MCLC: forced-abortion woman harassed

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: forced-abortion woman harassed
***********************************************************

Source: The Guardian (6/26/12):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/26/china-forced-abortion-woman-fen
g

China forced-abortion woman suffering state harassment, lawyer says
Family of Feng Jianmei attacked as 'traitors' for talking to foreigners
after late termination sparked outrage on microblogs
By Tania Branigan in Beijing

The family of a woman whose forced late-term abortion caused outrage in
China have been attacked as "traitors" for discussing her plight with
foreigners, while her husband has not been seen for two days, according to
a a relative and a lawyer.

Authorities in Ankang, in Shaanxi province, last week apologised to the
couple and said they had suspended three local officials after the
publication of a photograph showing Feng Jianmei with the bloodied body of
her seven-month-old foetus sparked outrage on microblogs.

Relatives say they have been followed for days, and Feng's hospital was
targeted this weekend by protesters carrying banners, one of which read:
"Beat the traitors and expel them."

Feng's husband, Deng Jiyuan, has not been seen for two days. His sister
Deng Jicai told the Guardian he rang on Tuesday afternoon to say that he
was safe, but she did not know his whereabouts.

"The whole family feels very depressed and pressured," she said. "The
government have sent a team to investigate and don't have a result yet,
but right now we want freedom before the investigation results come out.

"Three or four guys are following me. I don't know who they are."

Earlier, she told the South China Morning Post the protesters at the
hospital this weekend had "shouted and shouted, saying we were ungrateful
and traitors since the government had promised to solve this matter but we
still talked to foreign media ... My cousin, who took pictures of them,
was injured, with bruises and scratches all over his body."

Zhang Kai, a lawyer who has been advising the family, added: "It is
impossible the villagers made the banner about Deng Jicai. It must have
been orchestrated by local officials."

He said that higher levels of government had handled the matter correctly
by launching an investigation but noted: "Things seem to be getting worse
for the family, as some local officials have to take responsibility for
this incident, and it will be criminal responsibility. They are panicking."

Supporters also believe local officials may be behind a large number of
online attacks on the family and smears about them.

Zhang said a relative who visited Feng on Tuesday found her tyres had been
slashed when she returned to the hospital car park.

Forced abortions in China are illegal, but critics say they are carried
out because of the pressure on officials to meet strict birth-control
targets.

Feng said she was coerced into the abortion. Her husband added that she
had been hooded, abducted and forcibly injected to induce the abortion
because they were unable to pay a 40,000-yuan fine for breaking
birth-control rules. Local officials said at the time that Feng had agreed
"after repeated persuasion".

Officials in Zhenping county and Ankang did not answer calls on Tuesday.

Asked whether officials would investigate claims of harassment of the
family, a spokesman for Shaanxi provincial government, who gave his name
only as Mr Jia, said: "I don't know where you got that information. I have
not heard of that. You said you had heard it ­ how did you hear it? The
government is doing the investigation. We have announced everything on our
website. You should check our website rather than following rumours."

A spokesman for the National Population and Family Planning Committee said
its investigation was continuing.