Take action for Wei Xiaobing 为卫小兵采取行动

On 31 October 2017, Chinese authorities refused human rights defender Wei Xiaobing’s (卫小兵) third request to leave his hometown. The defender has been kept under “soft” detention in Ya’an, Chengdu Province, since his release from detention on 19 August 2017.

Wei Xiaobing is a human rights defender who advocates for the rights and wellbeing of Chinese farmers and prisoners of conscience. Since 2011, when he joined protests calling for the release of illegally detained human rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng, he has led advocacy and food delivery programs for several detained human rights defenders including Tan Zuoren, Huang Qi, Li Xiaoling, and Guo Feixiong. In 2013, Wei Xiaobing assisted over 200 farmers in Lufeng, Guangdong Province in securing their right to compensation following massive crop failures due to faulty seeds sold by a local government office. This amounted to some three million yuan (~€370,000). He has also called for government accountability in the disappearance and unlawful detention of political dissidents and government critics.

On 31 October 2017, Chinese authorities refused Wei Xiaobing’s third request to leave his hometown. The human rights defender has been kept under “soft” detention in Ya’an, Chengdu Province, since his release from detention on 19 August 2017. “Soft” detention is a form of unofficial police supervision and surveillance. Wei Xiaobing believes his recent detention is in retaliation for his recent demonstrations of solidarity for deceased Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, who died in detention in July 2017. On 19 July 2017, Wei Xiaobing was detained with eight others for holding a memorial ceremony commemorating Liu Xiaobo. The nine detainees were placed in criminal detention in Guangdong Province Xinhui Detention Centre for one month on charges of “disturbing public order”. Following his release on 19 August 2017, Wei Xiaobing was sent back to his hometown of Ya’an, where he has been kept under an unofficial travel ban for over two months.

Wei Xiaobing discovered that his movement was being restricted on 28 August 2017, when he notified the police office in Ya’an’s Lushan District of his intention to visit his daughter and ailing mother at his family home in Lufeng, Guangdong Province. Upon notification, the human rights defender was instructed to wait until the conclusion of the Chinese Communist Party’s 19th Party Congress, scheduled for late October. Shortly after, his mother was visited by over two dozen special police and domestic security officers, who threatened and intimidated her until she agreed to write a letter instructing Wei Xiaobing not to visit.

On 29 and 31 October 2017, following the conclusion of the Party Congress, Wei Xiaobing submitted two new travel requests, one to conduct business in the nearby Lin District, and a second to visit his mother and daughter in Lufeng. The first request was denied as Ya’an authorities informed him that Guangdong Province had refused to accept the human rights defender should he attempt to visit. In response to his third request, Lufeng authorities again dispatched two dozen special police and domestic authority officers to the home of his mother on 1 November 2017. The officers harassed Wei Xiaobing’s mother, threatening to evict her from her home until she called him in tears, begging him not to visit Lufeng.

I call on Chinese authorities to cease their restrictive supervision and harassment against Wei Xiaobing, as I believe that this is solely an attempt to deter his peaceful work in support of human rights. Furthermore, I demand that Chinese authorities cease their harassment and intimidation of Wei Xiaobing’s family.

I urge the authorities in China to:

1. Drop all investigations against Wei Xiaobing, put an end to his “soft” detention and permit him to visit his family;

2. Immediately and unconditionally remove all restrictions on the free movement of Wei Xiaobing and cease all further forms of surveillance or harassment against him and his family, as I believe that these measures are only solely related to his legitimate human rights activities;

3. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in China are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions.

卫小兵是倡导中国农民和良心犯权利和福祉的人权捍卫者。自2011年以来，卫小兵参与抗议活动，呼吁释放被非法监禁的法律工作者陈光诚，他发起为几位被羁押的人权捍卫者的宣传和送饭活动，这些人权捍卫者包括谭作人、黄琦、李小玲和郭飞雄。2013年，卫小兵帮助广东省陆丰200多名农民确保落实赔偿的权利，由于当地政府办公室之前向这些农民出售不良种子，造成大面积粮食歉收。其赔偿金额大约人民币3百万元（约37万欧元）。卫小兵也呼吁对政府造成政治异议人士和批评政府人士的失踪和非法羁押进行问责。

2017年10月31日，中国当局拒绝了人权捍卫者卫小兵离开家乡的第三次请求。2017年8月19日卫小兵被释放以来，他一直被“软性”监禁在四川省雅安地区。“软性”监禁是警方非正式管制和监控的方式。卫小兵认为，对他最近的监禁是报复他不久前声援今年七月死于监禁的诺贝尔奖获得者刘晓波。2017年7月19日，卫小兵与其他八人因举行悼念刘晓波的仪式而被拘留。这九位人士被以“扰乱公共秩序罪”在广东省新会看守所刑事拘留了一个月。 2017年8月19日卫小兵被释放遣送回他的家乡雅安，雅安警方两个多月一直对他强制实施非正式旅行禁令。

2017年8月28日，卫小兵打算去广东陆丰看望女儿和生病的母亲，他知会了雅安芦山县公安局，发现他的行动被警方限制。警方指令卫小兵需要等到十月下旬中共十九大结束后。不久之后， 二十多名特警和保安上门威胁和恐吓卫小兵的母亲，直到她同意写信告诉卫小兵不要来看望她们。

2017年10月29日和31日，中共十九大已经结束，卫小兵提出了两次新的旅行申请，一个要求在临县处理业务，另一个要求去探望他的母亲和女儿。第一个要求被拒绝，对第二个要求，雅安当局告诉卫小兵广东省拒绝他应该的广东之行。就卫小兵提出前往陆丰的第三次要求，2017年11月1日，陆丰当局再次派出二十名特警和保安到卫小兵母亲住所。这些安全人员恐吓卫小兵的母亲，威胁把她逐出住所，直到她电话乞求卫小兵不要来陆丰。

我呼吁中国当局停止对卫小兵的限制性监控和骚扰，我认为这完全是企图阻止卫小兵和平捍卫人权的工作。此外，我也要求中国当局停止对卫小兵家人的骚扰和恐吓。

我敦促中国当局：

1. 停止对卫小兵的一切调查，结束对他的“软性”监禁，并允许他探望家人;

2. 立即无条件解除对卫小兵自由行动的一切限制，停止所有形式对他以及对他家人的监控或骚扰，我认为这些处罚措施完全是因为卫小兵从事的合法人权活动;

3. 保障在任何情况下，在中国所有人权捍卫者能够从事其合法的人权活动，免于报复的恐惧，也不受任何限制。