22 September 2023. - Today sees the start of the trial of journalist and #Metoo activist Sophia Huang Xueqin and labour activist Wang Jianbing, after two years of arbitrary detention. Civil society organisations, including the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, express their deep concern about their conditions of detention and call for their immediate and unconditional release.
Today, 22 September 2023, the trial of Huang Xueqin and Wang Jianbing begins, a few days after the second anniversary of their arrest.
We,
the undersigned civil society groups, are deeply concerned about this
case and call for the two activists’ immediate and unconditional
release, as they have been detained for peacefully exercising their
rights to freedom of expression and association. Pending their
release, the Chinese authorities must respect and protect their
rights in detention, including by providing regular, unrestricted
access to their family and lawyers of their choice; prompt, adequate
and necessary medical treatment; and ensuring that they are not
subjected to torture and other ill-treatment.
On
19 September 2021, independent journalist and #MeToo activist Sophia
Huang Xueqin and labour rights activist Wang Jianbing were detained
by the police in Guangzhou, China. They were formally arrested on the
charge of ‘inciting subversion of state power’ a month later. In
January 2023, they were transferred to Guangzhou City No 1 Detention
Centre awaiting trial at the court. Their continued detention is
believed to be related to the weekly gatherings hosted by Wang
Jianbing in the year prior to their detention, at which they
discussed the challenges activists faced due to the shrinking space
for civil society.
The
health condition of Sophia Huang Xueqin is alarming as she is
believed to have experienced significant weight loss and amenorrhea
(no menstruation) for at least five months. Credible reports indicate
that her sleep is often interrupted and that she has been subjected
to interrogations in the middle of the night.
Sophia
Huang Xueqin and Wang Jianbing should have not been detained for
peacefully exercising their human rights. Ahead of of their trial, we
call on the Chinese government to uphold its international human
rights obligations. It must:
-
Release Sophia Huang Xueqin and Wang Jianbing
immediately and unconditionally;
-
Pending their release, ensure that Sophia
Huang Xueqin and Wang Jianbing have regular, unrestricted access to
family and lawyers of their choice; prompt, adequate and necessary
medical treatment; and are not subjected to torture and other
ill-treatment;
-
Stop harassing, arresting and threatening
other human rights defenders who peacefully exercise their right to
freedom of association or other human rights.
Background
Sophia
Huang Xueqin is a journalist who has been involved in several #MeToo
campaigns to provide support and assistance to survivors of sexual
assault and harassment. She was previously detained between October
2019 and January 2020 and charged with “picking quarrels and
provoking trouble” after writing about the 2019 mass protests in
Hong Kong.
Labour
activist Wang Jianbing (known to friends as “Pancake”) has
provided legal support for people with disabilities and workers with
occupational diseases. He is also a prominent supporter of the #MeToo
movement in China.
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