SOH News

Breaking News – Heilongjiang farmers’ rights representative Wang Gui-Lin will be sentenced by the authorities

Since Yu Chang-Wu, the rights representative of lost-land farmers in Heilongjiang Province was sentenced to two years ‘reformation’ at a forced labour camp, another rights representative, Wang Gui-Lin was set for a trial on 29th January. In addition another court hearing for rights representative Yang Chun-Lin, whose trial was originally planned for 29th January, had been re-scheduled for after the Lunar New Year. Rights representative Yang Chun-Lin, a former worker of Jiamusi, was charged by the authorities for fighting for the rights of lost-land farmers in Fujin of Heilongjiang Province. Yang was arrested for initiating the campaign “Human Rights Come before the Olympics”

It is known that early January Wang Gui-Lin Fujin received a phone call from government officials who claimed to see him regarding land acquisition. As Wang Gui-Lin went to attend the appointment, public security seized him and took him away. Wang has been detained up till now. Gui-Lin Wang’s wife Sun Xu-Rong received notice from the Fujin Public Security Bureau two days ago that they would announce the penalty on Wang Gui-Lin on Tuesday, and asked family members to hire a lawyer, or their rights would be abstained.

Sun Xu-Rong told SOH reporters that the authority accused Wang Gui-Lin of disturbing public order, and has been holding him in custody at Fujin Prison. Monday morning she was allowed to pay a visit to her husband, and found that he is not in good health and has gotten very skinny. According to Wang Gui-Lin, he had been beaten by inmates. When he was informed that he would be sentenced, he was once in tears. Sun Xu-Rong said: ” He (Wang Gui-Lin) told me that inside the jail, he had been bullied and bashed up and did not wish to stay inside for even one day. In jail, they do not give him enough to eat. He has gone a lot skinnier. When I told him that he will be sentenced tomorrow, he was in tears.”

Sun Xu-Rong said that they could not afford hiring a lawyer. Once her husband is sentenced, their life would be in misery. She said: where could I have the money to hire a lawyer? I do not know how to cope with life (without him). I have two children. I do not even have any money for the children’s tuitions. I have ailments and cannot go to work. Now, we have nothing to sustain our life and the children can not go to school.”

Late last year, the rights representatives for 40,000 lost-land farmers in Fujin, Wang Gui-Lin and Yu Chang-Wu publicly issued a notice on overseas websites, claiming back their ownership of about 25,000 acres of land that had been forcibly seized by the government since 1994 at a low price in excuse of national infrastructure construction. Yu Chang-Wu was detained soon after the announcement, and had been sentenced for a two-year forced labour term on 17th January. Mr. Meng, an aid representative for Yu Chang Wu, believed that Wang Gui-Lin would face a similar fate as Yu Chang-Wu.

Mr. Meng said that because the authorities failed to find evidence to prosecute them, they want to seize them. ‘Reformation’ through forced hard labour has become a means other than punishment under the Criminal Code to suppress human rights activists. Mr. Meng said: To publish articles over the internet cannot constitute a crime. The authority will not want to release you. This is retaliation (by the authorities).

The above news is brought to you by Chang Qing, and hosted by Chris Thomas for Breaking News on the SOH Radio Network.