Statement of the Chairman and Cochairman on Political Imprisonment in China Today

Recent trials of Webmasters, professors, writers, lawyers, and even a geologist in China who is a U.S. citizen have heightened concern that the Chinese government increasingly is using detention and imprisonment to stifle dissent or to advance government objectives, at the expense of human rights. For example, in July, Dr. Xue Feng, an American geologist, was sentenced to eight years in prison for helping a U.S. company purchase commercial information on oil wells in China. Gheyret Niyaz, a Uyghur journalist and the editor of a popular Web site was sentenced to 15 years in prison for apparently giving an interview to the foreign media after the July 2009 demonstrations and riots in Xinjiang and for essays critical of some Chinese government policies in Xinjiang. In addition, Nijat Azat, Dilshat Perhat, and Nureli, have been sentenced to prison in connection to their roles as administrators of three popular Uyghur Web sites.

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Statement of CECC Chairman Byron Dorgan and Cochairman Sander Levin on the Newly Enhanced Political Prisoner Database

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Ministry of Public Security Launches Seven-Month Nationwide "Strike Hard" Campaign


In June 2010, the Ministry of Public Affairs launched a seven-month "strike hard" campaign aimed at quelling "crimes of extreme violence." The official campaign report specifically calls on public security officers to "strengthen strike hard measures" and to "increase efforts to resolve social conflicts." Chinese and international media outlets have noted that the campaign announcement follows highly publicized incidents, including a series of school attacks. Critics of the "strike hard" campaigns claim that the nationwide campaigns signal a step back for human rights protections in China. Some Chinese scholars and lawyers have expressed concerns that efforts to meet law enforcement targets under "strike hard" campaigns lead to wrongful convictions and abuses of criminal procedure.

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New Foreign Exchange Rules May Pose Difficulties for Chinese NGOs

New rules issued last year by China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange took effect on March 1, tightening previously-issued rules concerning foreign donations to Chinese organizations. The new rules add procedures and increase the paperwork burden imposed upon Chinese organizations—including non-governmental organizations (NGOs)—wishing to receive financial contributions from overseas organizations. Five months after the rules took effect, some researchers and media reports are beginning to note, with specific examples, authorities' selective enforcement of the rules in a manner that may target groups working on issues the government deems to be "sensitive."

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Chinese Government Response to Strikes

Since a series of labor strikes in southern Chinese factories in May 2010, recent Chinese media reports have offered clues about the government's reaction. Media coverage of the wage increases that the strikes have spurred has been positive, but the Party appears to remain highly wary of any labor movement not under its direct control. The strikes also have highlighted the shortcomings of "collective consultation" in China, but government leaders remain intent on centralizing power in the state-run All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) rather than devolving autonomy to grassroots labor organizations.

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Xinjiang Court Imposes Prison Sentences on Uyghur Journalist and Webmasters

A court in the far western region of Xinjiang sentenced a journalist and three Web site administrators to prison sentences in July for endangering state security. Gheyret Niyaz, a Uyghur journalist and Web editor, received a 15-year prison sentence. Prosecutors at trial cited essays he wrote addressing economic and social problems affecting Uyghurs; sources also connected the case to interviews he gave to foreign media after demonstrations and rioting in Xinjiang in July 2009. In separate cases, Web site administrators Nijat Azat, Dilshat Perhat, and Nureli received sentences of 10, 5, and 3 years, respectively, on the same charges, in reported connection to articles posted on their Web sites describing hardships in Xinjiang and announcements on one of the Web sites calling for the demonstration in Urumqi in July 2009. Other Uyghur journalists, writers, and Web site workers from Xinjiang remain in prison or in detention for exercising their right to free expression, including people whose cases also are connected to the July 2009 events.

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Internet Available in Xinjiang, But Controls Over Information Remain

Authorities in the far western region of Xinjiang continue to exert tight control over freedom of expression, imposing limits on expression in a number of cases that are harsher than restrictions imposed elsewhere in China. Following demonstrations and rioting in Xinjiang in July 2009, authorities restricted access to the Internet, text messaging, and international telephone calls, claiming that they played a key role in inciting unrest. While authorities largely restored access to the technologies by May 2010, harsh restrictions on expression remain in place: popular Uyghur Web sites remain inaccessible and staff of some Uyghur Web sites remain in detention or in prison, Xinjiang residents report prohibitions against discussing the July 2009 events online, legal regulations imposing tight controls over free expression remain in force, and the Xinjiang government continues to carry out wide-scale censorship campaigns.

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Government Appears To Crack Down on Microblogs and Blogs

An apparent government crackdown on microblogs and blogs in China reportedly began in mid-July 2010, involving service disruptions at major microblogging sites, removal of the blogs of well-known activists and lawyers, and increased monitoring of journalists' blogs. Blogs and microblogs have become increasingly popular in China, with hundreds of millions of users.

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Authorities Bolster Ethnic Unity Campaigns, Promote Spreading Party Policy During Ethnic Minority Holidays

In recent years, the Chinese government and Communist Party have strengthened "ethnic unity" campaigns as a vehicle for promulgating Party policy on ethnic issues and for imposing state-defined interpretations of the history, relations, and current conditions of ethnic groups in China. Campaigns and official documents promoting "ethnic unity" have imposed far-reaching controls on freedom of expression in China. After central government and Party authorities issued guidance on ethnic unity in 2008 and 2009, authorities publicized a new document this July to further strengthen ethnic unity. The new document appears to intensify past measures by calling on authorities to use the "traditional holidays" of ethnic minorities to promote state ethnic unity campaigns. The recent guidance follows a major speech by President and Party General Secretary Hu Jintao in September 2009 on "promoting ethnic unity" and "realizing common progress," which he delivered in the wake of protests and riots in Tibetan areas in March 2008 and in the far western region of Xinjiang in July 2009

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Bishop Jia Zhiguo Refuses To Join State-Controlled Church After 15 Months of Detention

Authorities in Hebei province recently released unregistered Catholic bishop Jia Zhiguo after detaining him in an unknown location for 15 months. Prior to Jia's latest detention, the Chinese government had harassed and detained him repeatedly since the early 1960s. Chinese policy requires Catholic communities in China to affiliate with the Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA), a state-controlled entity that monitors and controls Catholic doctrine, practices, property, and personnel. The Chinese government continues to deny Catholics in China the freedom to accept the authority of the Holy See to appoint bishops in China, and the government continues to harass or detain some bishops and priests who defy this policy.

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Beijing Court Sentences American Geologist to Eight Years for State Secrets

On July 5, 2010, the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court sentenced Dr. Xue Feng, a naturalized American citizen, to eight years in prison for allegedly helping the American company he worked for purchase commercial information on oil wells in China. The court said the information was a state secret and the purchase had endangered China's national security. Officials reportedly did not declare the information a state secret until after the transaction occurred; attempted to coerce Dr. Xue into confessing to the crime by allegedly torturing him; violated China's consular agreement with the United States by delaying notification of Dr. Xue's detention and limiting access by American officials; and violated China's Criminal Procedure Law with respect to the handling of Dr. Xue's case. The case also highlights the risk for foreign companies and their employees competing or doing business with China's state-owned enterprises, which can leverage state secrets laws to protect their commercial interests.

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Case of Wrongful Conviction in Henan Captures National Attention

In early May, Chinese and international media reported on the case of wrongfully convicted Zhao Zuohai who served 10 years in prison before his alleged murder victim returned home. Subsequent to his release, Zhao reported that officials had repeatedly used torture on him to extract a confession. The case has sparked national debate over the use of torture to coerce confessions in criminal prosecutions.

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Central Leaders Hold Forum on Xinjiang, Stress Development and Stability as Dual Goals

Top central government and Communist Party leaders held a major "work forum" in May to set state economic and political objectives for the far western region of Xinjiang. Authorities at the conference defined promoting "development by leaps and bounds" and upholding stability as twin goals for the region. They also announced a series of initiatives to spur economic growth and to support social welfare. Following the forum, local leaders in Xinjiang unveiled concrete initiatives to implement the objectives of the May meeting, some of which could bring economic benefits to the region. Other initiatives, however, appear likely to clash with residents' rights, especially the rights of Uyghurs and other non-Han groups to preserve their cultures, languages, and livelihoods. The recent plans intensify a trend of top-down initiatives that prioritize state economic and political goals over the promotion of regional autonomy provided for under Chinese law and broader protections of XUAR residents' rights.

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Recent Worker Actions in China

In recent weeks, reports have appeared in Chinese and international media outlets highlighting strikes at enterprises throughout China, many at foreign-owned enterprises, and other incidents involving workers, including suicides. Chinese and international journalists, academics, and activists have penned essays and articles attempting to explain the causes of the recent spate of worker incidents. Some of these pieces have taken an interpretive angle, bringing out themes—such as the Chinese government's denial of the right to free association, the rights of migrant workers, and changing attitudes of a new generation of workers—that have persisted in China since economic reforms began in 1978.

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Relatives Visit Imprisoned Buddhist Teacher Tenzin Deleg, Officials Report Ill Health

Officials in Sichuan province permitted two sisters of imprisoned Tibetan Buddhist teacher Tenzin Deleg (A'an Zhaxi) to visit him at an unspecified location on April 27, 2010, according to a June 11 Radio Free Asia (RFA) report. Prison officials informed the women that their brother is suffering from multiple illnesses, though sources told RFA that Tenzin Deleg had "played down" reports of his illness and his sisters said he appeared to be "reasonably well." The officials' unexpected notice to the sisters that they could visit their brother and the officials' unsolicited disclosure of information on his medical condition occurred approximately one year and nine months prior to January 2012, when Tenzin Deleg will have completed seven years of his sentence of life imprisonment—the period of time he must serve under Chinese regulations before officials can consider whether or not his illnesses may qualify him for release on medical parole (see below).

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Restrictions on Religion Continue in Xinjiang

Authorities in the far western region of Xinjiang exert tight control over religious practice in the region, in a number of cases imposing limits on religious activities that are harsher than restrictions imposed elsewhere in China. Authorities single out Muslim practices in some instances, as a number of recent reports detail. Authorities have claimed "illegal religious activities" and "religious extremism" as threats to the region's stability and blamed "religious extremism" as one source of unrest during demonstrations and rioting in Xinjiang in July 2009. Several recent government and media reports detail tight controls over religious activity in the year since the demonstrations and rioting took place. Such controls include steps to monitor mosques and pre-examine sermons, to prevent children from "believing in a religion," and to punish religious believers engaged in activities outside of officially approved parameters.

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Government White Paper on Internet Claims Free Speech Protected

The State Council Information Office released its White Paper on the State of the Internet in China in June 2010 claiming that the Chinese government's regulation of the Internet guarantees freedom of speech and is consistent with international practice. The white paper highlights the government's efforts to expand Internet access and what it describes as lively exchanges on China's Internet, stating that large numbers of citizens express opinions online through blogs and comment boards. The white paper fails to address, however, aspects of China's regulation of the Internet that violate international human rights standards, including routine filtering of politically sensitive content and vague and broadly worded prohibitions on content.

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Chinese Human Rights Defender Gao Zhisheng Disappears Again

Prominent Chinese human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng, who in late March 2010 resurfaced after having disappeared for more than a year, has again gone missing. The latest disappearance comes only a month after Gao reappeared in public following his nearly 14 months in what experts on the case describe as official custody. In late March and early April, Gao made contact with friends and family and gave several interviews, during which he reportedly appeared to be under surveillance. Multiple international news outlets now have reported that Gao failed to return to Beijing after visiting with family in western China in mid-April, and has again disappeared.

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Hong Kong Government Releases Proposals for Constitutional Reform

On April 14, 2010, the Hong Kong government released its "Package of Proposals for the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive and for Forming the Legislative Council in 2012." The package of proposals increases the membership of the Legislative Council and of the committee that selects the chief executive. However, the proposals reflect limitations imposed by China in a 2007 decision on constitutional reform.

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ROUNDTABLE

China and Human Trafficking: Updates and Analysis (8/20/10)

Friday, August 20, 2010, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 628

At this CECC roundtable, panelists examined recent developments in the Chinese government's efforts to combat human trafficking and discuss prospects for and obstacles to further progress. In the last year the Chinese government has acceded to the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. Will its accession impact developments on the ground? What challenges do current labor conditions in China present for defining and addressing human trafficking, including labor trafficking? How do political pressure and human rights in China intersect with the issue of human trafficking?

View recorded C-SPAN video coverage here.

HEARING

Political Prisoners in China: Trends and Implications for U.S. Policy (8/3/10)

Tuesday August 3, 2010, 10:15 a.m. to 12 noon
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 628

Recent trials of scholars, activists, lawyers, and others in China have shined a spotlight on the Chinese government's use of detention and imprisonment to squelch dissent or advance government objectives. Witnesses examined whether political imprisonment is on the rise in China; whether the profile of political prisoners in China today is changing compared to years past; how does the threat of political imprisonment affect the work of people and organizations who are engaged in human rights advocacy or who are involved in commercial activity in China, including U.S. citizens as well as citizens of China; what opportunities have Chinese citizens lost as a result of the chilling effects of political imprisonment; and should the U.S. government be more concerned about political imprisonment in China, and what implications does it have for U.S. policy?

View a recorded video of this hearing.

Statement of CECC Chairman Byron Dorgan and Cochairman Sander Levin on the Newly Enhanced Political Prisoner Database

Upgraded Political Prisoner Database Representative Cases

Political Prisoner Database New Features

Partial List of Political Prisoners Known or Believed to be Detained or Imprisoned in China as of July 25, 2010 (1,383 Cases)

ROUNDTABLE

China's Far West: Conditions in Xinjiang One Year After Demonstrations and Riots (7/19/10)

Monday, July 19, 2010, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 628

At this CECC roundtable, panelists examined conditions in the far western region of Xinjiang one year after demonstrations and rioting occurred there. Events in July 2009 exposed longstanding tensions in the region and Uyghurs' grievances toward government policies that threaten basic rights. Authorities pledged in 2010 to improve economic conditions in Xinjiang and appointed a new Party secretary for the region. How will these new developments shape Xinjiang's future? Is the government effectively addressing Uyghurs' grievances? How have government controls over the free flow of information affected our understanding of events in the region?

ROUNDTABLE

Prospects for Democracy in Hong Kong: Assessing China's International Commitments (7/14/10)

Wednesday, July 14, 2010, 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Room 138, Dirksen Senate Office Building

Hong Kong's basic freedoms for the most part have been maintained under "one country, two systems." In June of this year, Hong Kong took its first steps toward constitutional reform since the British handed the territory back to China in 1997. This roundtable examined these recent constitutional reforms, mainland China's engagement in Hong Kong, and how Hong Kong may contribute to the development of democracy and civil society in China.

ROUNDTABLE

China's Policies Toward Spiritual Movements (6/18/10)

Friday, June 18, 2010, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Room 628, Dirksen Senate Office Building

Panelists examined the Chinese government's policies toward spiritual movements and the factors that drive its treatment of members of spiritual groups.

ROUNDTABLE

Transparency in Environmental Protection and Climate Change in China (4/1/10)

Thursday, April 1, 2010, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Room 628, Dirksen Senate Office Building

At this CECC Roundtable, a panel of experts examined the challenge of government transparency in environmental protection and climate change in China.

HEARING

Google and Internet Control in China: A Nexus Between Human Rights and Trade? (3/24/10)

Wednesday, March 24, 2010, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Room 628, Dirksen Senate Office Building

The recent Google controversy with China raises the question of whether China's regulation of the Internet is both a human rights and a trade issue. Witnesses examined the challenges and hazards China's regulation of the Internet poses both to advocates of free expression and to foreign companies doing business in China; and possible ways for policymakers and private actors to respond to China's regulation of the Internet from both the human rights and trade perspectives.

View a recorded video of this hearing.

ROUNDTABLE

Women in a Changing China (3/8/10)

Monday, March 8, 2010, 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Room B-318, Rayburn House Office Building.

A panel of experts explored the Chinese government's progress and challenges in addressing issues that impact women's rights inlcuding domestic violence, land rights, gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and human trafficking.

2009 Annual Report

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China issued its 2009 Annual Report on human rights conditions and the development of the rule of law in China on October 10, 2009. Click here for the full report (pdf).

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China issued a special report titled Special Topic Paper: Tibet 2008-2009 on October 22, 2009. The report provides expanded coverage and in-depth analysis of key recent developments and trends in Tibet and builds on the Commission's 2009 Annual Report.

China and Human Trafficking: Updates and Analysis (8/20/10)

China's Far West: Conditions in Xinjiang One Year After the Demonstrations and Riots (7/19/10)

Prospects for Democracy in Hong Kong: Assessing China's International Commitments (7/14/10)

China's Policies Toward Spiritual Movements (6/18/10)

Transparency in Environmental Protection and Climate Change in China (4/1/10)

Women in a Changing China  (3/8/10)

China's Citizen Complaint System: Prospects for Accountability  (12/04/09)

Gao Yaojie: Physician, Grandmother, and Whistleblower in China's Fight Against HIV/AIDS  (12/03/09)

Reporting the News in China: First-Hand Accounts and Current Trends  (7/31/09)

China's Human Rights Lawyers: Current Challenges and Prospects  (7/10/09)

The Financial Crisis and the Changing Role of Workers in China  (6/19/09)

What "Democracy" Means in China After Thirty Years of Reform   (5/22/09)

The Rising Stakes of Refugee Issues in China   (5/1/09)

A Year After the March 2008 Protests: Is China Promoting Stability in Tibet?  (3/13/09)

Does China Have a Stability Problem?   (2/27/09)

Human Rights in Xinjiang: Recent Developments (2/13/09)

The UN Human Rights Council's Review of China's Record: Process and Challenges (1/16/09)

Human Rights and Rule of Law in China: Where Are We Now and Where Do We Go From Here? (12/12/08)

On the Eve of the Beijing Olympics: China's Information Lockdown (7/16/08)

Xinjiang: Rights Abuses in China's Muslim Western Region (5/14/08)

2008 Annual Report

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China issued its 2008 Annual Report on human rights conditions and the development of the rule of law in China on Friday, October 31, 2008. Click here for the full report (text/pdf).

2007 Annual Report

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China issued its 2007 Annual Report on human rights conditions and the development of the rule of law in China on Wednesday, October 10, 2007. Click here for the full report (text/pdf).

Xinjiang Demonstrations

See also the CECC Chairman's and Cochairman's Statement on the Xinjiang Demonstrations.

China's Olympic Commitments

See also the CECC Chairman's and Cochairman's Statement on China's Olympic Commitments. Click here for the full transcript and supporting materials from the Commission's Hearing on "The Impact of the 2008 Olympic Games on Human Rights and the Rule of Law in China."

Tibetan Protests

See also the CECC Chairman's Statement on the Tibetan Protests.

China's Household Registration System

Available in English (html or pdf) and Chinese (html or pdf).

Newsletter Archives

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Google and Internet Control in China: A Nexus Between Human Rights and Trade? (3/24/10)

Human Rights and the Rule of Law in China (10/7/09)

The 20th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Protests: Examining the Significance of the 1989 Demonstrations in China and Implications for U.S. Policy (6/4/09)

What Will Drive China's Future Legal Development? Reports from the Field (6/18/08)

The Impact of the 2008 Olympic Games on Human Rights and the Rule of Law in China (02/27/08)

Human Rights and Rule of Law in China (09/20/06)

Combating Human Trafficking in China: Domestic and International Efforts (03/06/06)

Law in Political Transitions: Lessons from East Asia and the Road Ahead for China (7/26/05)

Religious Freedom in China (11/18/04)