January 13, 2016 – Human Rights Watch(HRW) has called on President Xi Jinping of Chinese to release four rights activists unlawfully detained without trial.
The four activists are Director of the Panyu Migrant Workers Centre, Zeng Feiyang, Zhu Xiaomei and Meng Han, as well as, Director of Nan Fei Yan, He Xiaobo.
In a statement, HRW called on the Chinese government to immediately release the four labor rights activists who were formally arrested in Guangdong province on apparent politically motivated grounds, Human Rights Watch said today.
“These formal arrests of labor activists signify a significant escalation in the Chinese government’s assault on civil society since President Xi Jinping came to power. Under Xi, the authorities are showing increasing hostility toward those whose activism wasn’t considered a threat just a few years ago,” Asia director, Brad Adams said.
“The Chinese government is shooting itself in the foot by persecuting labor activists who have played an important mediating role between workers and companies. The authorities need to stop seeing anyone who disagrees with them as an enemy to be jailed and start working with these pioneering labor rights advocates who have done so much to maintain industrial calm in China’s factories”, HRW said.
The four were among over a dozen labor rights activists from four organizations taken into custody on December 3 by police in Guangdong province. Police also apprehended Tang Jian (also known as “Bei Guo”), a former employee of Panyu Migrant Workers Center, who was in Beijing, and Peng Jiayong, director of the Panyu-based Laborer Mutual Aid Group.
Guangzhou police also took away staff members of Guangzhou Hai Ge Workers’ Services Center on December 3, though they were later released.
On December 4, police formally detained Zeng, Zhu, and Meng for “gathering crowds to disturb social order.” On the same date, police formally detained He on unspecified grounds for “embezzlement.” Peng’s lawyer believes that he has also been formally detained.
Under Chinese law, the police can hold criminal suspects for up to 37 days before the procuratorate, the state prosecution, makes a decision to either release or formally arrest them, HRW said.
