Illegal Publications
Liang Jiantian (梁鉴添), a Guangzhou publisher, received a six-month sentence reduction in June 2018. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2000 by a Guangdong court, for illegal business activity and producing obscene materials after printing around five million copies of Falun Gong related publications. Panyu Prison disclosed a notice on its website concerning Liang’s latest sentence reduction. His sentence is due to expire on April 17, 2022.
A recently uncovered judgement found on China Judgements Online involves a case of illegal publications. Ding Lixian (丁立先) and Zhang Haiqing (张海清) were sentenced by a Shandong court to five years’ imprisonment and suspended imprisonment respectively in November 2017. They were accused of printing 60,000 illegal books that contained rumors about former president Jiang Zemin.
“Educational Placement” in Xinjiang
Judicial websites released the case numbers of eight judgments concerning “Educational Placement” in Xinjiang. Among them, Elipani Tohti (依力帕尼·托乎提), convicted of splittism, was ordered by a Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps court on November 9, 2017 to be placed in an Educational Placement facility after his prison term expires. The full content of the judgement is unavailable due to the court’s determination that the content was “unsuitable for disclosure.” Others include Dewula Rehim (代吾拉·热合木), convicted of provoking ethnic hatred, Yasin Husedin (亚森·吾赛丁), convicted of disturbing social order, and Saierjia Bazarbek (赛尔加·巴扎尔别克), apparently an ethnic-Kazakh, convicted of participating in a terrorist organization. Established by Article 30 of the Counterterrorism Law, educational placement is designed for those convicted of terrorism or extremism crimes who still pose a threat to the society beyond their prison term. Without a term limit, educational placement is a de-facto life imprisonment sentence. Of the eight individuals, only Bazakbek was convicted of a crime involving terrorism. The sentencing of the other seven individuals falls beyond the legal scope of Article 30.
Underground Parties
Cao Haibo (曹海波) is a member of the China Democracy Party who was sentenced for subversion in October 2012. Cao was responsible for creating an online group to discuss politics and the “China Republican Party.” His posts were reportedly online for only one day. Cao was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment in Yunnan No. 2 Prison for subversion. Dui Hua learned that Cao received a sentence reduction and is now scheduled for release on May 20, 2019 following his first sentence reduction.
Xiang Fengxuan (项逢选) established the People’s Election Party and the so-called “Shadow Corps” with the intention of overthrowing the Communist Party in a violent revolution according to official reports. Xiang was sentenced to 11 years for subversion in 2017 in Guangdong and is now incarcerated in Yangjiang Prison.
Ma Ji (马骥), Yang Wanben (杨万本), Su Dongliang (苏东亮), and Zhang Junwei (张珺玮) were also sentenced for subversion in Guangzhou over their participation in the People’s Election Party. Dui Hua uncovered this information from judicial websites. Only Yang and Zhang are known to have been sentenced to four years and five years’ imprisonment, respectively, whereas the sentences received by Ma and Su remain unknown. Dui Hua submitted a prisoner list to its interlocutors to inquire about Ma and Su.
Endangering State Security Cases in Xinjiang
Yusup Ismail (玉素普·司马义) was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2006. An online judgment stated that the Xinjiang High People’s Court reviewed the application of his sentence reduction in January 2017, but the outcome has not been disclosed. Dui Hua received a response confirming that he received a three-month sentence reduction and completed his sentence in Tulufan Prison on April 14, 2017.
Abdusalam Amut (阿布都沙拉木·阿木特) was sentenced to life in prison in 1999. He did not receive any clemency until after he had served 19 years in Xinjiang No.1 Prison. In June 2016, the prison applied for a sentence commutation on his behalf, but the outcome remained unknown until a government response given to Dui Hua confirmed that the Xinjiang High People’s Court commuted his sentence to 20 years’ imprisonment. He is now scheduled for release on June 27, 2036.
Memettohti Memetimin (买买托乎提·买买提明) has received a commutation of his life sentence to 20 years’ imprisonment. He was granted his first sentence reduction on September 6, 2016, after being imprisoned for 20 years. In 2003, he was sentenced additionally for theft and illegal production/trafficking in weapons/ammunition/explosives. His life sentence was commuted about two weeks after the Xinjiang High People’s Court received the recommendation for a sentence reduction submitted by Xinjiang No.4 Prison on August 25, 2016.
Abdukeyum Tursun (阿布杜凯尤木·图尔逊) is the name of a previously unknown suspect in an endangering state security case. Dui Hua researchers uncovered his name in a Gansu provincial public security bureau record. He was wanted by the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau for splittism, He was arrested in Gansu on March 13, 2008. Facts related to his incarceration and sentencing are not known.