CHINA – Police raid home of human rights defender and Charter 08 Signatory
17 March 2010 4:05 am
On March 10,
Beijing police interrogated human rights defender Xie Qiang (谢强) for the
second time in as many weeks. Nine days earlier, on March 1, police
raided his home, seizing computers and personal property. Xie, a
signatory to and promoter of Charter 08, is currently under "soft
detention" at his home in the capital.
On March 10,
Beijing police interrogated human rights defender Xie Qiang (谢强) for the
second time in as many weeks. Nine days earlier, on March 1, police
raided his home, seizing computers and personal property. Xie, a
signatory to and promoter of Charter 08, is currently under "soft
detention" at his home in the capital.
"Police deliberately
chose the occasion of the People's Congress meeting in Beijing to harass
and intimidate Mr. Xie, apparently to send a stern warning to all
Charter 08 supporters and human rights activists," said Renee Xia,
CHRD's International Director.
Nine officers from the Beijing
Municipal Public Security Bureau and the Haidian District National
Security Unit arrived at Xie Qiang's Haidian District home at
approximately 10 pm on March 1 and searched the premises for roughly two
hours. The officers confiscated two computers, Xie's passport and Hong
Kong and Macau Travel Permit, five notebooks, a digital camera, notes,
business cards, and copies of books and magazines, including two copies
of Charter 08, belonging to Xie.
After the search, Xie Qiang was
taken to the Xiangshan Police Station and interrogated for more than
two hours. Police questioned Xie about his involvement in the drafting
of human rights reports, his attendance at a human rights conference
held in Thailand in January 2010, and his views on Charter 08 and the
jailed writer-activist Liu Xiaobo (刘晓波). Though police presented Xie
with documents authorizing the search of his home and his summons, he
was not given a copy of these documents. He was once again called in
for questioning on the afternoon of March 10, and subjected to what he
described as two hours of "oppressive" interrogation.
CHRD
demands an immediate end to Xie Qiang's "soft detention" and the return
of all of his confiscated possessions. The officials responsible for
infringing upon Xie's rights to freedom of _expression and association,
enshrined in Article 35 of the Chinese Constitution, must be held
responsible. The Chinese government must end its continuing persecution
of Charter 08 supporters and human rights defenders.
Background
Mr. Xie is originally from Loudi in Hunan Province. A former
civil servant, he has studied law and begun advocating for human rights,
devoting himself to promoting the growth of civil society and
furthering the cause of democratic reform in China in recent years. Xie
has written articles for websites including Minzhu Zhongguo (民主中国) and
Boxun (博讯), and taken part in activities organized by Chinese Human
Rights Defenders.