Tag Archives: China

No More ‘Ships of Shame’ to Africa

July 14, 2011 at 2:35 PM

By Alaphia Zoyab, Online Communities Officer at Amnesty International.

UN Photo/Albert Gonzalez Farran

At a meeting with NGOs on the side-lines of the UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) negotiations in New York, China made the claim that it does not transfer arms to conflict states in Africa. That claim is simply not true and China has clearly forgotten about the notorious ‘Ship of Shame’. We are happy to remind them.

In 2008 a Chinese ship MV An Yue Jiang arrived in Durban in South Africa with a deadly cargo of more than 3000 cases of arms. The cases included nearly 3 million rounds of rifle ammunition, rocket-propelled grenades, mortar bombs and mortar launchers, all exported by Poly Technologies Inc. of Beijing. This cargo was destined for the Zimbabwean Defence Force.

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Call For Democracy Rises Again 22 Years After Tiananmen

June 3, 2011 at 10:09 AM

Amnesty activists in Italy hold signs that say "This is my Tiananmen Square." A similar commemoration would be prohibited in China.

When the so-called Arab Spring swept the Middle East and North Africa, the reverberations also shuddered through Chinese civil society – first as a new wave of online activism, and then as crushing oppression from the Chinese state.

When dissidents began calling for China to stage its own “Jasmine Revolution,” the authorities responded with overwhelming force. Since February the Chinese government has targeted more than 100 activists and human rights defenders.

The weight of such overt oppression — the worst since the 2009’s deadly Urumqi riots — is made particularly acute by the 22nd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy activists. Although more than two decades have passed since the 1989 protests, the Chinese authorities are quick to extinguish any forms of commemoration, and to silence voices of discontent raised around the politically volatile anniversary.

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Meet China's 'Jasmine' Activists

May 10, 2011 at 8:05 AM

Following the revolutions in the Middle East earlier this year, government fears of a “Jasmine Revolution” in China have led to dozens of government critics, lawyers, activists, bloggers, artists and “netizens” being arrested since February. Meet a few of those brave activists.

Liang Haiyi aka Tiny
Status: In detention on suspicion of “subversion of state power.”
In her own words: “When the country cannot protect a beggar, it cannot protect the emperor!”

Liang Haiyi was an early victim of the “Jasmine Revolution” crackdown. Her blog has not been updated since February 19, when she posted: “How far away are Nazis from us? Would dictatorship reappear in Germany? Secondary school teachers did a little test and got an alarming answer that history can be repeated so easily, and therefore pay a painful price.” She also posted a video that can no longer be viewed.

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Speak Out For Imprisoned Journalists On World Press Freedom Day

May 3, 2011 at 9:02 AM

Shi Tao, serving a 10 year sentence in China for writing an email.

Sending an e-mail seems harmless enough, but Shi Tao has been in prison for it for over six years.  His crime: working as a journalist and exposing censorship.

In that e-mail, Shi Tao commented on Chinese authorities’ directive to downplay the 15th anniversary of the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy activists. When a journalist speaks out for human rights and the lives of others in China he risks his own — even in a digital world of e-mail and the web.

And how appropriate that today, World Press Freedom Day, focuses on media freedom in the digital age.  World Press Freedom Day was established by the United Nations as a tribute to journalists, celebrating the very rights that Shi Tao cannot enjoy: the fundamental human right to freedom of expression.  All over the world, journalists constantly face imprisonment, violence, intimidation, detainment and even torture for reporting on human rights violations.

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Activists Rally In DC For Human Rights

April 18, 2011 at 7:10 PM

By Dana Watters, Amnesty Get On The Bus Volunteer

Even at nine in the morning on a Friday, when most of us would normally be counting down to the weekend, the energy in the Foundry in Washington, DC is phenomenal. In the sunshine outside, groups color flags in support of Filep Karma, while inside roses and key actions are passed around for signatures. Larry Cox hasn’t even arrived yet, and everyone is already buzzing with excitement.

By the time everyone has settled inside for the opening speeches, the count is well over one hundred Amnesty International activists. The various speakers infect the crowd with even more passion and anticipation, reaching a pinnacle when Larry announces that he has decided that joining us for Get on the Bus is more important than going home to meet with the IRS.

The group splits, half heading to demonstrate for the Women of Zimbabwe (WoZA) at the Zimbabwe Embassy and half for Walid Yunis Ahmad at the Iraqi Consulate. We march in long ovals, chanting and holding our signs, the very picture of peaceful protest. At the Iraqi Consulate, faces peer out from the windows and passers by stop to watch.

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Dalai Lama 'Shine a Light on Human Rights' Award Event

April 8, 2011 at 4:06 PM

Amnesty International USA is honored to present His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama with the first-ever Shine a Light on Human Rights award in recognition of his lifelong commitment to social justice and human rights on Wednesday, May 4th at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, California.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has been nothing less than a champion of equality, human rights and nonviolent resistance for Tibetans and affected communities around the world. He has been awarded dozens of accolades, most notably the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize for his work advocating for nonviolence when dealing with the Chinese government.

The Dalai Lama has carried the hopes of the Tibetan people on his back for the past 50 years as he’s traveled the world to meet with foreign dignitaries and every day citizens alike, to spread his simple message of compassion. We are extremely privileged to be able to honor his work with this award.

Private Breakfast Reception with the Dalai Lama

The morning of May 4th, we will be hosting a Private Breakfast Reception with His Holiness the Dalai Lama with 10 Amnesty activists from around the country – one of them could be you! We’re selecting activists based on their record of achievement and leadership within our movement. Applications for the private breakfast are due on April 10th.

We hope you can join us at this historic event in during our 50th anniversary year. If you can’t make it in person, check back on our website at amnestyusa.org/dalailama where we will stream the event live on May 4th.

New Generation of Online Activists Targeted in China

March 23, 2011 at 1:19 PM

Hua Chunhui was detained after tweeting about the ‘Jasmine Revolution’ © Amnesty International

Jasmine Revolution.  Those two words simply uttered online elicit enough fear in Chinese leaders’ hearts to throw the writer in jail.

Online activists have long been at risk in China but the recent spate of arrests — following online calls for a ‘Jasmine Revolution’ in China — has gotten out of hand.  Chinese authorities are not only detaining seasoned dissidents; they are trying to silence a whole new generation of online activists.

More than 100 activists, many of them active on Twitter and blogging networks, have been detained, subjected to monitoring and intimidation by the security forces, or have gone missing since late February. The sweep is the worst since 2009 when thousands were detained following deadly riots in Urumqi.

The call for a ‘Jasmine Revolution’ in February consisted of online instructions to ‘stroll’ through designated public places on Sunday afternoons. Faced with a large state security presence, no significant gatherings took place.

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Mao Hengfeng Is Free In China!

February 23, 2011 at 8:26 PM

Update (2/24): Unfortunately, we celebrated too soon;  Mao Hengfeng has been detained again. According to her husband, Shanghai Yangpu district police came to her house today, saying they wanted to talk with her. Soon after, officials from Anhui Provincial Women’s Re-education Through Labour (RTL) facility also arrived, and in total over 30 police surrounded her house.

The police told her that she had committed activities which violated the terms of her medical parole, and was being sent back to RTL. She was not allowed to change her clothes or pack anything she needed.

After being unexpectedly released on 22 February, Mao Hengfeng celebrated with a group of friends in a restaurant that evening. Since then, she had been prevented from leaving her house. One friend who came to visit her was stopped by police and detained. Others who tried to visit were stopped and sent away.

Take action now to stop the re-incarceration of Mao Hengfeng.

Mao Hengfeng outside Shanghai petition office with her three daughters. © Private

We have great news to report — Mao Hengfeng was released unexpectedly yesterday, six months before the end of her sentence. She had been detained since March 2010 for protesting the arrest of Liu Xiaobo, a prominent human rights defender and Nobel Peace Prize winner.

This most recent detention was only one of many for Mao. Mao has courageously worked for human rights in China for years, and has suffered torture and ill-treatment at the hands of the Chinese authorities.

Mao was featured as a case in Amnesty’s 2010 Write for Rights campaign, which generated an incredible number – 636,139 – of appeals, from 51 different countries worldwide, for the release of Mao and other human rights activists. Mao’s husband, Wu Xuewei, believes that international pressure was integral to Mao’s release, and he sends his thanks to Amnesty for all the campaigning we’ve all done on Mao’s behalf.

This year’s Write for Rights campaign has already seen some amazing successes, including the release of Femi Peters in Gambia, and now the release of Mao Hengfeng. We sincerely thank you for your letters, which have already delivered hope for so many.

Mao Hengfeng has been detained again today, following her release on 22 February.
According to her husband, Shanghai Yangpu district police came to her house on 24 February and said they wanted to talk with her. Soon after they arrived, officials from Anhui Provincial Women’s Re-education Through Labour (RTL) facility arrived, and in total over 30 police surrounded her house.
The police told her that she had committed activities which violated the terms of her medical parole, and was being sent back to RTL. She was not allowed to change her clothes or pack anything she needed.
After being unexpectedly released on 22 February, Mao Hengfeng celebrated with a group of friends in a restaurant that evening. Since then, she had been prevented from leaving her house. On 23 February she attempted to go for a medical check, but was stopped by the police. According to her family, Mao Hengfeng did not argue with the police and stayed at home.
Later the same day, a friend came to visit her but was stopped by police and detained. More people tried to visit her but they were all stopped and sent away.
An Urgent Action is being prepared, and we will post it here as soon as it is finalised.

President Obama and China's Human Rights: Real Change or Rehashed Rhetoric?

January 21, 2011 at 3:46 PM

By T. Kumar, International Advocacy Director

The headlines are clear. President Obama exerted pressure on Chinese President Hu Jintao about China’s human rights record during this week’s summit.

While Amnesty International applauds President Obama for speaking publicly about human rights during the press conference, the question remains: will US policy in practice reflect President Obama’s rhetoric? The challenge for President Obama is to convert the overly positive publicity into real concrete action to bring improvements in China’s human rights.

Nobel Peace Prize recipient Liu Xiaobo remains locked up in China.

The rhetoric at the press briefing should be matched by incorporating human rights into every aspect of U.S. policy, not only limited to the State Department’s human rights bureau and annual human rights dialogue.  Human rights should be part of the policy brief for all the U.S. departments that interact with the Chinese government. Importantly, human rights should play an equal and important part of the US – China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

Prior to the state visit, Amnesty International and other human rights organizations urged President Obama to meet former political prisoners from China who are currently residing in the United States. President Bush met these political prisoners before his trip to China to attend the Olympics. President Obama ignored our request for reasons known only to him. By refusing to meet these political prisoners, the administration missed an opportunity to demonstrate the seriousness by which the United States views human rights in China. President Obama’s inaction also raises the question whether he is hesitant to be tough on human rights, in the absence of giving speeches.

The repartee between the Presidents was covered extensively; but the question looms: did President Obama get any commitment from the Chinese president for any tangible improvement in human rights? Did President Obama set any benchmarks or timelines? There are several areas to focus starting with re-education through labor camps, where Chinese authorities arbitrarily detain around 200,000 people, to the execution of political prisoners, and the continued imprisonment of Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo.

President Hu Jintao acknowledged the human rights issues in response to reporters’ questions. Will President Obama do his part to translate his human rights rhetoric into practice?

Freedom to Believe

December 22, 2010 at 8:00 AM

We want to share this powerful message former prisoner of conscience Bu Dongwei shared with Amnesty members earlier today.

Dear Amnesty Supporter,

Are you celebrating a holiday this December? Gathering in a place of worship? Displaying a symbol of your faith?

I was tortured for my faith — forced into a Chinese “re-education through labor” camp for more than two terrifying years for being a practitioner of Falun Gong.

I will never forget the day when seven policemen rushed into my home and arrested me. I was preparing a bath for my daughter – she was only 1 ½ years old.

The police found a few Falun Gong books – that was their so-called “evidence.” I was accused of “resisting the implementation of national laws” and “disturbing social order” and was sent to a labor camp in Beijing.

The only thing that protected me in the forced labor camp was the attention raised by Amnesty International and people like you.

Protect freedom of religion and other basic human rights all year long – become a Partner of Conscience monthly donor with Amnesty today.

In China, we are not free to believe what we want – unless the government approves. Two of my personal friends were beaten to death in my detention center.

Although officials never showed me your letters when I was in the labor camp, from their attitude to me, I could feel that they got pressure from the outside world. I felt that I was not alone.

If you don’t have the freedom to believe, the freedom of speech, then it’s not a real life.

Amnesty shines a light on forgotten prisoners like me. I am forever grateful for all of the activists who rose up to defend my human rights, and the human rights of the Chinese people.

This movement is a beacon of hope for humanity and must persevere until human rights are a reality for everyone. Please don’t hesitate – make your contribution to Amnesty today.

Sincerely,

Bu Dongwei