The arrest of feminists adds to the persecution of human rights and anti-corruption activists
Former Chinese internal security chief charged with corruption
The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, in the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing in 2013. / REUTERS
For Li and her companions, this weekend is key. The deadline for the Chinese Police to request that formal charges be filed against them then ends.. If they remain imprisoned next week, It will be a strong indication that the Prosecutor's Office supports the case against them and plans to put them on trial.. The charge of “causing riots and creating trouble” can lead to five years in prison.
the five —Li Maizi; Wei Tingting; Wu Rongrong; Zheng Churan, y Wang Man— They are part of a small, but very dynamic so far, circle of activists against female discrimination. Li, in particular, had led imaginative campaigns to demand more public toilets for them or to denounce gender violence.
His arrest is not a unique case in China, where from Xi Jinping's rise to power, completed in March 2013, space for civil society has been limited, either by controlling the Internet, a tightening of censorship in the media or greater attention to the material that circulates in classrooms.
A CHRD report last month estimated that in 2014 were arrested 955 human rights defenders, almost as many as in the previous two years combined (1.160). Many were arrested at two particularly politically sensitive times, around the25 Tiananmen anniversary in June and during pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong in the fall.
“The Xi government has drastically reduced the limited space left for human rights activism.”. Many activists working in areas that authorities would not have previously considered sensitive, or less threatening from a political point of view, “They faced greater harassment and persecution”, the report points out.
Various causes
- Cao Shunli, of 50 years, was detained in 2013 in a protest. He died in a military hospital a year ago..
- Xu Zhiyong, of 42 years and leader of an anti-corruption movement, was sentenced to four years in 2014 por "reunir a una masa de gente para alterar el orden público".
- ILHAM TOHTİ, Uyghur from 45 years and professor of Economics at Beijing Minority University, He was sentenced to life in prison in September.
- Pu Zhiqiang, of 50 years, one of the most famous lawyers in the country, was arrested in June 2014 por "obtener información sobre otros de manera ilegal".
Para Human Rights Watch se trata de "la peor represión desde los años noventa", Maya Wang, a researcher from this organization, points out from Hong Kong.. Wang considers it worrying that the repression does not only include arrests —Similar campaigns of imprisonment have already been experienced in recent years—, sino que tenga un carácter "exhaustivo", from the role of the Internet to freedom of expression. A series of bills in the making, on non-governmental organizations or against terrorism, could further reduce the available space, according to rights defenders.
From Hong Kong, Wang attributes this hardening to Xi's fear, after coming to power, that the Communist Party could be in danger of “losing its control of the country”, especially in light of the popular revolutions in countries like Ukraine, Georgia or Egypt in the first years of the 21st century. By increasing control, think, The regime “reduces the ability to pressure the Party where the Party does not want to be pressured from below”.
Some of the country's most prominent human rights defenders have already fallen in the campaign, as Lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, in police custody, or university professor Ilham Tohti, one of the most moderate voices in defense of the rights of the Uighur minority and sentenced last year to life imprisonment.
This year shows no signs of improving. In addition to the five women, Ou Shaokun was arrested and released on bail last month., famous Cantonese anti-corruption activist. Ou was accused of having hired the services of a prostitute, something he denies. And in one case with surreal overtones, In Xinjiang, a Uyghur man was sentenced to six years in prison for growing a beard, as reported by local media a week ago. Given the scandal that this sentence caused, The information published in the Chinese media about it was quickly censored.
Two worrying bills
Two bills being handled by the Chinese government have raised particular concern among human rights defenders.: the proposed law against terrorism and the one that will regulate the operation of foreign NGOs.
The first threatens freedom of religion and expression, as well as the rights of minorities, according to Amnesty International. Those who criticize government policies or even practice their religion peacefully could be accused of “extremism.”. He has even received criticism from the president of the United States., Barack Obama. The text provides that technology companies provide their encryption codes and install access to their systems that security forces can use in the investigation of terrorism cases..
The draft law on NGOs has not yet been submitted to public consultation. This proposal would leave non-governmental organizations under the control of the Ministry of Public Security, instead of the much weaker Ministry of Civil Affairs. Organizations that would like funds from abroad —essential for its operation, given the difficulties in raising money publicly in China— They would need prior approval from the Government.
