HUMAN RIGHTS: PETITIONERS AND ACTIVISTS FACE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 001936 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2032 TAGS: PHUM PGOV CH SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS: PETITIONERS AND ACTIVISTS FACE TIGHTENED "TWO MEETINGS" SECURITY, BUT CONDITIONS ARE BETTER FOR SOME REF: A. BEIJING 1403 ¶B. BEIJING 1698 Classified By: Political Internal Unit chief Susan Thornton. Reasons 1 .4 (b/d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Following the close of China's annual legislative confab, the National People's Congress (NPC),on March 16, many activists who had been detained or under police scrutiny have been released. Several contacts indicated that security during the "two meetings" was heightened this year, in part as training for 2008 Olympics security measures. Conditions varied for activists under scrutiny or detention and were better for some this year than in the past. Police acted preemptively against petitioners to disperse petitioners and prevent mass demonstrations from occurring. One western reporter judged that Chinese security measures are growing more sophisticated and are implemented with an eye toward maintaining a more positive overseas image for China. End summary. Beefed Up Police Presence -------------- ¶2. (C) Several activists separately told Poloff that, per the usual practice, Chinese security officials were instructed to strictly maintain public order during this year's "two meetings" session held March 5-16 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Activist Hu Jia said that the stakes are high for security officials, who are under increased pressure to "avoid mistakes." The numbers of police and public security officials on duty during the NPC were higher than in past years, Hu maintained. Fellow activist Liu Anjun estimated that reinforcements from Hebei, Inner Mongolia and other provinces boosted the number of police officers in Beijing for the "two meetings" by about 30 percent. Security officials told Hu that the Chinese government had planned to implement heightened security measures during the NPC as a means of preparing police for the 2008 Olympics. More Activists Face Restrictions, But Conditions Vary -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) Liu reported that the number of activists placed under house arrest for the two meetings this year was about 170, which he said was up from about 140 in 2006. Hu, who left Beijing for the duration of the NPC sessions, speculated that the number could be closer to 200. According to Liu, authorities typically place three or four security officials outside the "detainee's" home. Sometimes, detainees can leave to buy food and run errands but cannot freely meet with people. Family members can go to work, attend school and generally proceed with their lives as they normally would. In other circumstances, security officials may be posted inside the family's living quarters with tighter restrictions placed on the movements of family members. ¶4. (C) Liu said that authorities placed him and other activists under house arrest in the weeks leading up to the NPC, but tightened restrictions on movement immediately before the NPC began. Initially, Liu said, he and other activists were able to leave to run errands and could host guests in their homes. Once the NPC got underway, however, authorities barred Liu and other activists from leaving their homes to run errands or meet with other people. On March 18, authorities released Liu and most other activists from house arrest. ¶5. (C) Although the number of detainees reportedly increased this year, some received better treatment this year than in the past. Last year, security officials removed June 4 activist Qi Zhiyong from his home and cut off his contact with family members. This year, though Qi was placed under house arrest, he was permitted to live with his family. Last year, security officials took Hu Jia to an undisclosed location without notice to his wife. This year, authorities permitted Hu and his wife to leave Beijing BEIJING 00001936 002 OF 002 prior to the start of the NPC, during which they were in Thailand and Hong Kong. Preemptive Crackdown On Petitioners -------------- ¶6. (C) Liu, Hu and activist lawyer Xu Zhiyong separately agreed that the Chinese government's crackdown on petitioners was more severe this year than in the past. First, the number of petitioners arrested and forcibly returned to their home provinces increased, perhaps even doubling according to Liu. Second, police intervened earlier this year to disperse petitioners and prevent mass demonstrations from occurring. Xu said petitioners gathered and demonstrated at least three times last year before being dispersed. This year, according to Liu, groups of up to 5000 petitioners began gathering in at least five different areas within Beijing. Before groups of petitioners could coalesce, authorities broke them up, arrested some and returned others to their home provinces. Liu said authorities dispatched police in 130 vehicles to Xinfadi, for example, to disperse 1200 petitioners gathering there. ¶7. (C) At least 800 petitioners in Beijing in conjunction with this years "two meetings" were arrested and sentenced to 1-2 years of reform through labor in Beijing, according to Liu. Most other petitioners were returned to their home provinces, with some placed under house arrest, he says. According to one western journalist, provincial security officials dispatched to Beijing are responsible for returning detained petitioners from their respective provinces back to their homes. Internet Controls, Eye On Overseas Opinion -------------- ¶8. (C) In an aside on internet controls, Xu Zhiyong said authorities required him to remove a statement that he authored from his blog (blog.sina.xuzhiyong) supporting greater judicial independence as a channel for developing legal institutions capable of handling grievances brought by petitioners. Within a day, Xu's suggestion resurfaced on Xu's blog site as part of another person's comment. When authorities told Xu to remove the other person's comment, Xu refused on grounds that another person made it. Xu said the comment remained on his blog site. ¶9. (C) One western journalist assessed that this year's NPC security crackdown shows that Chinese security measures are growing more sophisticated. The "preemptive strikes" against petitioners, with police choosing the time and terms of engagement, were carefully orchestrated to obviate the need for more visible displays of force, the kind that might have been reported more heavily in overseas media. Similar concerns may have motivated the relaxation of conditions on some activists. Beijing's willingness to back Gao Yaojie's travel to the United States during the NPC shows that Beijing is paying close attention to international opinion, the journalist asserted, noting that this kind of gesture, though largely "for show," would "never have happened 15 years ago." RANDT