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Trade Union (CFTU) members to be detained in April and May 1992 for
planning 4 June memorial activities in many of China’s major cities. As a
founding member of both the CFDP and CFTU, Hu Shigen drafted a
number of key documents for both parties and was active in calling for
government accountability for the violent suppression of the Democracy
Movement in June 1989. Details of trial: He was convicted on 16
December 1994 by the Beijing Intermediate People’s Court of ‘leading a
counterrevolutionary organisation’ and ‘counterrevolutionary propaganda’.
As a senior member of the CFDP, Hu received the heaviest
sentence of 20 years in prison and five years’ subsequent deprivation of
political rights. His sentence was upheld on appeal by the Supreme Court
on 15 June 1995. He reportedly received a seven-month reduction to his
sentence on 16 December 2005, after being interviewed by the UN
Special Rapporteur on Torture. Place of detention: Beijing No.2 Prison.
Treatment in prison: The conditions of Hu Shigen’s detention are
reportedly very harsh, and his health is said to have deteriorated greatly
since his incarceration. He is denied medical care and suffers from a
number of medical conditions, including a back condition which it is
feared could lead to paralysis if left untreated. His refusal to show
remorse for his political activities has reportedly contributed to his poor
treatment in prison. He is currently held under Class Two Close
Supervision and is constantly monitored by fellow prisoners, who record
his activities and prevent him from talking to anyone. He has very limited
contact with his family, and an inadequate diet. Health concerns: Hu
Shigen reportedly suffers from intestinal and heart problems, malnutrition
and chronic migraines. He is said to require a hearing aid and to be
extremely weak. He also has back problems caused by the dislocation of
several vertebrae, which remain untreated. Requests for medical parole
by his family have been ignored by the authorities. Professional details:
Hu Shigen graduated with a degree in Chinese from Beijing University.
He subsequently became a lecturer at the Beijing Language and Culture
Institute. In January 1991 Hu Shigen co-founded the China Freedom and
Democracy Party (CFDP). He also participated in the Chinese
Progressive Alliance, established by former PEN main case Kang
Yuchun, and in December 1991 joined other political activists, including
former PEN main case Liu Jingsheng, to establish the China Free Trade
Union (CFTU) Preparatory Committee. Honorary member of: English
PEN, Independent Chinese PEN, PEN Canada.
HUANG Jinqiu (aka Qing Shuiju)
D.o.b.: 3 September 1974 Profession: Internet essayist, writer and journalist.
Date of arrest: 13 September 2003 Sentence: 12 years in prison,
reduced by one year and ten months in November 2007. Expires: 12
November 2013 Details of arrest: Arrested on 13 September 2003 after
returning to China in August 2003 following three years overseas on a
scholarship studying journalism at the Central Academy of Art in
Malaysia. Well known in the overseas Chinese internet community for
his essays published on the Chinese-language news website
‘Boxun.com’ under the pen-name Qing Shuijun (Mr Clear Water). In
early September 2003, Huang Jinqiu visited his parents in Shandong
Province; his last article was published on 10 September 2003, entitled
‘Me and My Public Security Friends’. Details of trial: Huang’s trial
began on 22 June 2004 at the Changzhou Intermediate People’s Court. It
is reported that the court was unable to reach a verdict initially because of
lack of evidence, but after the case was referred back to the prosecution
further evidence was submitted and he was convicted on 27 September
2004 of ‘organising, planning and performing subversion of state power
by publishing a large number of reactionary articles on the Internet in his
capacity as member of the preparatory committee of the China Patriotic
Democratic Party’. He was sentenced to a twelve-year in prison and fouryear
deprivation of political rights. His sentence was upheld on appeal on
9 December 2004. Professional details: Huang Jinqiu trained at the Lu
Xun Literature Institute, a leading writing school. His writings have been
well-recognised from an early age, and at the age of twenty he published
his first book. He has worked as a journalist and editor of several newspapers
and magazines since the age of eighteen, including the Guanzhou
daily Yangcheng Wanbao. His essays have been collected into two publications,
one that is non-political and published under his real name, and
one collection of political commentaries published for security reasons
under his pen-name Qing Shuijun. According to his articles, which he
continued to post on Boxun.com throughout his journey across China, he
began to be followed by the secret police on 15 August 2003, first in
Yunan Province, then in Sichuan and through to Shanghai. Place of
detention: Pukou Prison, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province. Previous
political imprisonment/problems: In early 2001, whilst he was overseas,
his articles began to attract the attention of the Chinese authorities,
which reportedly visited his parents and warned them of their concerns
about him. He attracted further attention in January 2003 by announcing
on Boxun.com his intention to found a political party, the China Patriot
Democracy Party (CPDP). Although his announcement is said to have
attracted a lot of interest, it is not thought that the CPDP was ever organised
in practice. Honorary member of: German, American, English and
Independent Chinese PEN. (RAN 46/04, 6 October 2004).
KONG Youping and Ning Xianhua
D.o.b.: 1952 (Kong Youping) Profession: Internet writers and factory
workers. Date of arrest: 13 December 2003 Sentence: 10 and 8 years in
prison respectively. Expires: 12 December 2013 and 13 December 2011
respectively. Details of arrest: Kong Youping was reportedly arrested
after posting five articles and seven poems on an overseas website challenging
the official version of the “Beijing Spring” and alleging official
corruption. The pair was also accused of posting online essays
supporting the establishment of trade unions and the China Democratic
Party (CDP). It is thought that the heavy sentences against the pair are
related to growing workers’ unrest in Northeast China where many
factory workers for failing state enterprises are being laid off and an
organised labour movement is struggling to emerge. Details of trial: On
16 September 2004 the Shenyang Intermediate People’s Court, Liaoning
province, north-eastern China, sentenced both on charges of ‘subverting
state power’ to 15 and 12 years in prison respectively. On appeal, their
sentences are reduced to 10 and 8 years, respectively Place of detention:
Kong Youping is held at Lingyuan City prison, west Liaoning Province.
Ning Xianhua is held at Shenyang prison, the capital city of Liaoning
Province. Health concerns: Kong Youping is said to be suffering from
high blood pressure and deteriorating eyesight. Other information:
Kong Youping is said to be detained far from his home, and his wife in
unable to afford to visit him. Honorary member: Independent Chinese
PEN
LI Changqing
D.o.b.: 1965 Profession: Deputy news director of the Fuzhou Daily.
Date of arrest: 16 December 2004 Sentence: Three years in prison.
Expires: 2 February 2008 Details of arrest: Reportedly detained in
connection with the investigation of Huang Jingao, a Communist Party
official in Fujian province who wrote an open letter to the People’s Daily
newspaper in December 2004 alleging corruption among local officials.