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HRIC Press Advisory Labor Activists Still Facing Harsh TreatmentDATE: May 1, 2008 As the world celebrates the May 1 Labor Day holiday, labor activist Yao Fuxin (姚福信) languishes in prison simply for leading workers in a peaceful demonstration, serving as a reminder of the Chinese government's refusal to respect internationally recognized workers' rights.
"The International Olympic Committee is scolding China's critics, urging that Beijing be given time to change. But if labor activists and human rights defenders like Yao are imprisoned to ensure their silence, how can this change come about?" Hom said. Yao Fuxin was secretly detained and formally charged with "gathering a crowd to disturb social order" in March 2002 for his role in leading tens of thousands of workers from Liaoyang factories in a peaceful demonstration protesting against corruption and demanding the payment of back wages and pensions. He was later charged with the far more serious crime of subversion, due to alleged involvement in the banned China Democracy Party. During his trial, Yao insisted on his innocence, affirming his belief in the government and his desire to help resolve workers' grievances. Yao was given a seven-year sentence, which he is now serving at Lingyuan No. 2 Prison in Liaoning Province. He is due to be released in March 2009, at which point he is to be deprived of all political rights for an additional three years. Since his detention, Yao has been plagued by serious health problems. Family members, who visit him regularly, say he remains in very poor health today. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has determined that Yao is being arbitrarily detained. In June 2007, a massive network of illegal brick kilns employing kidnapped slave labor in Shanxi and Henan provinces was uncovered and widely reported on in domestic and international media, underscoring persisting inhumane labor conditions and the weak legal protections for workers in China. Although some progress has been made in improving workers' legal protections, the government continues to deny fundamental rights such as the right to organize independent unions and the right to strike.
About Human Rights in China Founded by Chinese students and scholars in March 1989, Human Rights in China (HRIC) is an international, Chinese, non-governmental organization with a mission to promote international human rights and advance the institutional protection of these rights in the People's Republic of China. |
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Human Rights in China (HRIC) | http://www.hrichina.org | hrichina@hrichina.org | ![]() |