http://www.chrlcg-hk.org/?page_id=112
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關注內地維權律師 呼籲加入絕食行動
北京維權律師高智晟的妻子耿和與兩名子女離開中國，剛於上星期成功抵達美國，而高律師本人仍然失踪。我們呼籲大家繼續密切關注受迫害的中國維權律師包括高智晟、陳光誠、郭飛雄，以及北京維權人士胡佳。中國維權律師關注組主席何俊仁律師將於2009年3月18日（星期三）開始，再次展開逢星期三24小時絕食行動，呼籲各界加入聲援行列，可因應各人不同情況選擇每週三24小時絕食或不進食午餐。
我們將發起黃絲帶行動表示關注，並呼籲各界加入絕食行動，聲援長期受到迫害的內地維權律師及人士，請登入中國維權律師關注組的網址 http://www.chrlcg-hk.org/?page_id=112 聯署支持及參與行動。高智晟律師於2006年2月4日發起維權絕食行動，呼籲各界關注，何俊仁為聲援內地維權律師及人士的行動，於2006年2月8日開始逢每週三舉行24小時絕食，長達14個月。絕食開始10多天後，參與絕食人數已達16個省市800多人，簽名聲援的則有4000多人，香港、台灣、美國、澳洲等地亦有聲援行動。
中國維權律師關注組將於明日(星期三)上午九時三十分舉行記者會，詳情如下：
日期：18/3/2009（星期三）
時間：9：30am
地點：立法會門外
聯絡：潘先生 23881377／94173765, [email protected]
背景資料︰
至今仍下落未明的高智晟律師，2005年因三次發表公開信予國家主席胡錦濤和總理溫家寶要求當局停止打壓自由信仰者，不斷受到迫害，其後於2006年12月被以“煽動顛覆國家政權罪”判刑三年，緩刑五年，剝奪政治權利一年。此後一年以來，高律師及其家人一直受到軟禁，高智晟受到各種酷刑虐待羞辱等消息不時傳出。家人包括女兒受到國保員警押送上學，被騷擾不許與同學來往，和受到語言羞辱。
山東著名自學法律的“赤腳律師”陳光誠，2006年8月因“聚眾擾亂交通罪”和“故意毀壞財物罪”被判刑四年三個月，2007年1月12日被法院維持原判。他在獄中曾受到暴力對待，妻子袁偉靜亦因替丈夫爭取權利而屢次遭到暴力對待，長期被軟禁在家和嚴密監視。
正在獄中的廣東法律維權人士郭飛雄 2006年9月被拘捕，2007年11月被以“非法經營罪”判處有期徒刑五年，涉案是被捕之前五年出版的揭露瀋陽官場腐敗的雜誌《瀋陽政壇地震》。郭飛雄在看守所會見律師時陳述，遭到包括電警棍電擊生殖器的酷刑逼供，獄中膳食大多已腐壞。郭飛雄與律師的會面受到監視，違反中國現行《律師法》的規定。而郭飛雄和家人的會面同樣是隔著玻璃透過電話通話，家人給郭飛雄寫的書信亦被無理扣起，沒法通信。郭飛雄妻子張青亦已有多月無法與他見面。
去年10月23日獲歐洲議會頒贈沙卡洛夫思想自由獎 (Sakharov Prize)的著名北京維權人士胡佳，一直關注愛滋病防治工作及維權活動，因發表五篇批評中國政府的文章及接受境外傳媒採訪，被控以“煽動顛覆國家政權罪”，於去年4月3日被判刑三年半，現囚於北京監獄，他的妻子曾金燕及一歲的女兒也被軟禁在家中。
中國維權律師關注組
2009年3月17日
Join Hunger Strike to Support Mainland Human Rights Lawyers and Activists!
Beijing human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng’s wife Geng He and her two children left mainland China and succeeded in arriving in the United States last week. However, Lawyer Gao himself is still missing. We call on everyone to continue to concern for the persecuted mainland human rights lawyers and activists, in particular Gao Zhisheng, Chen Guangcheng, Guo Feixiong and Beijing human rights activist Hu Jia.
Albert Ho Chun-yan, chairman of China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, will start staging a 24-hour hunger strike every Wednesday again to support the mainland lawyers and activists on 18 March 2009 (Wednesday). We call on everyone from different areas to join us. Participants may choose to stage a 24-hour hunger strike or skip lunch every Wednesday by considering their own situation.
We will initiate the “Yellow Ribbon” campaign to express our concerns and call on everyone to take part in the hunger strike to support the mainland lawyers and activists. Please go to our website to sign up to take part in the hunger strike: http://www.chrlcg-hk.org/?page_id=112.
Lawyer Gao initiated a hunger strike on 4 February 2006 to call for concerns of mainland human rights defenders. Albert Ho took part in that action to support the mainland activists. He staged his hunger strike every Wednesday from 8 February 2006 to April 2007 for 14 months. About 10 days later, the number of mainland participants reached 800 from 16 provinces and more than 4,000 people signed up support their actions. There were also supporting campaigns in Hong Kong, Taiwan, United States and Australia.
China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group is going to hold a press conference at 9:30am tomorrow (Wednesday, 18 March) outside the Legislative Council building to launch this action. Please see details below:
Date: 18 March 2009 (Wednesday)
Time: 9:30am
Venue: Outside Legislative Council building
Contact: Patrick Poon 23881377 / 94173765 [email protected]
Background information
Beijing human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng (高智晟) , who is still missing, has been continuously persecuted after he wrote three open letters to President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabo demanding that the Chinese government should stop persecuting religious believers. He was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, suspended for five years, and his political right was stripped in December 2006. Since then, Lawyer Gao and his family were under house arrest and there were always news about Lawyer Gao being subjected to various forms and degrees of insults and tortures. His daughter was escorted to school by state security police officers. She was warned not to make friends with her classmates and was verbally insulted.
Blind Shandong “barefoot lawyer” Chen Guangcheng (陳光誠) was sentenced to four years and three months imprisonment on charges of destroying property and organizing a mob to disrupt traffic. The local court upheld the sentence on 12 January 2007. He had been subjected to violence in prison and his wife Yuan Weijing has been under house arrest and subjected to violence for fighting for her husband’s rights.
Guangdong legal rights defender Guo Feixiong (郭飛雄) was arrested in September 2006 and was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in November 2007 on charges of “illegal business operation”. The accused offence was related to publishing a magazine entitled “Shenyang Political Earthquake”, which exposed the corruptions of officials in Shenyang, five years before his arrest. When Guo’s lawyer visited him in the detention centre, Guo complained that his reproductive organ was beaten with electrical batons when he was interrogated by the officers in the detention centre and he was always given rotten food. When his lawyers visited him after his sentence, their conversation was under the prison officers’ surveillance which violated the relevant restrictions in the PRC Law on Lawyers. When Guo’s family visited him in prison, they could only talk to each other on the phone while they were blocked by a glass window. Letters from Guo’s family were unreasonably confiscated by prison officers. Guo’s wife Zhang Qing has been unable to meet him for several months.
Beijing human rights activist Hu Jia (胡佳) was awarded the Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament on 23 October last year. Hu was involved in HIV prevention work and human rights activities before his arrest. He was sentenced to three years and three months imprisonment on 3 April last year on charges of incitement to subvert state power for writing five articles criticizing the Chinese government and accepting interviews with foreign media. His wife Zeng Jinyan and their one-year-old daughter were under house arrest.
17 March 2009
China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group