Yunnan Bombing: Exonerating Land Grabs, Losing Public Trust

Last week, explosions ravaged a government office in Qiaojia County, Yunnan. The bombing was initially reported to be in connection with dissatisfaction with compensation for requisitioned land. But the story quickly turned, when police found a new suspect, interested not in land disputes, but “taking revenge on society.” These distinct and incongruous reports, commentator Shen Bin says, have led to confusion and a crisis of public trust.

PHOTO The scene of the bombing as shot by an unknown Internet user.

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2011 Annual Report Published

Dui Hua is pleased to announce that the 2011 Annual Report has been published. Last year we expanded our mission to help more at-risk detainees—political and religious prisoners as well as juvenile offenders, women in prison, and people facing the death penalty. Thanks to supporters and friends across the globe, we are confident that we can continue to achieve increased respect for human rights through dialogue with China.

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Bridging the Legal Gap for China’s Incarcerated Women

Legal protections for pregnant women and girls were bolstered by recently passed amendments to China’s Criminal Procedure Law. These changes show discernible steps towards realizing the UN rules for the treatment of women prisoners but there are more legislative gaps to fill to meet the needs of China’s growing population of women prisoners. One place to start could be China’s Prison Law, which hasn’t been changed for nearly eighteen years.

PHOTO NPC study group visits Beijing No. 2 Prison, March 30, 2012. Credit: bjrd.gov.cn

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Solitary Confinement with Chinese Characteristics

Residential surveillance may be another word for solitary confinement in China. Personal accounts by journalist Ching Cheong and democracy activist He Depu draw strong parallels between the coercive measures and call into question whether the Chinese practice is in contravention of domestic and international law. According to a recent UN report, when used to extract a confession during pretrial detention, solitary confinement amounts to torture.

PHOTO Ching Cheong spent 105 days under residential surveillance in 2005. He is pictured here with his wife Mary Lau.

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China’s New Criminal Procedure Law: Death Penalty Procedures

The “disappearance clauses” headlined much of the commentary on recently passed amendments to China’s Criminal Procedure Law, but a number of provisions for death penalty cases also introduced notable protections while raising new questions. In this post, we look at the most consequential of these changes: expanded access to legal aid, recorded interrogations, longer trials, mandatory appellate hearings, and more rigorous death penalty review.

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