Detention of Zeng Feiyang
On 26 September 2016, human rights defenders Zeng Feiyang, Zhu Xiaomei and Tang Jian received suspended sentences for 'gathering a crowd to disrupt social order' at a court in Guangdong province. Zeng Feiyang was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for four years. Zhu Xiaomei and Tang Jian were sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. Meng Han remains in custody and has not been sentenced yet.
On 3 December 2015 Zeng Feiyang, He Xiaobo, Peng Jiayong, Deng Xiaoming and Zhu Xiaomei were detained in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. At the same time, Tang Jian, also known as Tang Huanxing, disappeared and remained out of contact for 37 days. It later emeged he had been held in custody and was subsequently released on bail. On 8 January 2016 Zeng Feiyang, He Xiaobo and Zhu Xiaomei were formally arrested and charged. On 8 January 2016 Peng Jiayong and Deng Xiaoming were released on bail while on 8 April He Xiaobo was also released on bail.
All five have been active in the province's labour rights movement, have organised workers and negotiated with employers on their behalves.
Zeng Feiyang is the director of the Guangdong Panyu Migrant Worker Centre, a prominent group which helps workers organise collective bargaining, to win severance pay and more generally assert their rights. In December 2014, the offices of Panyu Migrant Worker Centre were raided and Zeng Feiyang was assaulted by four unidentified men. He Xiaobo runs Nanfeiyan Social Work Service Centre, an NGO campaigning for compensation on behalf of workers who have been injured during the course of their work. The centre's registration was reportedly rescinded earlier this year.
On 26 September 2016, human rights defenders Zeng Feiyang, Zhu Xiaomei and Tang Jian received suspended sentences for 'gathering a crowd to disrupt social order' at a court in Guangdong province. Zeng Feiyang was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for four years. Zhu Xiaomei and Tang Jian were sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. Meng Han remains in custody and has not been sentenced yet.
On 3 December 2015 Zeng Feiyang, He Xiaobo, Peng Jiayong, Deng Xiaoming and Zhu Xiaomei were detained in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. At the same time, Tang Jian, also known as Tang Huanxing, disappeared and remained out of contact for 37 days. It later emeged he had been held in custody and was subsequently released on bail. On 8 January 2016 Zeng Feiyang, He Xiaobo and Zhu Xiaomei were formally arrested and charged. On 8 January 2016 Peng Jiayong and Deng Xiaoming were released on bail while on 8 April He Xiaobo was also released on bail.
On 8 January 2016, human rights defenders Mr Zeng Feiyang, Mr He Xiaobo and Ms Zhu Xiaomei were formally arrested, following their detention on 3 December 2015.
Zeng Feiyang and Zhu Xiaomei were reportedly charged with 'gathering a crowd to disturb social order', while He Xiaobo was charged with 'embezzlement'. A fourth human rights defender, Mr Meng Han, was also charged with 'gathering a crowd to disturb social order'. Mr Deng Xiaoming, who was detained at the same time as Zeng Feiyang, He Xiaobo and Zhu Xiaomei, has reportedly been released. There is no further information regarding the situation of Mr Peng Jiayong, who was also detained on 3 December 2015. The formal arrest of the four human rights defenders indicates a strong likelihood that they will be brought to trial.
All of the above-mentioned individuals are workers rights defenders.
On 3 December 2015, human rights defenders Messrs Zeng Feiyang, He Xiaobo, Peng Jiayong, Deng Xiaoming and Ms Zhu Xiaomei were detained in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.
All five have been active in the province's labour rights movement, have organised workers and negotiated with employers on their behalves.
On 3 December Zeng Feiyang and Zhu Xiaomei were detained by police in Biyun district, Guangzhou on suspicion of 'gathering a crowd to disturb social order'. Zhu Xiaomei was taken away following a raid on her house. That same day, He Xiaobo was reportedly detained on allegations of 'embezzlement'. His home was then searched and a number of electronic devices and materials were confiscated. Peng Jiayong and Deng Xiaoming were also detained on 3 December although it is unclear on what grounds they are being held. It has been reported that all five have been denied access to lawyers. Zeng Feiyang and Zhu Xiaomei are being held in Guangzhou Number One Detention Centre in Baiyun district, while He Xiaobo is being held in Nanhai district. It is unknown where Peng Jiayong and Deng Xiaoming are detained.
This latest crackdown on workers' rights NGOs follows a sustained campaign against human rights defenders and civil society in China since the beginning of the summer. Front Line Defenders expresses its grave concern at the detentions of Zeng Feiyang, He Xiaobo, Peng Jiayong, Deng Xiaoming and Zhu Xiaomei, and believes the detentions are solely as a result of their peaceful and legitimate activities in defence of workers' rights.
