(WiPC/IFEX) – Two more writers are reported to have been arrested in China in recent days as part of an apparent crackdown against dissent. Academic Li Boguang and writer Yang Tianshui are reported to remain detained after having been arrested on 14 December and 24 December 2004 respectively. International PEN is calling on the Chinese […]
(WiPC/IFEX) – Two more writers are reported to have been arrested in China in recent days as part of an apparent crackdown against dissent. Academic Li Boguang and writer Yang Tianshui are reported to remain detained after having been arrested on 14 December and 24 December 2004 respectively. International PEN is calling on the Chinese authorities to halt this apparent crackdown on dissent, and to adhere to the principle of freedom of expression, as guaranteed under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
Li was arrested in Fu’an, Fujian Province (350km south of Shanghai) on 14 December. On 21 December, his home in Beijing is said to have been searched by police officers from the Fu’an Public Security Bureau. Computers and papers were seized. The reasons for Li’s arrest are not clear, but it is thought that it may be related to his activities in support of farmers’ rights. The fact that Fu’an is far from the major cities is thought to be the reason for delays in reporting on Li’s arrest. Li, aged 36, a graduate in philosophy, political science and law, is director of the Qimin Research Centre in Beijing, as well as a freelance writer/journalist. In early 2004 he wrote an article entitled, “Can Citizens Dismiss a Mayor”, published in Modern Civilisation Pictorial, No 12, on calls by farmers for the resignation of a mayor they accused of corruption. This article, and Li’s subsequent activities in support of the farmers’ case, is thought to be behind his arrest in December. In October, Li posted an article on the Internet in which he said that he had been threatened with arrest should he return to Fu’an where he was helping farmers to petition against the central government in a dispute over land.
Yang was arrested on 24 December in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, some 100 km south of Shanghai. On 31 December, an arrest warrant was issued by the Baixia Branch of the Public Security Bureau, Nanjing City, stating that Yang had been transferred to Nanjing, 200 km north of Hangzhou, on charges of “inciting subversion of state power”. Yang, aged 43, is a freelance writer who reportedly served ten years in prison from 1990-2000 on charges of “counter revolution”. He is said to have remained under an order of deprivation of civil rights for a further four years, during which time he reportedly was detained twice for violation of the conditions of the order. Most recent was a 15-day imprisonment from 27 May to 11 June 2004 for his writings commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square democracy movement. Yang is a member of the Independent Chinese PEN Centre.
Recent months have seen a steady stream of writers, intellectuals and other dissidents being arrested and harassed. The BBC World Service cites an article by a “well known intellectual” as saying that “intellectuals were now terrified” and that that there were fears of “a return of totalitarianism to the mainland.” It adds that the press has been ordered not to give publicity to several well-known intellectuals. See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4094075.stm
