(Beijing) Human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and his wife have been formally arrested on suspicion of picking quarrels and provoking trouble. This bizarre charge has been widely used to target rights activists. Yu’s family appointed He Wei from Chongqing to represent the case, police rejected the power of attorney request.
Official notice
On May 21, Yu Wensheng’s brother received a notice that lawyer Yu Wensheng and his wife Xu Yan were arrested on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” The authorities only showed him the arrest approval paperwork. They refused to give the family anything in writing and prohibited them from taking pictures.
A secret deal rejected
According to an anonymous source, the police offered a deal to Yu and his wife when they were taken away. If they did not seek a lawyer or speak out, the couple might be able to go home after 37 days of detention. However, on the 21st, the family was told that the couple had been arrested.
Barred from representing Yu Wensheng
The authorities warned several lawyers and firms that might represent the case from accepting it, threatening their annual lawyer qualification assessments. Lawyer Song Yusheng, who once visited Yu Wensheng’s child, was explicitly warned not to represent the case.
Lawyer He Wei’s difficulties
After accepting the family’s request, lawyer He Wei went to the Beijing Shijingshan Public Security Bureau on May 24th to submit the power of attorney. However, public security agents unreasonably rejected his documents. The detention center also denied his requests to see his client. Negotiations were fruitless, so He Wei had to leave.
“It is not known whether he is indeed detained here or whether the person is there, but his name is not (in the prison system),” Lawyer He Wei said.
Translator’s note: If a person’s name is not recorded in the prison system, the person is secretly detained.
You can be my lawyer
Before his arrest, Yu Wensheng made a joke to He Wei, “If I am arrested, you can be my defense lawyer.” Lawyer He reflected on the previous exchange, “The world is unpredictable; who knew a casual remark would tragically come true!”
Hatred for Yu Wensheng
The criminal detention of both Yu Wensheng and his wife, Xu Yan, demonstrates the authorities’ hatred for them. After their arrests, police kept their son under strict surveillance and did not allow anyone to contact him. Friends who wanted to visit him or care for him on his parents’ behalf were prevented.
Visit with foreign dignitaries
Yu and Xu were arrested on April 14th when the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and German Foreign Minister Baerbock visited China. Lawyer Yu Wensheng and his wife Xu Yan received an invitation to visit the German embassy that same afternoon.
Arrested
While they were on the subway in Beijing, they were stopped by several plainclothes police officers and were summoned verbally. Subsequently, Yu Wensheng and Xu Yan were taken to the Bajiao police station in Shijingshan district, Beijing. Xu Yan released a video at the scene of them being intercepted and summoned by plainclothes police on her personal Twitter account.
Notifying their son
The next night, seven police officers went to their home and read the notice to their son, who had recently turned 18. No written documents were given, and no photos were allowed. Police officers searched the home and took away some personal items without any search warrants.
Involvement in 709 Crackdown
Yu Wensheng previously represented many human rights lawyers during the 709 Crackdown. In January 2018, the authorities revoked Yu’s lawyer’s license. They arrested him for advocating constitutional reform. On April 19 of that year, he was charged with “inciting subversion of state power.”
Torture and surveillance
As he served his sentence, he suffered a series of torture. Xu Yan reported that four of her husband’s teeth were pulled out or fell out due to abuse. He and his family remained under strict surveillance after his release.
~Gao Zhensai, Special Correspondent of ChinaAid
