Days from release activist’s jail term is extended

Worrying news has come in overnight that housing rights activist Ye Guozhu, who had been due to be released from prison this Saturday, is to be held until after 1 October.

Ye Guozhu's family says officials from Chaobai prison phoned them a couple of days ago and said not to come to the prison on Saturday. They also said that he had been taken away by the Beijing Xuanwu district police.

Later the Xuanwu district police said for the family's own good, and to keep them out of trouble during the Olympics, they would take care of Ye Guozhu, but would not release him until sometime after 1 October.

They refused to let them see Ye Guozhu, or even tell them where he is being held.

No compensation

So much for China's promises that hosting the Games would "benefit the further development of our human rights cause".

Ye Guozhu lost his two restaurants and home in 2003 when Chinese officials and property developers in Beijing's Xuanwu district reportedly colluded to force a large number of residents to move. He, like his neighbours, didn't receive any compensation.

There's been major development and construction in Beijing in the build up to next month's Games. The Geneva-based Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions estimates more than 1.5 million people have been displaced or evicted by Olympic development projects.

Stirring up trouble

Ye Guozhu has been in jail since 2004, when he was sentenced to four years, after being tried in secret and convicted of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble". Days before his arrest he had applied for permission to stage a public demonstration about the evictions.

Amnesty International has reports that he has been repeatedly tortured in jail. He has been suspended from a ceiling by his arms and beaten, hit with electro-shock batons, forced to sit upright on a hard chair for long periods and to wear handcuffs and fetters.

Empty promises

It looks like Ye Guozhu is being kept in prison to stop him from speaking out about the people, like himself, who were forcibly evicted to make room for the Olympics

Over the last few months Beijing authorities have detained and jailed a number of human rights activists they think might cause problems during the Games. Among them Hu Jia, Huang Qi and earlier this week Du Daobin.

Yes, so much for China’s promises; they’re looking plenty meaningless right about now.