Mao Hengfeng
Encyclopedia
Mao Hengfeng is a women's rights
and human rights
activist in the People's Republic of China
. She refused to abort her third child after already having twins and was detained in an ankang
(psychiatric hospital) and then dismissed from her job. A frequent petitioner, Mao served a year and a half of re-education through labor in 2004-2005 and two and half years in prison for "intentional destruction of property" in 2006-2008. She was released from Shanghai Women's Prison on 29 November 2008. Since then she has served another year in RTL after protesting in support of Liu Xiaobo
. She was briefly released, in February 2011, but under house arrest. She was almost immediately taken again, and placed in Shanghai City Prison Hospital, where she was previously tortured and ill-treated.
. Mao refused to have an abortion
, and was subsequently detained in a psychiatric hospital. She gave birth on 28 February 1989, and was notified on 20 March that she had been dismissed from her job for missing sixteen days of work. This was the period when she was giving birth and recuperating, as well as recovering from her ordeal in the psychiatric institute.
hearing, when the judge reportedly told her that if she terminated this third pregnancy he would rule in her favour. Concerned for the welfare of her existing family, Mao terminated her pregnancy against her wishes, but still the court ruled against her, apparently because she had taken sixteen days of "unauthorized leave" from work, and also for her original violation of family planning policies.
From 1990 to 2004 Mao repeatedly petitioned the authorities for redress for her dismissal from work, her forced abortion, and the denial of other basic rights including that of freedom of expression
. She also made several attempts to initiate legal proceedings against the authorities in relation to these abuses, but courts repeatedly failed to respond or refused to file the cases.
As well as actively petitioning authorities to seek redress for herself, Mao Hengfeng has also acted to safeguard the rights of others. For example, she is known to have actively supported other people seeking redress over alleged forced evictions in Shanghai
and Shanxi
province, and is reportedly regarded by the Shanghai authorities as one of the city's most persistent and experienced petitioners. She is actively campaigning on behalf of other individuals arbitrarily detained in "Re-education Through Labour" or psychiatric facilities, including women held for alleged violation of family planning policies.
She opposes arbitrary detention and campaigns for legal reforms that ensure redress and protect ordinary people against abuse of power.
More recently she was arrested due to her protest in support of human rights activist Liu Xiaobo
.
On 13 September 2005, Mao and her husband, Wu Xuewei (吴雪伟), were both reportedly beaten by police when they gathered with over a hundred other petitioners at Putuo District Court in Shanghai. They were supporting Xu Zhengqing, a petitioner who was facing trial in connection with his attempts to attend a memorial service in Beijing
in January 2005. Along with dozens of other petitioners, the couple was detained by the police. Mao Hengfeng managed to escape and tried to continue her protest on behalf of Xu Zhengqing. However, she was detained again and sent back to her residential district, where local police and government officials apparently threatened her with imprisonment if she continued her protests and presented her with a formal police summons for investigation on suspicion of 'disturbing the normal lives of others'.
From 23-27 September 2005, Mao and her family were reportedly held under a form of house arrest
after she stated that she would go to a United Nations
representative office in Beijing to protest about the abuses. Seven police officers reportedly stood guard in front of her flat preventing her from leaving, even to go shopping.
On 29 September 2005 she was again placed under house arrest; an official told her that this would continue until the end of the fifth plenary session of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party
on 11 October 2005. The following day, three police officers and seven Yangpu District Official Guards were stationed in front of her house. She was warned that she would be detained or face violent treatment if she tried to break out.
and placed under residential surveillance. She was then charged with "violating the terms of residential surveillance," and placed her under "soft detention" in a small guesthouse room with six other men and women in Yangpu District, Shanghai. While under detention, Mao broke two table lamps in the guesthouse and was for that reason formally arrested on 30 June 2006 for "intentional destruction of property." She was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison on 12 January 2007 and imprisoned at Shanghai Women's Prison.
Mao and her husband, Wu Xuewei, filed an appeal against Mao's sentence. At the appeal hearing on 16 April 2007, the judge at Shanghai Municipal No. 2 Intermediate People's Court merely read a statement reaffirming Mao's sentence, allowing no evidence to be presented by Xu or Mao's lawyer. Mao was tormented and tortured by prisoners and staff alike while in prison. In addition to her regular abuse, she was placed under solitary confinement for 70 days, a violation of China's Prison Law, which allows a maximum of 15 days in solitary confinement. She was finally released on 29 November 2008, at the scheduled end of her sentence.
She was released on 22nd February, 2011. A CT scan showed that the ill-treatment had caused her to have bleeding in her brain. She was very quickly taken again, and is now believed to be in Shanghai City Prison Hospital, where she was previously tortured and ill-treated.
Recently, on July 28, 2011, Mao Hengfeng has been released again to her family in an unconscious state. Members of the police force are still currently keeping Mao Hengfeng under surveillance.
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
activist in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. She refused to abort her third child after already having twins and was detained in an ankang
Ankang (asylum)
Ankang is a name shared by a number of psychiatric hospitals or asylums in China. The term literally means "peace and health [for the mentally ill]". Many of these institutions are prison-hospitals for holding prisoners judged to be mentally ill, and operate directly under the local Public...
(psychiatric hospital) and then dismissed from her job. A frequent petitioner, Mao served a year and a half of re-education through labor in 2004-2005 and two and half years in prison for "intentional destruction of property" in 2006-2008. She was released from Shanghai Women's Prison on 29 November 2008. Since then she has served another year in RTL after protesting in support of Liu Xiaobo
Liu Xiaobo
Liu Xiaobo is a Chinese literary critic, writer, professor, and human rights activist who called for political reforms and the end of communist single-party rule in China...
. She was briefly released, in February 2011, but under house arrest. She was almost immediately taken again, and placed in Shanghai City Prison Hospital, where she was previously tortured and ill-treated.
Background
A mother of twins, Mao Hengfeng was reportedly dismissed from her job at a Shanghai soap factory in 1988 because she became pregnant for a second time with a third child, in contravention of China's family planning regulationsOne-child policy
The one-child policy refers to the one-child limitation applying to a minority of families in the population control policy of the People's Republic of China . The Chinese government refers to it under the official translation of family planning policy...
. Mao refused to have an abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, and was subsequently detained in a psychiatric hospital. She gave birth on 28 February 1989, and was notified on 20 March that she had been dismissed from her job for missing sixteen days of work. This was the period when she was giving birth and recuperating, as well as recovering from her ordeal in the psychiatric institute.
Appeal and petitions
Mao Hengfeng appealed against her dismissal under China's Labour Law, and was reinstated to her job. However, the soap factory disputed the ruling. Mao was seven months pregnant with her fourth child at the time of the appealAppeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
hearing, when the judge reportedly told her that if she terminated this third pregnancy he would rule in her favour. Concerned for the welfare of her existing family, Mao terminated her pregnancy against her wishes, but still the court ruled against her, apparently because she had taken sixteen days of "unauthorized leave" from work, and also for her original violation of family planning policies.
From 1990 to 2004 Mao repeatedly petitioned the authorities for redress for her dismissal from work, her forced abortion, and the denial of other basic rights including that of freedom of expression
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
. She also made several attempts to initiate legal proceedings against the authorities in relation to these abuses, but courts repeatedly failed to respond or refused to file the cases.
As well as actively petitioning authorities to seek redress for herself, Mao Hengfeng has also acted to safeguard the rights of others. For example, she is known to have actively supported other people seeking redress over alleged forced evictions in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
province, and is reportedly regarded by the Shanghai authorities as one of the city's most persistent and experienced petitioners. She is actively campaigning on behalf of other individuals arbitrarily detained in "Re-education Through Labour" or psychiatric facilities, including women held for alleged violation of family planning policies.
She opposes arbitrary detention and campaigns for legal reforms that ensure redress and protect ordinary people against abuse of power.
More recently she was arrested due to her protest in support of human rights activist Liu Xiaobo
Liu Xiaobo
Liu Xiaobo is a Chinese literary critic, writer, professor, and human rights activist who called for political reforms and the end of communist single-party rule in China...
.
2004-2005
Mao Hengfeng was assigned without trial to eighteen months' "Re-education through labor" (RTL) in April 2004 after repeatedly protesting about various abuses of her rights. Her welfare allowances were discontinued, leaving her family in severe financial difficulties. Many people in Shanghai openly demonstrated in support of her.On 13 September 2005, Mao and her husband, Wu Xuewei (吴雪伟), were both reportedly beaten by police when they gathered with over a hundred other petitioners at Putuo District Court in Shanghai. They were supporting Xu Zhengqing, a petitioner who was facing trial in connection with his attempts to attend a memorial service in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in January 2005. Along with dozens of other petitioners, the couple was detained by the police. Mao Hengfeng managed to escape and tried to continue her protest on behalf of Xu Zhengqing. However, she was detained again and sent back to her residential district, where local police and government officials apparently threatened her with imprisonment if she continued her protests and presented her with a formal police summons for investigation on suspicion of 'disturbing the normal lives of others'.
From 23-27 September 2005, Mao and her family were reportedly held under a form of house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
after she stated that she would go to a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
representative office in Beijing to protest about the abuses. Seven police officers reportedly stood guard in front of her flat preventing her from leaving, even to go shopping.
On 29 September 2005 she was again placed under house arrest; an official told her that this would continue until the end of the fifth plenary session of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
on 11 October 2005. The following day, three police officers and seven Yangpu District Official Guards were stationed in front of her house. She was warned that she would be detained or face violent treatment if she tried to break out.
Imprisonment (2006-2007)
In early 2006, Mao Hengfeng was detained in a roundup of petitioners before the anniversary of the Tiananmen IncidentTiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
and placed under residential surveillance. She was then charged with "violating the terms of residential surveillance," and placed her under "soft detention" in a small guesthouse room with six other men and women in Yangpu District, Shanghai. While under detention, Mao broke two table lamps in the guesthouse and was for that reason formally arrested on 30 June 2006 for "intentional destruction of property." She was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison on 12 January 2007 and imprisoned at Shanghai Women's Prison.
Mao and her husband, Wu Xuewei, filed an appeal against Mao's sentence. At the appeal hearing on 16 April 2007, the judge at Shanghai Municipal No. 2 Intermediate People's Court merely read a statement reaffirming Mao's sentence, allowing no evidence to be presented by Xu or Mao's lawyer. Mao was tormented and tortured by prisoners and staff alike while in prison. In addition to her regular abuse, she was placed under solitary confinement for 70 days, a violation of China's Prison Law, which allows a maximum of 15 days in solitary confinement. She was finally released on 29 November 2008, at the scheduled end of her sentence.
Protest for Liu Xiaobo, and imprisonment (2009-2011)
On 25 December 2009, she was found guilty of "disturbing public order" due to her peaceful protest outside the Beijing municipal intermediate court, where she was campaigning in support of the human rights activist Liu Xiaobo. She was sent back to the RTL camp on 4th March, 2010. There she was tortured and ill-treated. Abuses include force-feeding, blocking her access to food from her family and ordering other inmates to repeatedly beat her. Due to her protests about human rights in the RTL camp, on 9th September 2010, she was tied up for four days in the same position, without food or water. This was repeated on the 29th September.She was released on 22nd February, 2011. A CT scan showed that the ill-treatment had caused her to have bleeding in her brain. She was very quickly taken again, and is now believed to be in Shanghai City Prison Hospital, where she was previously tortured and ill-treated.
Recently, on July 28, 2011, Mao Hengfeng has been released again to her family in an unconscious state. Members of the police force are still currently keeping Mao Hengfeng under surveillance.
Amnesty Campaign 2011
Amnesty International have issued an Urgent Action, calling for her immediate release, an investigation into the abuse, and provision of independent medical assistance and assessment.External links
- "Feminists Ignore Plight of Mao Hengfeng"
- "Woman Fired, Tortured After Having Second Child"
- "About the Individual: Mao Hengfeng", Incorporating Responsibility 2008
- Shangai Woman Petitioner Jailed
- Amnesty International Urgent Action, February 2011
- Mao Hengfeng's Bittersweet Homecoming Human Rights Now - Amnesty International USA Blog