Chinese Activists Send Cards to
Hundreds of Prisoners of Conscience
2017-01-26
Rights activists in China have
launched a greetings card campaign for political prisoners around the country
ahead of Chinese New Year celebrations on Jan. 30, as foreign diplomats paid
visits to embattled activists faced with eviction in Beijing.
The campaign started with the
mass mailing of some 200 greetings cards to jailed prisoners of conscience,
sent by around 100 fellow activists, they told RFA.
Cards were sent to detained
rights lawyer Li Heping, website founder Liu Feiyue and free speech activist Wu
Gan, among others, campaign organizer Wu Jixin told RFA.
"Chinese New Year is nearly
upon us, and so some of us petitioners here in Beijing wanted to wish a Happy
New Year and express our care for these innocent people who are now behind
bars," Wu said.
He said petitioners, people who
pursue long-running complaints against official wrongdoing, often to no avail,
are best-placed to understand what political prisoners stood for.
"[Many political prisoners]
used to help out vulnerable groups and petitioners, and made a definite
contribution to society, and to social progress," he said.
"If rights activists don't
stand up for justice, then nobody will, and the dark side of society would get
even darker," Wu said. "They cared about us, so we care about them,
and we want to support them."
He called on the ruling Chinese
Communist Party to release all political prisoners, and to protect citizens'
rights.
"They talk about the rule of
law, but they don't rule by law at all," he said. "They use that
slogan as a stick to beat people with instead."
An outrage 'getting worse'
In Hong Kong, pan-democratic
lawmaker and veteran activist Leung Kwok-hung said 2010 Nobel peace laureate
Liu Xiaobo is China's most famous political prisoner, but there are many more
besides, including human rights lawyers.
"Throwing people in jail for
what they say? It doesn't get much grubbier than that," Leung said.
"It's an outrage, and it's getting worse."
"We can see how they carried
out a massive series of detentions of rights lawyers all around the country,
starting on July 9, 2015," he said. "They went after anyone who
wouldn't do as they were told."
Meanwhile, diplomats from the
U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany and other E.U. countries visited beleaguered
women's rights activist and artist Ye Haiyan and poet Wang Zang in their homes
ahead of Chinese New Year.
Chinese artist and feminist Ye
Haiyan, known as "Hooligan Sparrow," the eponymous subject of an
award-winning documentary about her activism, is camping out in sub-zero temperatures
at her home in Beijing's Songzhuang artists' village after authorities cut off
her water, electricity and heating.
Ye had previously been issued
with the threat of eviction if she didn't stop posting on social media, but
refused to comply.
Similar treatment has been meted
out to her neighbor, the activist and poet Wang Zang, who has three young
children.
The authorities have put
increasing pressure on both households to move out in recent weeks.
Diplomats visit activists
Wang said he received a visit on
Wednesday from the diplomats, who came with veteran rights activist Hu Jia.
"They [all] expressed their
concern over our family's situation," he said. "When they were done
visiting us, they went over to Ye Haiyan's house, and expressed similar
concerns over their situation."
"The E.U. ambassador ...
said he wished me and my family a Happy Chinese New Year, and good health and
fortunes in the Year of the Rooster," he said. "I am extremely
grateful for their hard work for human rights."
Ye said diplomats from eight
different embassies had visited the artists' village.
"They brought me a New Year
greetings card," she said. "They thought it was very strange that my
water and electricity were cut off, and they asked me why it was."
"I told them that there is
no correct answer in the end, and that I don't really understand it
myself."
Ye has previously said her recent
troubles began after she penned an online article hitting out at China's
growing Maoist movement for its trolling of liberal intellectuals.
Beijing-based eviction activist
Ni Yulan said she had also received a visit.
"I had visits today from
three diplomats, from Germany, the E.U. and Sweden," Ni said. "They
said that some uniformed police tried to stop
them coming in at the door, and
asked them where they were going."
"They said they were coming
to see me, and they weren't prevented from doing so," she said. "They
brought me a card, signed by diplomats from eight different countries,
including ambassadors."
"They asked me about my
life, how I've been doing lately, and if they could offer me any
assistance," she said.
Ni said she remains under heavy
police surveillance, however.
"Somebody follows me
wherever I go, and the police have told my landlord not to let me rent this
place any more," she said. "It's very hard for us to find a [secure]
place to live right now."
Reported by Lee Lai for RFA's
Cantonese Service, and by Qiao Long for the Mandarin Service. Translated and
edited by Luisetta Mudie.