Friends have been unable to contact the wives of two detained in China’s crackdown on human rights lawyers and activists. Wang Qiaoling, the wife of lawyer Li Heping, sent a message on Sunday evening saying that she and Liu Ermin, the wife of activist Zhai Yanmin, had been taken by police. They haven’t been heard from since.
The trials for four human rights lawyers and activists, Zhai Yanmin among them, are rumoured to start on Monday.
Patrick Poon, Amnesty International researcher, told HKFP that Wang and Liu may have been taken away because “the authorities might want to stop them from going to the trial… six other activists, including Hu Shigen’s two brothers, were also taken away when they went to the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court this morning.” Hu Shigen is a human rights activist who was also charged with subverting state power and may face trial Monday.
Poon added that it was a common action taken by authorities and said that “the police tried to quash attention as the crackdown and detention of lawyers and activists have been receiving international attention over the past year.”
He said that while it was unclear if the trial has started, if it was a secret trial, “it would once again show how the Chinese authorities have run against claims of promoting the rule of law, by depriving the detained lawyers and activists any chance to have a fair trial.”
刘二敏和王峭玲戈平妻丽丽和王全章妻李文足在二中院外，丽丽在二中院门前被推到，被抢，丽丽重重摔倒，哭诉丈夫被关押一年多来的悲愤遭遇，让人心疼，气愤。 pic.twitter.com/UkmNd1dEUv
— 反共渔夫 (@cnfreewang) August 1, 2016
Wang and Liu, along with Fan Lili and Li Wenzu, the wives of two others detained in the crackdown, went to a Tianjin court to inquire about a trial date last Friday and were taken to a police station where the police asked to speak with Fan and Liu.
转：
刘二敏和王峭玲从昨天下午被抓、失联。上午丽丽和李文足在门前举牌要求放人，丽丽被人推倒
老鼠、胡石根弟弟、周莉、辛巴等被带走，关在天津信访办大厅 pic.twitter.com/RncZH0hoIX
— 向莉 (@alicedreamss) August 1, 2016
Fan and Li were outside the Tianjin Second Intermediate People’s Court, where the trial was supposed to take place. They were holding signs which called for the release of Wang and Liu. Fan was reportedly pushed over by somebody as she called for the release of Wang and Liu.
