HUMAN RIGHTS: MFA ON RELIGIOUS PRISONERS,

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 015559 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/27/2031 TAGS: PHUM PREL KIRF CH SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS: MFA ON RELIGIOUS PRISONERS, DETAINED AIDS ACTIVIST AND JOURNALIST'S BEATING REF: A. STATE 119437 ¶B. BEIJING 15316 CLASSIFIED BY: CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL INTERNAL UNIT CHIEF SUSAN THORNTON. REASONS 1.4 (B/D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: ON JULY 26, POLOFF RAISED USG CONCERN ABOUT THE RECENT DETENTION OF AN AIDS ACTIVIST, THE BEATING DEATH OF A JOURNALIST AND THE CONVICTION OF SEVERAL UNDERGROUND PROTESTANT LEADERS, INCLUDING SOME SENTENCED TO DEATH. AN MFA HUMAN RIGHTS DIVISION OFFICIAL HAD NO INFORMATION ABOUT THE CASES RAISED BUT SHE CONFIRMED THAT THREE RELIGIOUS PRISONERS WHOM EMBASSY INQUIRED ABOUT MORE THAN SIX MONTHS AGO WERE RELEASED IN DECEMBER 2005 AND JANUARY 2006, RESPECTIVELY. THE OFFICIAL SAID THE HUMAN RIGHTS DIVISION IS PLAYING LITTLE ROLE IN HANDLING KEY CASES OF UNITED STATES CONCERN, SUCH AS LPR YANG JIANLI, REBIYA KADEER'S FAMILY MEMBERS AND BLIND LEGAL ACTIVIST CHEN GUANGCHENG, BECAUSE CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES HAVE NO CURRENT HUMAN RIGHTS DIALOGUE OR CONTACT IN THE NEW UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) IN A JULY 26 MEETING, POLOFF RAISED USG CONCERN ABOUT THE FOLLOWING CASES WITH MFA INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS DEPARTMENT, HUMAN RIGHTS DIVISION OFFICIAL XU JING: - THE JULY 20 DETENTION OF HENAN AIDS ACTIVIST LI XIGE ON SUSPICION OF "ASSEMBLING A CROWD TO ATTACK STATE ORGANS;" - THE JULY 18 BEATING DEATH OF GUIZHOU NEWSPAER EDITOR XIAO GUOPENG BY A POLICE OFFICIAL; - THE JUNE 28 MURDER CONVICTION AND DEATH SENENCE GIVEN TO XU SHUANGFU, LEADER OF THE THREEGRADES OF SERVANTS CHURCH, AND SEVERAL OF HISFOLLOWERS AND - THE JUNE 29 CONVICTION AND 7.5 YEAR SENTENCE METED OUT TO HENAN UNDERGROUND PROTESTANT PASTOR ZHANG RONGLIANG FOR ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSING AND ATTAINING A PASSPORT THROUGH FALSE PRETENSES. ¶3. (C) XU JING SAID SHE WAS AWARE OF THE CASES INVOLVING RELIGIOUS FIGURES BUT HAD NOT YET RECEIVED ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THEM. POLOFF EMPHASIZED THE NEED FOR PROMPT LIAISON WITH RELEVANT AGENCIES, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE DEATH SENTENCES METED OUT TO XU SHUANGFU, LI MAOXING, WANG JUN, ZHANG MIN, ZHU LIXING AND BEN ZHONGHAI IN THE THREE GRADES OF SERVANTS CASE. ELEVEN OTHER MEMBERS OF THAT CHURCH WERE SENTENCED TO JAIL TERMS, HE EMPHASIZED. XU JING SAID SHE WOULD PROMPTLY CONVEY THE INFORMATION TO AUTHORITIES IN HEILONGJIANG PROVINCE, WHERE THE CASE WAS TAKING PLACE. ¶4. (C) POLOFF ASKED WHETHER THERE WERE FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CASES OF AMERICAN LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENT YANG JIANLI, BLIND LEGAL ACTIVIST CHEN GUANGCHENG OR THE CHILDREN OF UIGHUR ACTIVIST REBIYA KADEER (REFTELS). XU SAID HER DIVISION WAS PLAYING LITTLE ROLE IN THE HANDLING OF MOST OF THOSE CASES AND REFERRED THE EMBASSY TO THE NORTH AMERICAN AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT. NOTING THAT SOME OF THOSE MATTERS WERE DISCUSSED BY THE AMBASSADOR WITH NORTH AMERICAN AFFAIRS VICE MINISTER YANG ON JULY 24 (REF B),XU SAID THAT IT WAS MOST LIKELY THAT NORTH AMERICAN AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS WOULD BE TASKED WITH ANY SUBSTANTIVE RESPONSE. ¶5. (C) THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS DEPARTMENT'S HUMAN RIGHTS DIVISION WOULD CONTINUE TO HEAR USG CONCERNS AND CONVEY THEM TO RELEVANT AGENCIES, XU SAID, BUT SHE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE DIVISION WAS PLAYING LITTLE MORE THAN AN ADMINISTRATIVE ROLE RECENTLY. HER DEPARTMENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS DIALOGUES AND UN ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING THE OLD COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE NEW HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL BUT IS NOT FOCUSED ON THE CASES OF KEY USG CONCERN BECAUSE THE U.S.-CHINA HUMAN RIGHTS DIALOGUE IS ON HOLD. AS A RESULT, SHE CLAIMED THAT KEY CASES OF CONCERN TO THE UNITED STATES HAVE LITTLE BEARING ON THE WORK OF HER DIVISION AND ARE BETTER HANDLED BY THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP. REPORTS ON EARLIER RELEASES -------------- ¶6. (C) RESPONDING TO CONCERNS RAISED BY THE EMBASSY IN JANUARY ABOUT INDIVIDUAL CASES INVOLVING SUPPRESSION OF RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES, XU JING PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING FORMAL RESPONSES: - ON DECEMBER 24, GUO XIANYAO A RETIRED PROFESSOR FROM XINJIANG AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY HELD A LARGE RELIGIOUS RALLY THAT WAS NOT WITHIN A LICENSED SPACE FOR RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES. RELIGIOUS OFFICIALS TRIED TO PERSUADE THEM TO STOP AND GUO, ALONG WITH FOUR OTHER PEOPLE, REFUSED THEIR SUGGESTIONS AND RESISTED LAW ENFORCEMENT, RESULTING IN THEIR DETENTION FOR 15 DAYS. THE PEOPLE WERE RELEASED ON JANUARY 9, 2006 AND WERE NOT MISTREATED WHILE IN CUSTODY; - ON DECEMBER 12, MIAO FENGMING AND LIU HAIBO FROM INNER MONGOLIA WERE SUSPECTED OF ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES IN HEBEI PROVINCE. AFTER QUESTIONING, THEY WERE RELEASED AND DID NOT FACE ANY COERCION FROM POLICE. RANDT