With huge and ongoing public protests against repressive governments spreading worldwide, it is no surprise that China’s leaders are taking an extremely strong and reactive stance against any internet-facilitated public gatherings or protests.
The ‘Jasmine Revolution’ will not be televised – in China at least.
Yesterday (Feb. 28), China Aid said a well-known Christian human rights attorney, Jiang Tianyong, had disappeared on Feb. 19. The CA report put the blame on the police.
The report notes the disappearance of three lawyers, in total:
Since the prominent human rights lawyer Tang Jitian was arrested on February 16 by Beijing police, 11 days have passed and his whereabouts are still unknown. Since the prominent Christian human rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong was kidnapped by the police at 4 p.m. on February 19, downstairs from his brother’s apartment, eight days has passed and his whereabouts are still unknown. Mrs. Jin Bianling, wife of Jiang Tianyong, has gone to the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau for inquiries, but to no avail. Once, she was told that over 60,000 people are being detained by the Municipal Public Security Bureau and there is no way they could confirm if Lawyer Jiang Tianyong was among them.
On the afternoon of the same day, the prominent human rights lawyer Dr. Teng Biao was also taken away by the Beijing police and his house was searched. So far, his whereabouts are also unknown. China Aid Association has been watching these incidents closely and strongly denounces the actions of the Beijing authorities in the forced disappearance of these three human rights lawyers and of human rights activists in other regions of China. Such conduct seriously tramples on the legitimate rights of the Chinese citizens and is also a violation of the UN’s “International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.” Such a gangsterization of the public power and such flagrant violation of the legal system and of civil rights can only aggravate the unrest in the Chinese society, and it will certainly motivate more people into joining the Jasmine Revolution of peaceful civil disobedience.
Meanwhile, All Girls Allowed, the organization that Chai Ling founded to resist China’s one child policy, called out China’s leadership for its suppression of human rights efforts. In a press statement, All Girls Allowed said:
Volunteers involved in anti-trafficking and anti-gendercide work with the humanitarian organization All Girls Allowed have been targeted by the Chinese government in a recent crackdown likely sparked by various Middle East protests and the peaceable Chinese “Jasmine Revolution.”
While uninvolved in these demonstrations, volunteers have been accused and detained by police. An alarming example: Jiang Tianyong, a human rights lawyer who helped anti-trafficking volunteers as they reconnected a 3-year old child to her family just last month, is missing.
“We believe that this recent wave of kidnappings, detainments and house arrests is related to current events happening around the world,” says Chai Ling, founder of All Girls Allowed. “But our volunteers just want to continue rescuing children and supporting families who are hurting.”
No one knows how long this persecution of volunteers and peaceable human-rights workers will continue.
Human rights lawyers who defend victims of forced abortions are in particular danger.
All Girls Allowed has this compelling video about their ministry:
How to End Gendercide from All Girls Allowed on Vimeo.
Christians in China working for change do so at great personal risk. Pray for them.
If you are in China and have further details, email me.
