Shenzhen Independent "Candidates" Zou Tao and

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GUANGZHOU 030534

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/16
TAGS: PHUM PGOV SOCI CH
SUBJECT: Shenzhen Independent "Candidates" Zou Tao and
Jiang Shan Face Stiffening Police Pressure

REF: A) Guangzhou 17422; B) Guangzhou 14013


1. (U) Classified by Consul General Robert X Goldberg.
Reason 1.4 (d).

Summary
--------------

2. (C) A PSB-led effort to crackdown on dissidents appears
to have thwarted efforts by democracy activists to run as
candidates in upcoming Shenzhen elections. Shenzhen-based
activists Zou Tao and Jiang Shan have been unable to
register even as voters, much less for the independent
candidacy they sought. Government officials told them
directly to "give up" their election dreams. Zou and his
activist friends face continued harassment including
detention, questioning, and at times beatings. End
summary.


3. (C) On August 31, Poloff met with the Shenzhen-based
activist Zou Tao to discuss his situation and latest goals.
Zou, who appeared more nervous and strained since the
previous meeting, said his rights have been steadily
limited since Poloff last met with him on June 2 (Ref A).
More recently, on September 22, Zou called Poloff that his
activist friend, Jiang Shan, had been roughly treated and
arrested by Shenzhen police. Zou later said Jiang was safe
at his home and police had temporarily detained him for
questioning.

Harassment
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4. (C) Zou originally gained international attention
(including detention by Shenzhen police) with a petition he
openly posted on the Internet, asking Chinese citizens to
boycott China's overpriced housing market for the next
three years. In July and August Zou said he was under
increasingly more difficult surveillance. His email
password is frequently blocked because the password has
been changed by someone else. On August 30, the day before
meeting Poloff, Zou said one of his best friends (whom he
did not want to name) was attacked outside of Shenzhen.
Zou brought pictures to the meeting of his friend lying in
a hospital bed. According to Zou, who was not present at
the event, a group of thugs jumped out of a van and used
clubs and knives to assault the friend. The thugs did not
take any money but left the friend bleeding from multiple
minor stab wounds and a missing finger.


5. (C) Zou said he weekly receives dozens of death threat
calls and text messages. Some of the callers say there is
a USD 1 million bounty for killing Zou. Every week Zou is
required to meet and report to the Shenzhen Public Security
Bureau (PSB). After meeting with Poloff in June, Zou was
immediately questioned about the content of the meeting.
Although the PSB has repeatedly told Zou to never meet with
foreign press, Zou has ignored these threats. This
September Zou's picture appeared in articles in the South
China Morning Post (SCMP) and Phoenix News Group magazine.
Zou said all his family members in his home province of
Hunan have been investigated by the PSB. The PSB have paid
particular attention to Zou's ex-wife, whom the PSB went to
great lengths to track down. If friends try to meet with
Zou, they are soon followed as well and told that they will
also receive trouble if they meet with him.


6. (C) In June, Zou told Poloff his dream was to work for
an NGO in Hong Kong. When Zou later went to the passport
office to issue a foreign passport, however, he was told he
was barred from leaving the country. Subsequently the PSB
has told him he cannot even leave Shenzhen. Zou also
claims he has been blacklisted by the government and cannot
get work. Zou says the goal of the government is "to make
him disappear."

Support and Outside Contacts
--------------


7. (C) Many outsiders look to Zou as a hero and symbol of
political activism in China. Zou showed Poloff messages
comparing him with Sun Yat-sen, Ghandi and Zhang Zhixin (a
young woman who was tortured and executed during the
Cultural Revolution). Messages were as diverse as a
peasant in Ningxia Autonomous Region to a graduate student
at a prominent Beijing university. Zou said he had

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received advice from other lawyers such as Gao Zhisheng,
Guo Feixiong, and Tang Jingling (Tang told Poloff he has
personally visited Zou) and recently help write an article
for the blind activist, Chen Guangcheng.

Dashed Election Hopes
--------------


8. (C) Zou said there is a group of activists in Shenzhen
who meet about once a month. The main goal of the group
has been to campaign for either Zou Tao or his activist
friend, Jiang Shan, as an independent representative to the
National People's Congress. (Note: In April, Guo Feixiong
also told Poloff that the main goal of the "Rights
Protection Movement" would be to focus on democratic
election rights on the village, county and township level.
Ref B). In order to run as a candidate, however, Zou and
Jiang must first register as a voter. During the meeting
with Poloff, Zou was concerned of his chances for election
since he had "no citizen rights" and no ability to do his
political activities. He complained that authorities were
trying to bar him of the right to vote and the right to be
elected. Zou showed Poloff a quotation from a Chinese-
language newspaper that published a story about Zou Tao.
The article quoted a Chinese saying that indicated Zou had
reached his "political dead-end."


9. (U) Zou's concerns about his election rights later came
true. On September 9, the South China Morning Post
reported that Jiang had his voter registration application
denied, while Zou was not provided an application, on the
excuse that the forms "were still being printed." As a
result, neither activist is eligible to run as a candidate.
The article also reported that Zou was interrogated by PSB
authorities for two hours about his election intentions and
was told to "give up" any election dreams. Additionally,
the article also stated Shenzhen police tore down election
posters made by Jiang Shan and noted most voters in
Shenzhen knew nothing about the election because of a media
blackout.

Comment
--------------


10. (C) These actions by the PSB appear to be part of a
considerate effort to intimidate activists and to prevent
them from gaining either a media voice or a public voice
through elections. We are not aware of what event caused
the PSB to take these actions, but it is clear that South
China is in the midst of a serious crackdown on activists
who are major players in the region. Judging by Guo
Feixiong's statements in April that the "Rights Protection
Movement" would shift its focus to local-level democratic
elections, we can speculate that the PSB actions are being
taken in an effort prevent activists from participating in
fall elections.

GOLDBERG