Geneva-Paris, July 11, 2006

Mr. President,

The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), in the framework of their joint programme, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, would like to draw your attention on the arbitrary detention of Mr. Chen Guangcheng and Mr. Guo Qizhen, and on the house arrest of Mrs. Ding Zilin and Mrs. Zhang Xialing.

According to the information received from Chinese Rights Defenders (CRD), on June 10, 2006, Mr. Chen Guangcheng, a human rights activist in Linyi, Shandong, had been charged with “deliberate destruction of property” and “organizing a mob to disrupt traffic” after 89 days of detention at Yinan County Detention Center.

In the spring of 2005, Mr. Chen had denounced the violence in the implementation of family planning policies in Linyi, and since then, the local authorities have tried to undermine and intimidate him and his supporters through close surveillance, threats, house arrest and arbitrary detention.

On March 11, 2006, under the pretext they had blocked traffic, local police officers questioned and arrested Mr. Chen. On June 11, 2006, his family has been informed for the first time, and after 89 days in detention of the reasons for his detention and of his whereabouts.

On May 12, 2006, Mr. Guo Qizhen, a human rights activist in Cangzhou City, Hebei Province, and a volunteer at Tianwang Disappeared Persons Service Center helping victims publicizing their stories on the internet, was placed under house arrest by local security forces, while he was joining the hunger strike against the Chinese government’s repression of human rights activists organized by lawyer Mr. Gao Zhinsheng.

On June 6, 2006, he was reportedly been charged for “suspicion of inciting subversion of state power”.

Mr. Guo, who suffers from severe neurasthenia, would currently be held at the Cangzhou City No. 2 Detention Center.

Furthermore, since May 30, 2006, Mrs. Ding Zilin and Mrs. Zhang Xialing, respectively Head and Spokesperson of the Tiananmen Mothers, a group of family members of people killed or injured in the violent crackdown on peaceful protesters in Tiananmen Square in June 1989, were closely monitored by the police.

Mrs. Ding was denied any visit and was only allowed to be brought by police officers to the hospital.