(C) HANGZHOU POLICE QUESTION ONE CHARTER SIGNATORY BUT NO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SHANGHAI 000542 STATE FOR EAP/CM, INR AND DRL NSC FOR LOI, KUCHTA-HELBLING E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/11/2033 TAGS: PGOV PHUM CH UN SUBJECT: (C) HANGZHOU POLICE QUESTION ONE CHARTER SIGNATORY BUT NO OTHER REPORTS OF HARASSMENT SO FAR REF: A. (A) BEIJING 4493 ¶B. (B) SHANGHAI 523 CLASSIFIED BY: CHRISTOPHER BEEDE, POL/ECON CHIEF, US CONSULATE SHANGHAI, DEPARTMENT OF STATE. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Hangzhou activist Wen Kejian, who first informed Consulate Poloff about the "08 Charter" (reftels),was questioned by local police on December 10 and later released. Another Hangzhou activist told Poloff on December 11 that he has not been contacted by police despite being both a charter signatory and the author of a controversial Human Rights Day blog. Efforts to contact two other signatories in Hangzhou were unsuccessful. A well-known human rights activist in Shanghai said he has not faced any harassment by police since signing the charter, telling Poloff that Shanghai is "more relaxed" than Beijing. Two other Shanghai-based signatories agreed to meet Poloff the week of December 15. End Summary. (C) 47 Sign Charter in East China -------------- ¶2. (C) According to the posted list of signatories to the "08 Charter," a manifesto that calls for sweeping political reforms in China signed by 303 leading intellectuals and activists and posted on the internet on December 9 (Ref A),47 of those who signed the petition are from East China, with 26 in Shanghai, 17 in Zhejiang Province, three in Anhui Province, and one in Nanjing, Jiangsu's provincial capital. In Hangzhou, Zhejiang's provincial capital, Poloff met prior to the public release of the charter during a December 2-4 visit with five of the Zhejiang-based signatories -- independent journalists Wen Kejian and Zan Aizong, lawyer Zhuang Daohe, sociology professor Feng Gang, and economics professor Ye Hang. (Note: Wen Kejian's name does not appear on the list of signatories that is on-line, but he told Poloff that he signed the document and helped organize other signatures in East China. End Note.) (C) Hangzhou Police Question Activist -------------- ¶3. (C) Wen Kejian, who is a member of the Chinese Independent Pen, informed Poloff on December 3 about the plan to post the charter on-line (Ref B). He sent a text message to Poloff at approximately 1730 hours on December 10 to say he was being questioned by local police in Hangzhou for his role in the "08 Charter." Wen called Poloff at 2130 hours to say he had been released, but the police warned he may be questioned again with regard to his role in organizing the local signatories of the charter. Wen had told Poloff earlier in the day that he was fine but was concerned about the fate of activists Liu Xiaobo and Zhang Zuhua in Beijing. (C) Some Escape Trouble (For Now) -------------- ¶4. (C) Zan Aizong, a friend of Wen's and also a member of the Chinese Independent Pen, told Poloff on December 11 that he had not been questioned by police. In addition to signing the charter, Zan posted a blog on December 10 calling human rights "god-given" and criticizing the Chinese Government for "taking away the freedom" of Liu Xiaobo. Zan told Poloff he was happy Wen had been released and that he himself had escaped trouble so far, but he was careful not to predict future developments, saying he is fine "for now." ¶5. (C) Ye Hang, a Zhejiang University economics professor, told Poloff by phone at 1600 hours on December 11 that he also was fine and had not been visited by Hangzhou police. Ye said he does not expect to have any problems due to signing the charter. (C) Others in Zhejiang? -------------- ¶6. (C) Wen Kejian told Poloff he had heard other reports of charter signatories being questioned in Hangzhou and elsewhere, but he had been unable to confirm those reports. Poloff's efforts to reach two other Hangzhou-based signatories -- Feng Gang and Zhuang Daohe -- during December 11 were unsuccessful. (C) Shanghai Activist Also Reports No Problems -------------- - ¶7. (C) In Shanghai, well-known writer and activist Sha Yexin told Poloff on December 11 that he has not faced any harassment since signing the charter. Referring to the detention of Liu Xiaobo, Sha said, Shanghai is "more relaxed" than Beijing, and he did not know of any of Shanghai's 26 signatories being detained. Sha added, however, that he "appreciated the Consulate's concern." Intellectuals Zhang Hong and Wang Xiaoyu, both of whom signed the charter, agreed to meet Poloff during the week of December 15. (C) Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) Other than Wen Kejian, we do not have any confirmed reports that other "08 Charter" signatories were detained in East China during December 9-11. Consulate Poloffs will continue to monitor the status of East China charter signatories and report any changes. ¶9. (C) Post also will monitor reaction to the "08 Charter" from other political contacts. Interestingly, two normally well-informed university professors (one in Shanghai and one in Nanjing) told Poloff by phone on December 11 that they were unaware of the charter's existence, possibly implying that the activists who signed the petition may have failed to reach parts of their target audience. CAMP