Tan Kai
Encyclopedia
Tan Kai is a mainland Chinese computer technician and an environmental activist from Zhejiang
province. He operated his own company, called Lanyi Computer Repair, and co-founded an environmental advocacy and monitoring NGO
called Green Watch (绿色观察). He was convicted in May 2006 of "illegally obtaining state secrets."
, in Xinchang
(over a pharmaceutical factory), and at a battery factory in Changxin, convinced Tan to set up an environmental monitoring group, which he did informally in the summer of that year, together with five other individuals: Mr. Lai Jinbiao, Mr. Gao Haibing, Mr. Wu Yuanming, Mr. Qi Huimin, and Mr. Yang Jianming.
Because in order to operate lawfully as a local organization China requires a large staff, an office, and a large sum of money, in October 2005 Tan opened an account at a branch of Bank of China in Hangzhou with the sum of 500 yuan. When all six members of Green Watch were detained and released on October 19, Tan was charged and kept in custody. Although Tan was ostensibly arrested and charged with "illegally obtaining state secrets" after performing a routine backup on a computer belonging to a member of the Zhejiang Communist Party committee, Green Watch was declared illegal and banned one month later. Tan's friend and fellow activist Lai Jinbiao believes Tan was held because his name was the one on the bank account. On November 15, 2005, the Zhejiang provincial government declared Green Watch an illegal organization.
denied permission to engage counsel because the case involved state secrets. The elder Tan persisted with another application, and Li was finally able to meet with Tan for one hour at the West Lake
Detention Centre in Hangzhou
.
District Court in Hangzhou, on the morning of May 15, 2006, which was closed to the public. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison for "illegally obtaining state secrets" by the Hangzhou Municipal People's Intermediate Court on August 11, 2006. His lawyer Li Heping raised concerns about Tan's health condition in prison, as he suffers from a liver disease.http://crd-net.org/Article_Show.asp?ArticleID=1927
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
province. He operated his own company, called Lanyi Computer Repair, and co-founded an environmental advocacy and monitoring NGO
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
called Green Watch (绿色观察). He was convicted in May 2006 of "illegally obtaining state secrets."
Environmental activism
Tan became interested in environmental issues following April 2005's violent struggles over pollution and corruption in the town of Huashui, Zhejiang, where many residents believe that releases of toxic substances from chemical plants into the water supply are destroying crops and causing birth defects. Further riots in DongyangDongyang
Dongyang is a Chinese city of about 800,000 people in the middle of Zhejiang Province, about 200 kilometers south of Hangzhou. Dongyang lies in the central area of Zhejiang Province, covering an area of 1739 square kilometers...
, in Xinchang
Xinchang
Xinchang County is a county in central Zhejiang, administratively under the municipal government of Shaoxing.-Controversy:Xie Weixing, Shaoxing City vice-mayor, allegedly accepted bribes in exchange for approving a housing project when he held the post of party secretary of the Xinchang County...
(over a pharmaceutical factory), and at a battery factory in Changxin, convinced Tan to set up an environmental monitoring group, which he did informally in the summer of that year, together with five other individuals: Mr. Lai Jinbiao, Mr. Gao Haibing, Mr. Wu Yuanming, Mr. Qi Huimin, and Mr. Yang Jianming.
Because in order to operate lawfully as a local organization China requires a large staff, an office, and a large sum of money, in October 2005 Tan opened an account at a branch of Bank of China in Hangzhou with the sum of 500 yuan. When all six members of Green Watch were detained and released on October 19, Tan was charged and kept in custody. Although Tan was ostensibly arrested and charged with "illegally obtaining state secrets" after performing a routine backup on a computer belonging to a member of the Zhejiang Communist Party committee, Green Watch was declared illegal and banned one month later. Tan's friend and fellow activist Lai Jinbiao believes Tan was held because his name was the one on the bank account. On November 15, 2005, the Zhejiang provincial government declared Green Watch an illegal organization.
Imprisonment
Tan was held incommunicado for nearly seven months until May 9, 2006. During this time, his father engaged two Beijing-based lawyers, Li Heping and Li Xiongbing, to defend Tan, but the Hangzhou Public Security BureauPublic Security Bureau
In the People's Republic of China, a public security bureau refers to the government offices while the smaller offices are called Police posts which are similar in concept to the Japanese Kōban system) present in each province and municipality that handles policing , public security, and...
denied permission to engage counsel because the case involved state secrets. The elder Tan persisted with another application, and Li was finally able to meet with Tan for one hour at the West Lake
West Lake
Xī Hú is a famous fresh water lake located in the historic center of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province in eastern China. The lake is divided by the causeways of Sū Tí , Bái Tí , and Yánggōng Tí...
Detention Centre in Hangzhou
Hangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
.
Trial
Although Tan pleaded innocent and no evidence of any crime was presented (the person from whom the secrets were supposedly taken did not appear), he was convicted in a three-hour trial at the XihuWest Lake
Xī Hú is a famous fresh water lake located in the historic center of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province in eastern China. The lake is divided by the causeways of Sū Tí , Bái Tí , and Yánggōng Tí...
District Court in Hangzhou, on the morning of May 15, 2006, which was closed to the public. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison for "illegally obtaining state secrets" by the Hangzhou Municipal People's Intermediate Court on August 11, 2006. His lawyer Li Heping raised concerns about Tan's health condition in prison, as he suffers from a liver disease.http://crd-net.org/Article_Show.asp?ArticleID=1927