife, Yuan Weijing, was assaulted by police on
the same night. Amnesty
International fears that the detained men may be at
risk of torture or ill-treatment,
and that Yuan Weijing may also be in danger.
At around 7pm on 11 March, Chen
Guangyu left his house in the village of
Dongshigu in Yinan county, eastern
China, to buy cigarettes. He was reportedly
beaten by four hooded men wielding
wooden sticks, who were waiting nearby.
Police standing guard outside Chen
Guangyu's house apparently failed to
intervene to stop the four men.
According to local sources, Chen Guangyu had
blood on his face, neck and arms
following the attack. The reason for the
alleged attack is unclear, but
sources close to Chen Guangcheng have speculated
that it was a trap aimed at
forcing Chen Guangcheng to leave the house,
providing the police with a
pretext to detain him.
When Chen Guangcheng discovered
that his cousin had been attacked, he
reportedly became angry. He went
outside with Chen Guangyu to ask the police
who was responsible for the
beating, but could not get an answer from them. The
two men then set out towards the
Yinan local government office to seek an
investigation into the beating.
Chen Guangcheng's wife Yuan Weijing and another
villager, Chen Guangjun, followed
Chen Guangyu and Chen Guangcheng in an effort
to protect them in case of further
attack. However, the four were soon
surrounded by a crowd of around
100 people, including about 50 police officers.
When they were only a few hundred
metres from the house, around 10 uniformed
police officers arrested Chen
Guangcheng, Chen Guangyu and Chen Guangjun, and
took them to the local police
station.
Chen Guangcheng's mother and Yuan
Weijing, who was carrying her baby, allegedly
tried to stop the police from
arresting the men, but police officers reportedly
threw both women into a ditch at
the side of the road. The women and the baby
apparently suffered bruising as a
result of this ill-treatment. After the men
had been arrested, Yuan Weijing
received an official notice from police saying
that Chen Guangcheng was suspected
of "leading people to block the road" and
that the three men would be held
for 24 hours in connection with these charges.
However, all three are still
detained, though the basis for their detention is
still unclear.
Chen Guangcheng, who has been
blind since birth, has been under ‘residential
surveillance’ (a form of house
arrest) since 6 September 2005. He had been
assisting villagers to take legal
action against the Linyi city authorities,
who they alleged had been breaking
the law in their pursuit of birth quotas.
Under 'residential surveillance',
his house has been surrounded by police
officers and others allegedly
hired to prevent him from leaving his house, and
his home telephone line has been
cut several times. On 5 February 2006, around
400 villagers gathered outside
Chen Guangcheng's home to protest against his
'residential surveillance' and the
arrest of Chen Hua, a neighbour and relative
of Chen Guangcheng (see previous
update). The villagers escorted Chen
Guangcheng to Chen Guangyu’s
house, which is close by, so that he would be able
to use the telephone more freely.
Local officials and police have reportedly
not attempted to forcibly return
Chen Guangcheng to his own home, but have put
guards outside Chen Guangyu’s
house. Chen Guangyu's telephone has reportedly
since been cut off.
On 15 February, Yuan Weijing was
reportedly beaten by a group of around 30
unidentified people as she left
her house to shop for food. This beating caused
her pain in her back and side.
When she tried to go to a hospital on 16
February for medical treatment for
her injuries, she was reportedly stopped by
a group of people, including a
local Communist Party official. It remains
unclear how serious her injuries
are.
Chen Hua, a neighbour and relative
of Chen Guangcheng, remains in detention
after expressing support for Chen
Guangcheng. Local resident Chen Guangchun,
who led a protest calling for Chen
Hua's release, is now in detention. Both men
continue to be at risk of torture
and ill-treatment.
You can also
Download
and use the letter
of the Law Society
of England and Wales.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Source : PUBLIC AI Index: ASA 17/018/2006
14 March 2006
Further Information on UA 271/05 (ASA 17/037/2005, 14 October 2005) and
follow-ups (ASA 17/040/2005, 25 October 2005, ASA 17/005/2006, 06 February
2006) Fear of further torture and ill treatment /arbitrary detention
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