A/HRC/51/47
content of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, organize events for Human Rights
Day since 2005 together with other defenders, the alleged suppression of their activism and
his experience of detention in 2011, 2016 and 2019 for the planning of Human Rights Day
events.
35.
According to information received by OHCHR, during the reporting period,
authorities subjected Mr. Shen Youlian to house arrest and surveillance for a total of 27 days,
including on 4 June, 9 July and Human Rights Day 2021. On 16 March 2022, public security
officers and neighbourhood committee members reportedly arrived at Mr. Shen Youlian’s
home, informed him he was suspected of “illegally engaging in activities in the name of an
organization” based on an essay he had written in 2021 about human rights. Mr. Shen
Youlian’s residence was searched and his computer, hard drive, and phone confiscated. Mr.
Shen Youlian was allegedly then taken to the Case Investigation Center of the Huaxi District
Public Security Branch where he was asked to change into a jail uniform and was held
overnight for interrogation. It was reported to OHCHR that Mr. Shen Youlian was questioned
about his activities, asked to match several online usernames with the legal names of several
people he had met online and threatened with detention for 10 days. Mr. Shen Youlian was
released the next morning and on 22 March 2022 he reportedly filed a complaint with the
police inspector about the search of his residence and his interrogation. A week later, on 29
March 2022, public security officials from the State Security division allegedly went to his
home and threatened to punish him for filing his complaint.
36.
The case of a human rights defender against gender-based violence and for labour
rights, Ms. Li Qiaochu, was included in the 2021 report of the Secretary-General 43 on
allegations that her detention was a reprisal for meeting online with two experts from the
Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances in September 2020.44 Ms. Li
Qiaochu worked to publicize details of alleged torture inflicted on her partner, the detained
rights activist Mr. Xu Zhiyong, and his colleague, lawyer Mr. Ding Jiaxi45 (see also CHN
4/202146). On 24 September 2020, Ms. Luo Shengchun, the wife of Mr. Ding Jiaxi, had
tweeted about the meeting held with the two UN experts, including Ms. Li Qiaochu.
37.
According to information received by OHCHR, on 28 February 2022, Ms. Li Qiaochu
was indicted after being held in custody for over a year at the Linyi Municipal Public Security
Bureau for “inciting subversion of state authority” acting on the instruction of her partner
Mr. Xu Zhiyong to publish his articles with the intention of “overthrowing the social system.”
Reportedly, Ms. Li Qiaochu was refused access to a lawyer until 27 August 2021, nearly
seven months into her detention. All four prior applications for visits requested by her lawyer
had allegedly been rejected on grounds that a visit would reveal state secrets and compromise
the criminal investigation. Family requests to release her on bail for medical reasons have
reportedly been rejected.
38.
On 3 February 2022, special procedure mandate holders followed up on the case of
Ms. Li Quiaochu addressing allegations of lack of due process in the judicial proceedings
against her, allegations regarding her treatment in detention and the alleged significant
deterioration of her health while in detention (CHN 2/2022).
39.
The case of human rights lawyer Ms. Li Yuhan, who had engaged with UN human
rights mechanisms and whose detention was considered arbitrary by the Working Group on
Arbitrary Detention,47 was included in the 2019, 2020 and 2021 reports of the SecretaryGeneral.48 According to information received by OHCHR, on 20 October 2021, Ms. Li Yuhan
was tried for the charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” and “fraud” by the
Heping District People’s Court in Shenzang, Liaoning province, after being held in pre-trial
detention for more than four years at the Shenzang No. 1 Detention Center. Reportedly, only
one of her two defense lawyers was able to represent Ms. Li Yuan at the trial, after the
authorities revoked the firm’s operating license of the other lawyer. Reportedly, the court
43
44
45
46
47
48
42
A/HRC/48/28, para. 58, Annex I, para. 26.
See also CHN 4/2021.
During the reporting period the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found the detention of Mr.
Ding Jiaxi to be arbitrary (A/HRC/WGAD/2021/30 para. 85).
https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadFile?gId=36396.
A/HRC/WGAD/2018/62, paras. 59, 62, 77–78.
A/HRC/42/30, para. 45 and Annex I, paras. 13, 15, A/HRC/45/36, Annex II, para. 14; A/HRC/48/28,
para. 59, Annex II, para. 17.