CHINA

New information :

According to the information received, on July 24, 2007, at approximately 7.30 a.m., Mr. Zheng Enchong and his wife, Mrs. Jiang Meili, went to the Shangai Municipal Higher People’s Court in order to register themselves to attend the Zhou Zhenghyi’s trial, scheduled for the end of July 2007 (See background information).

Once the couple arrived at the Courthouse, they were surrounded by six police officers, Messrs. Tang Wei, Wu Yanan, Qian Guoqiang, Wang Zhenlin, Li Wei and Feng Jianping. Two of them, namely Messrs. Tang Wei and Wu Yanan, along with the other officers, knocked Mr. Zheng Enchong to the ground, beat him and dragged him nearly 200 metres in an hour-long assault that was witnessed by hundreds of neighboring residents. As a result, Mr. Zheng sustained serious abrasions to his left hand during the struggle.

The police officers then reportedly pushed Mr. Zheng and his wife into a taxi that took them to the home of Mrs. Jiang Meili’s older sister, Ms. Jiang Zhongli, on Baochang Road. According to the latest report, five police cars and more than 30 police officers were allegedly blocking the exits of the street, keeping Ms. Jiang Zhongli’s home under close surveillance and preventing the couple from leaving.

In the meantime, more than 50 displaced residents of the Dongbakuai neighbourhood, including Mr. Wei Qin, Mr. Shi Lin, Mr. Shen Peilan and Mr. Wang Liqing, arrived at the Shanghai Municipal Higher People’s Court at approximately 9 a.m. to register to attend the same trial, but they were prevented from entering the court building by security guards and court police.

The Observatory recalls that Mr. Zheng Enchong was released on June 5, 2006 after serving a three-year prison term for “illegally providing state secrets overseas”. Since his release, Mr. Zheng has been under effective house arrest and constant surveillance by police.

The Observatory condemns these new acts of harassment against Mr. Zheng Enchong and his wife, and urges the authorities to respect their fundamental freedoms, as well as to guarantee their physical and psychological integrity.

Background information:

In 2004, Mr. Zhou Zhengyi, former president of Shanghai-based property firm Nongkai Development Group, was sentenced to three years in prison for various crimes, including accounting fraud and stock price manipulation. He was released in May 2006 upon completion of his prison term (which included time served pre-trial). Soon after, a corruption scandal erupted in Shanghai, resulting in the dismissal of Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Liangyu and many other officials in September 2006. Mr. Zhou Zhengyi was detained again on new allegations and formally arrested on charges of bribery and forging tax invoices on January 21, 2007.

On July 5, 2007, Mr. Zheng Enchong, together with other 100 evicted householders, signed a petition demanding a public trial for Mr. Zhou Zhengyi and for the evictees to be allowed to attend and testify at the trial. They have received no reply to date.

Actions required:

Please write to the Chinese authorities urging them to:

1. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Zheng Enchong and his family;
2. Conduct a fair, impartial and independent investigation into the allegations of ill-treatment above-mentioned, in order to identify all those responsible, bring them to justice and apply to them the civil, penal and/or administrative sanctions provided by law;
3. Guarantee that adequate reparation is provided to Mr. Zheng Enchong, as a victim of abuses;
4. Put an end to any kind of act of harassment and threats against Mr. Zheng and his relatives, as well as against all human rights defenders in the country;
5. Conform with the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, especially its article 1, which states that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”, and article 12.2, which states that “the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration”;
6. Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards and international instruments ratified by the People’s Republic of China.

Addresses:

• President Hu Jintao, People’s Republic of China, c/o Embassy of the People’s Republic of China; 2300 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, D.C., 20008, USA, Fax: +01 202 588-0032;
• Ambassador Sha Zukang, Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China, Chemin de Surville 11, Case postale 85, 1213 Petit-Lancy 2, Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +41 22 7937014, E-mail: mission.china@ties.itu.int;
• Minister of Justice of the People’s Republic of China (Buzhang Sifabu), Zhang Fusen, 10 Chaoyangmen Nandajie, Chaoyangqu, Beijingshi 100020, People’s Republic of China, Fax: +86 10 6529 2345
• Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China (Buzhang Waijiaobu), Li Zhaoxing, 2 Chaoyangmen Nandajie, Beijingshi 100701, People’s Republic of China, Fax: +86 10 6588 2594, Email: ipc@fmprc.gov.cn;

Please also write to the diplomatic representations of the People’s Republic of China in your respective countries.