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