Hamburg should do more for human rights in twin town of Shanghai

Hamburg ought to do more for persecuted human rights activists and political prisoners in Shanghai, its Chinese twin town. This joint appeal was launched by the Society for Threatened Peoples and the Hamburg branch of the Tibet Initiative Germany to mark the opening of the annual “China Time” event in the Hanseatic city. Human rights campaigners and political prisoners are pinning their hopes on Hamburg to raise its voice and put an end to the violation of human rights in China’s booming metropolis.

The appeal draws particular attention to the shocking plight of the respected civil rights defender Feng Zhenghu, who has been illegally held under house arrest for the past five-and-a-half months, completely cut off from the outside world. His case is reminiscent of that of the blind human rights activist, Chen Guangcheng, whose spectacular escape to the United States Embassy caused a worldwide stir in April 2012. Feng Zhenghu’s flat has been guarded day and night by more than 20 police officers since February 27, 2012. They prevent him from leaving the house, even using physical force. Neither friends nor relatives are allowed to visit him. Numerous cameras have been installed in the house to document every movement. The 57-year-old economist campaigned for the rights of petitioners who lost their flats and houses due to property speculation in Shanghai. Feng Zhenghu gained international fame due to the odyssey that has shuttled him backwards and forwards between Japan and China. In 2009/2010 he lived in the terminal of Tokyo airport for three months when the Chinese authorities refused to allow him back into his country.

Petitioners from Shanghai are regularly arrested whenever they stand up for their rights. 450 petitioners from Hamburg’s twin town were arrested in Peking in April 2012, and at least 18 Falun Gong supporters have been imprisoned in Shanghai since December 2011 for adhering to the banned meditation movement and endeavouring to practise their spiritual beliefs. The position of Christian Catholics isn’t easy either. The newly ordained Catholic Bishop of Shanghai, Thaddeus Ma Daqin, got into serious difficulties with the authorities in July 2012 because he defied state control and no longer wanted to belong to the officially recognised “Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association” (CPCA). Christians everywhere admired the courage of the bishop who has been under investigation ever since.