Deserves to be shared for what it’s worth
For Immediate Release
Chinese original follows
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(English Translation)
Moving Forward in Love —
Joint Statement by Detainees’ Families on the anniversary of the 709 Crackdown
We are families of some of the individuals implicated in the 709 Crackdown. Some of them are lawyers and some active citizens. For many years, they have worked tremendously on issues relating to human rights, freedom of expression and religion, land disputes, anti-discrimination and food safety. By making use of their professional knowledge and their connections with the general public, they have strived to contribute to China’s reform in rule of law and rights protection.
Since 9th July 2015, they have been disconnected from the outside world in the name of suspicion of endangering state security. We lost trace of them, and the only justifications for that were a sheet of notification of arrest and a video of confession played on CCTV.
Over the past year, we have been travelling tens of times with the defence counsels, running between the Procuratorate, Security Bureau and Detention Centre. Yet, our efforts were always in vain as we were greeted by the officials with indifferences and rejections. Then on 7 July 2016, we saw the online post of Zhao Wei, one of the detainees of the 709 crackdown, being released on bail. We are very pleased, but also feel bitter. We are pleased because she can eventually return to this larger prison of the society. However, we also feel bitter because it is hard for us to imagine how much suffering she has gone through over this whole year past for her to so promptly issue a long online post of accusation in less than half a day after her release on bail. It testifies precisely the various instances of power abuse the authorities have shamelessly conducted in the 709 crackdown;
1. Prohibition of expressing support: For the purpose of blocking all the supporting voices from the outside world, the Chinese government subpoenaed hundreds of lawyers and citizens, threatening them not to speak for the detainees. Up until now, there has still been lawyers and citizens being harassed as a result of the 709 Crackdown;
2. Trial by Official Medias: detainees were forced to confess through official medias, adopting various ways to defame them, and threatening detainees being released on bail not to contact with the outside world or even accuse other people in order to be granted release on bail;
3. Recording by luring: In order to force detainees to ‘admit guilty’, the police would lure and threaten their families to record videos to ‘persuade’ them, which is extremely intimidating;
4. Unlawful Dismissal of Lawyers: In order not to let detainees meet their lawyers and the outside world to know about their situations, the police exhausted all means of deceit, in order to designate lawyers for them, and reject the requests of meeting by the lawfully appointed by the detainees’ families;
5. Implications on Detainees’ Families: As the detainees’ families in the 709 crackdown, we are tailed, force to move out of our house, harassed at midnight, obstructed from work and there are children who can hardly enter a school. We can no longer continue our normal life;
6. Implication on Our Children: The police even listed our minor children as crime suspects, refusing to handle their passports for departure. By far, there are still detainees’ families and children being tightly monitored by the police on a 24-hour basis.
There are so many more acts of this kind to be listed. Zhao Wei’s case is just one of the many examples. Up until now, 23 lawyers and citizens implicated in the 709 crackdown are still being detained, with most of them deprived of their rights to meet their lawyers, including: Wang Yu, Wang Quanzhang, Li Heping, Xie Yanyi, Xie Yang, Li Chunfu, Zhou Shifeng, Hu Shigen, Bao Longjun, Liu Sixin, Wu Gan, Lin Bin, Gou Hongguo, Tang Zhishun, Xing Qingxian, Di Yanmin, Liu Xing, Zhang Weihong, Li Yanjun, Yao Jianqing, Wang Fang, Yin Xuan, Zhang Wanhe.
In addition to that, there are still many families and those released on bail being continuously intimidated not to voice their opinion. We feel deeply concerned of their ordeals and situations.
Here, we strongly demand the Chinese government to:
1. Release all the detainees involved in the 709 crackdown, protect the rights of detainees, stop defaming them and protect their rights to meet their lawyers. If they are suspected of committing any crimes, we here declare that we are able to appoint lawyers on our own, and do not require the police to assign any lawyers for our families;
2. Stop all the monitoring, harassment, shadowing and persecution towards all the detainees’ families and people related to the 709 crackdown;
3. Protect all the lawful rights of detainees’ families, and restore their rights to lawfully to depart and enter other countries.
As citizens, demanding protection of our own and also our families’ lawful rights is our most basic request. He who plays with the fire will get burnt. As you manoeuvre with all illegal means today, do be assured that one day, you will be hoisted with your own petard.
Even though the pressure has remained extremely high over the past year, we still do not lack support and concern from all sides. On the occasion of the anniversary of the 907 crackdown, we, in the name of the detainees’ families, would like to express our gratitude to the following parties:
Thank you, lawyers who have strived hard for the 709 cases. Despite the numerous vicious interferences made by the authorities, you have braved all the challenges and stayed at the forefront;
Thank you the international community, including governments of different countries, organisations, media and NGOs, for all your concern. It is with your support that perpetrators feel need to restrain themselves from their unruliness.
Thank you to fellow friends in the country. The concern and support you have for us despite all risks will stay in our hearts.
Walking through the long night in the dark, we are not without fear. But fear cannot prevent us from moving forward, as long as love still exists in our hearts. As the families of detainees, we hope for the reunion of family, and are unwilling to see our beloved ones to be imprisoned, or being implicated. Nonetheless, we need forerunners to push for the social progress. For the advancement of the Chinese society, our beloved ones paying their price. It marks the suffering for the family but it will also remain an honour of ours in life..
As the 709 crackdown is still in process, we hope the concern and support will stay with us. Meanwhile, we also notice that there are many unknown human rights defenders and dissidents in China being arrested, detained or experiencing similar sufferings that our beloved ones are bearing. They also need the support and concern from both the local and international societies. They include individuals who have been recently detained, long-term disappeared, or sentenced, and they are Lu Yuyu, Li Tingyu, Hu Changgen, Fu Hailu, Zhang Juanyong, Luo Yufu, Qin Yongmin, Zhao Suli, Zhang Haitao….. They also include protestors going on a hunger strike like Guo Feixiong and Yu Shiwen, detainees not being able to meet their families like Tang Jingling and Wang Qingying; and people who are detained as a result of their struggles for labour rights such as Ceng Feiyang and Meng Han. There are many others whom we cannot name here, but we deeply miss every one of them. We wish they can overcome all the hardships, and in love, let us move on together.
The security of a nation can never be achieved by arresting prisoners of conscience. We believe that upon the balance of law and righteousness, and that of humanity and public wills, justice will be on our side to break the darkness.
Signatures:
Wang Qiaoling (Wife of Lawyer Li Heping)
Yuan Shanshan (Wife of Lawyer Xie Yanyi)
Liu Ermin (Wife of Citizen Di Yanmin)
Li Wenzu (Wife of Lawyer Wang Quanzhang)
Wang Quanxiu (Sister of Lawyer Wang Quanzhang)
Fan Lili (Wife of Citizen Ge Ping)
Chen Guiqiu (Wife of Lawyer Xie Yang)
