Link to Associated Press Story
Link to Voice of America Story
August 23, 2009
China legal activist freed, but may face tax case
By JOE MCDONALD (AP) – 4 hours ago
BEIJING — An activist Chinese lawyer who was detained in a possible crackdown on dissent ahead of October's 60th anniversary of Communist rule was released Sunday, but he said authorities were investigating possible tax charges against him.
Xu Zhiyong co-founded a Beijing legal aid group that has tackled some of China's most politically sensitive cases, most recently representing parents of children sickened last year by chemical-tainted milk. Xu was detained July 29 and formally arrested Aug. 12 on charges of evading taxes.
Xu has been at the forefront of legal reform and public interest law in China, and has been a visiting scholar at Yale Law School in the United States several times.
He said he did not know whether authorities would proceed with a tax evasion case against his group, Gongmeng, or the Open Constitution Initiative.
"It is difficult to say," Xu told The Associated Press by telephone. He declined to give other details of his case or his detention.
His lawyer, Zhou Ze, said the case has yet to be sent to prosecutors.
"I think the tax evasion charge does not hold water," Zhou said. "We need to wait and see what will happen next."
Beijing appears to be trying to stifle possible dissent ahead of the Communist Party's celebration of its 60th anniversary in power Oct. 1.
In July, the government revoked the licenses of 53 lawyers in Beijing, many of them known for handling human rights and other sensitive cases.
Gongmeng was shut down in mid-July, and the Beijing tax bureau fined it 1.4 million yuan ($206,000) for failing to pay taxes.
Zhou said the case might involve accusations of failing to pay up to 200,000 yuan ($29,000) in taxes, but he said authorities have given no details.
Gongmeng lawyers represented parents in last year's tainted milk scandal. Six babies died and nearly 300,000 other children were sickened. The scandal led to an overhaul of China's dairy industry, but the government tried to block parents and activists from publicizing information about illnesses and complaints about authorities.
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China Releases Prominent Human Rights Lawyer on Bail
By VOA News
23 August 2009
A leading Chinese human rights lawyer says he was released from detention Sunday, but still might face prosecution on charges of tax evasion.
Xu Zhiyong, co-founder of a legal-aid group known as the Open Constitution Initiative or Gongmeng, had been out of contact since security officials seized him from his home on July 29. He was formally arrested last Tuesday on charges of tax evasion.
Xu said Sunday he was released on bail pending trial.
Chinese authorities shut down the legal rights center more than a month ago for alleged nonpayment of taxes. Members of the group reported nearly two weeks later that Xu had been detained by police, and that they could not contact him.
The group has helped victims of China's tainted-milk scandal and offered assistance in human-rights cases. It also has issued a report criticizing the Chinese government's policies toward Tibet.
Rights groups say the latest developments are part of a widening crackdown on lawyers, rights activists and non-governmental organizations ahead of the 60th anniversary of the Chinese communist state.
Preparations are under way for a huge official celebration of the anniversary on October 1. Rights activists expect the government will try to prevent any public demonstration of dissent during the festivities.
China recently revoked the licenses of 53 Beijing lawyers, most of them prominent human-rights advocates. Amnesty International has condemned the crackdown on lawyers as a major blow to the human-rights defense movement in China.
In a widely quoted statement earlier this year, Xu said his Gongmeng group aims to help build the rule of law and advance Chinese society by objectively and independently studying human-rights protections, the situation in Tibet and other issues.
One of the government's main charges against Xu's group alleges that no taxes were paid on a $100,000 grant the Open Constitution Initiative received from Yale University. Xu has been a visiting scholar at Yale Law School on several occasions.
Showing posts with label voice of america. Show all posts
Showing posts with label voice of america. Show all posts
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
"Release Xu Zhiyong And Others," by Voice of America
Link
August 20, 2009
China continues to crack down on prominent lawyers and human rights activists and NGOs affiliated with them. Most recently, prosecutors have charged one of China's leading public interest lawyers, Xu Zhiyong, with tax evasion. If convicted, he could face 7 years in prison.
Mr. Xu, 36, is a founder of the Open Constitution Initiative, a nonprofit group that often takes on high-profile cases involving ordinary citizens' civil rights. It has challenged China's so-called "black jails," the illegal detention centers some local officials have reportedly used to detain and intimidate petitioning citizens.
The organization has also campaigned for the rights of migrant workers and death-row inmates, and helped parents of babies poisoned during last year's tainted milk scandal seek legal redress. The Chinese government shut down the Open Constitution Initiative center on July 17th and police arrested Mr. Xu on July 29th.
Many observers say the charges against Mr. Xu are politically motivated and part of a growing effort by security officials to shut down independent activism, especially groups funded from abroad. The Chinese government has blocked many foreign-based Web sites and social-networking services. It also disbarred about 50 lawyers earlier this year.
About the same time Mr. Xu was arrested, Chinese police raided the Beijing Yirenping Center, another non-governmental organization, which works to fight discrimination against Hepatitis B patients and HIV carriers. Authorities accused the NGO of illegal publishing.
In the meantime, Gao Zhisheng, one of China’s foremost human rights lawyers, was detained for a second time in February 2009 and has not been heard from since. Another of China's most prominent political dissidents Liu Xiaobo has been held virtually incommunicado in Beijing since December.
Chinese human rights activists should not be harassed, detained, or tortured by Chinese authorities for exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of expression. As President Barack Obama said, "Freedom of religion and expression lead to a strong and vibrant civil society that only strengthens the state. ... An enduring commitment to the rule of law is the only way to achieve the security that comes from justice for all people.
August 20, 2009
China continues to crack down on prominent lawyers and human rights activists and NGOs affiliated with them. Most recently, prosecutors have charged one of China's leading public interest lawyers, Xu Zhiyong, with tax evasion. If convicted, he could face 7 years in prison.
Mr. Xu, 36, is a founder of the Open Constitution Initiative, a nonprofit group that often takes on high-profile cases involving ordinary citizens' civil rights. It has challenged China's so-called "black jails," the illegal detention centers some local officials have reportedly used to detain and intimidate petitioning citizens.
The organization has also campaigned for the rights of migrant workers and death-row inmates, and helped parents of babies poisoned during last year's tainted milk scandal seek legal redress. The Chinese government shut down the Open Constitution Initiative center on July 17th and police arrested Mr. Xu on July 29th.
Many observers say the charges against Mr. Xu are politically motivated and part of a growing effort by security officials to shut down independent activism, especially groups funded from abroad. The Chinese government has blocked many foreign-based Web sites and social-networking services. It also disbarred about 50 lawyers earlier this year.
About the same time Mr. Xu was arrested, Chinese police raided the Beijing Yirenping Center, another non-governmental organization, which works to fight discrimination against Hepatitis B patients and HIV carriers. Authorities accused the NGO of illegal publishing.
In the meantime, Gao Zhisheng, one of China’s foremost human rights lawyers, was detained for a second time in February 2009 and has not been heard from since. Another of China's most prominent political dissidents Liu Xiaobo has been held virtually incommunicado in Beijing since December.
Chinese human rights activists should not be harassed, detained, or tortured by Chinese authorities for exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of expression. As President Barack Obama said, "Freedom of religion and expression lead to a strong and vibrant civil society that only strengthens the state. ... An enduring commitment to the rule of law is the only way to achieve the security that comes from justice for all people.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
"Chinese Legal Activist Charged With Tax Evasion as Crackdown Widens," by William Ide, Voice of America
Link
August 6, 2009
Close associates of Chinese legal activist Xu Zhiyong say he is being detained on charges of tax evasion. Xu's case is one of several that appear to be part of widening crackdown on dissent in China ahead of October's 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
More than a week ago, without explanation, Chinese police detained Xu Zhiyong, the head of a legal aid organization Gongmeng in Beijing.
Teng Biao, a co-founder of the group, says Xu's family has not seen him since he was taken from his home early on Wednesday last week.
Teng says Xu's brother went to the Beijing University of Post and Telecommunications, where Xu Zhiyong taught. There, he learned that his brother had been taken away by public security forces and was being charged with tax evasion.
Teng added that Zhang Lu, another member of Gongmeng who also has been missing since last week, has still not been heard from.
Many political analysts and human rights groups say Gongmeng and other activist groups are being targeted as part of a widening crackdown on dissent ahead of the October 1 anniversary of the founding of the communist government.
However, Randy Peerenboom a professor of law at La Trobe University in Melbourne who is now based in Beijing, sees a broader purpose. He thinks what is happening is part of an effort to ensure social stability that is not exclusively linked to the coming anniversary.
"The number of demonstrations has been rising in recent years, many of them becoming more violent, and so you see the government trying to crackdown on various sources of instability," he said.
Peerenboom says the government has tried to force many of the country's disputes and controversial cases into the court system, but in his opinion that has ended up being too costly and has not ended the protests. Because of that, the government has started targeting activist lawyers and legal groups like Gongmeng.
"I think that one of the problems is they've [Gongmeng] handled an increasingly wide range of cases and gotten involved in a wider range of issues and this is one of the reasons why I think the government is re-calibrating its strategy," he said.
Gongmeng's lawyers represented victims of the Sanlu toxic milk powder scandal, which made nearly 300,000 babies ill, and has investigated institutions such as illegal detention centers. Their researchers even issued a review of last year's unrest in Tibet, which said Tibetans were protesting because of failed government policies.
Gongmeng is not the only one being targeted.
Last month, Yirenping, which fights discrimination against hepatitis patients, faced a clampdown, and more than 50 Beijing lawyers, many of whom focus on human rights issues, had their licenses revoked.
Two activists who have criticized the government's handling of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake have also been put on trial.
One of them, Huang Qi, appeared in court Wednesday ON charges of illegally possessing state secrets.
Tan Zuoren, an activist who questioned why so many children died in the earthquake, will be tried for subversion next week.
August 6, 2009
Close associates of Chinese legal activist Xu Zhiyong say he is being detained on charges of tax evasion. Xu's case is one of several that appear to be part of widening crackdown on dissent in China ahead of October's 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
More than a week ago, without explanation, Chinese police detained Xu Zhiyong, the head of a legal aid organization Gongmeng in Beijing.
Teng Biao, a co-founder of the group, says Xu's family has not seen him since he was taken from his home early on Wednesday last week.
Teng says Xu's brother went to the Beijing University of Post and Telecommunications, where Xu Zhiyong taught. There, he learned that his brother had been taken away by public security forces and was being charged with tax evasion.
Teng added that Zhang Lu, another member of Gongmeng who also has been missing since last week, has still not been heard from.
Many political analysts and human rights groups say Gongmeng and other activist groups are being targeted as part of a widening crackdown on dissent ahead of the October 1 anniversary of the founding of the communist government.
However, Randy Peerenboom a professor of law at La Trobe University in Melbourne who is now based in Beijing, sees a broader purpose. He thinks what is happening is part of an effort to ensure social stability that is not exclusively linked to the coming anniversary.
"The number of demonstrations has been rising in recent years, many of them becoming more violent, and so you see the government trying to crackdown on various sources of instability," he said.
Peerenboom says the government has tried to force many of the country's disputes and controversial cases into the court system, but in his opinion that has ended up being too costly and has not ended the protests. Because of that, the government has started targeting activist lawyers and legal groups like Gongmeng.
"I think that one of the problems is they've [Gongmeng] handled an increasingly wide range of cases and gotten involved in a wider range of issues and this is one of the reasons why I think the government is re-calibrating its strategy," he said.
Gongmeng's lawyers represented victims of the Sanlu toxic milk powder scandal, which made nearly 300,000 babies ill, and has investigated institutions such as illegal detention centers. Their researchers even issued a review of last year's unrest in Tibet, which said Tibetans were protesting because of failed government policies.
Gongmeng is not the only one being targeted.
Last month, Yirenping, which fights discrimination against hepatitis patients, faced a clampdown, and more than 50 Beijing lawyers, many of whom focus on human rights issues, had their licenses revoked.
Two activists who have criticized the government's handling of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake have also been put on trial.
One of them, Huang Qi, appeared in court Wednesday ON charges of illegally possessing state secrets.
Tan Zuoren, an activist who questioned why so many children died in the earthquake, will be tried for subversion next week.
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