SHANGHAI PETITIONER ACTIVISTS UPDATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SHANGHAI 007126 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/CM AND DRL/PHD E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/13/2031 TAGS: PHUM PGOV CH SUBJECT: SHANGHAI PETITIONER ACTIVISTS UPDATE REF: SHANGHAI 5262 AND PREVIOUS CLASSIFIED BY: Mary Tarnowka, Chief, Political/Economic Section , U.S. Consulate Shanghai. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Shanghai petitioners complained to Poloff during a December 7 meeting that the Chinese government continued to closely monitor their movements and prevented many petitioners from meeting or traveling to Beijing. They expected that prominent petitioners Mao Hengfeng and Chen Xiaoming would soon stand trial. Mao faced charges of damaging property, while Chen was accused of illegally filming government property. None of the petitioners planned on participating in Shanghai's upcoming district elections and said, for them, the elections had no meaning. End Summary. ¶2. (C) During a meeting with Poloff on December 7, Shanghai Petitioner Activists Fu Yuxia, Wu Xuewei and Chen Enquan said that local authorities continued to closely monitor petitioners and prevented them from meeting or even traveling to Beijing. Wu added that those who were able to travel to Beijing were often detained by local authorities and immediately returned to Shanghai. He said police often beat those who resisted and noted that there was a recent case in which the police beat a 50-year old female petitioner from Shanghai after she refused to follow orders. ¶3. (C) When asked about the upcoming district elections in Shanghai, they said that they were not planning on voting since the elections had no meaning. No one knew who the candidates were and it was unlikely that the elections would lead to any positive changes. They said that they were allowed to vote and, in fact, local authorities had encouraged them to participate. But, no one they knew was interested in participating in the elections. ¶4. (C) They also provided an update on the situation of prominent Shanghai petitioners Mao Hengfeng, Chen Xiaoming, and Xu Zhengqing. According to Wu, who is also Mao's husband, Mao was still being held on charges of damaging property during her detention in a government leased hotel room. Since being detained on March 31, Mao had been subjected to both physical and psychological torture. She now had problems with her vision and difficulty walking. She also had been confined to a cell too small for a bed, making it difficult for her to sleep. Wu predicted that Mao's trial would take place in the upcoming weeks and said he was busy looking for a new lawyer. He fired Mao's previous lawyer because he was not willing to meet with Mao on a routine basis. ¶5. (C) According to Fu, Chen Xiaoming who was detained in February, would also likely stand trial in the near future. Ms. Fu had been in regular contact with Chen's parents. She said that the parents had heard that Chen's case was no longer classified as a state secret case. He was now facing charges of illegally filming government offices. ¶6. (C) Fu also had heard from the family of Xu Zhengqing. Xu was currently serving a three-year sentence for disrupting public order. Fu said that during his family's November visit, authorities allowed family members to speak to Xu for only 10 minutes. In previous visits, family members were given up to an hour to speak with Xu. Fu said that authorities were worried that if Xu were given an hour to meet with family members, he might pass on information about his conditions to visitors who would then provide this information to the foreign media and human rights groups. She noted that recently released prisoner Zheng Enchong's wife often relayed such information to the media and human rights group to maintain pressure on the Chinese government. Fu said the government wanted to prevent this from happening again and was keeping a close eye on Xu and his relatives. ¶7. (C) According to Fu, Zheng Enchong continued to be closely monitored. He was not allowed to leave his house and had a guard posted at his door to monitor all visitors. She added that authorities had also tapped Zheng's phone. JARRETT