Two leading democracy activists missing in China
BEIJING (AFP) - Two of China's leading democracy campaigners have gone missing amid an intensified crackdown by the ruling Communist Party on political dissent ahead of a key meeting, rights groups said Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT Yao Lifa and Lu Banglie, activists promoting local democratic elections in China's central Hubei Province, disappeared in recent days, the Chinese Human Rights Defenders said in a statement. It comes ahead of next week's Communist Party Congress that will set the nation's five-year political agenda and could unveil a successor to take over from President Hu Jintao in 2012. Already several rights activists in Beijing have disappeared into police custody, while scores of other dissidents remain under loose house arrest and constant surveillance. "The Chinese government is intensifying repression ahead of the 17th Congress... as the climax of a months-long campaign to silence dissent," the New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a Thursday statement. "The latest moves... have included the abduction, arrest, or violent intimidation of dozens of perceived dissidents who the government fears may protest on the streets of Beijing." According to Yao's friends, the 49-year-old democracy campaigner was taken into police custody on October 1, but local authorities have refused to confirm the detention as they are required under law, the group said. Both Yao and Lu once served as elected legislators to lower-level People's Congresses in Hubei, but their outspoken criticism of local elections soon found them in trouble with authorities. They were blocked from seeking re-election because of activities promoting free and fair elections around the country, according to the Chinese Human Rights Defenders, a loose coalition of activists in China. In 2006, Yao published a book exposing the persecution of many independent candidates running in local congressional elections that are tightly controlled by the Communist Party. The book was immediately banned. Lu has been engaged in fighting corruption and other illegal activities in village elections, the only direct votes allowed in China. <http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071011/wl_asia_afp/chinapoliticsrightsdem\ ocracy;_ylt=Ao9Q7ykkyeR7jMeYAYkBPt0Bxg8F <http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071011/wl_asia_afp/chinapoliticsrightsdem\ ocracy;_ylt=Ao9Q7ykkyeR7jMeYAYkBPt0Bxg8F> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
