BEIJING: Chinese authorities on Sunday unexpectedly released on bail the well-known human rights lawyer Xu Zhiyong, a move seen by scholars and activists in Beijing as a rare victory for public activism.

Mr. Xu, who was arrested outside his home on July 29, is known in China for taking on sensitive human rights cases. He had been accused of tax evasion and kept in detention since July 29. His arrest was seen by many activists here as part of a wider crackdown launched by authorities on non-governmental organisations in the lead-up to the People’s Republic of China’s sixtieth anniversary on October 1.

Mr. Xu, whose detention has attracted international attention, was unexpectedly granted bail on Sunday. As the granting of bail is usually rare in such cases in China, Mr. Xu’s release most likely received sanction from higher authorities.

Mr. Xu founded a legal aid group called Gongmeng, or the Open Constitution Initiative, which has taken on sensitive legal cases in China. The organisation first came to prominence in 2003 when it took up the case of Sun Zhigang, a 27-year-old graduate student who was beaten to death in a Guangzhou detention centre after being picked up for not having the right identification papers. This case received a lot of attention in China, and in its aftermath the government amended custody laws.

Most recently, Gongmeng took up the cases of the victims of milk poisoning. Last year, more then 3 lakh children were sickened after consuming milk tainted with the chemical melamine. Gongmeng is currently representing the parents of victims who are seeking compensation.

But work at the centre has come to a standstill since its Beijing offices were raided last month on tax evasion charges. Authorities said the centre was not properly registered as an NGO, and fined the group 1.4 million Yuan. But human rights activists said the timing of the move suggested a wider crackdown on NGOs which handle sensitive issues in anticipation of the politically significant anniversary on October 1.

“The organisation’s activists say they now hope they can carry on with their work representing the parents of those affected by the milk powder scandal. After Mr. Xu’s arrest, we have not been able to operate normally,” Tian Qizhuang, Gongmeng’s executive director, told The Hindu. “This case has taken up all our energies.”

Mr. Tian said the organisation had on August 10 tried to pay the tax bureau the outstanding charges, but the payment was refused as officials said they needed the signature of Mr. Xu, who was then being held in detention.

Mr. Tian said it was “impossible” for organisations like Gongmeng to register themselves with the government as NGOs as doing so required sanction from government authorities. Consequently, he said, the group’s legal aid centre was functioning under the umbrella of the privately owned Gongmeng group.

The larger fate of Mr. Xu and his organisation is still unresolved.

Mr. Xu still faces trial. It is also unclear if there were any conditions he had to agree to secure his release, and if Gongmeng will continue taking on the kinds of sensitive cases it has in the past.

For now though, Mr. Xu’s release is seen by activists and scholars in Beijing as a rare victory for public activism.

“His release is a victory for all those who seek to promote public interest,” Zhou Xiaozheng, a professor of law at Renmin University in Beijing told the Global Times newspaper. “It’s a huge step of progress for promoting the rule of law in the country.”

(Bao BeiBei contributed to reporting.)

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About 100 noisy demonstrators crossed Whitehall to take up a position in front of the gates leading into the street, chanting and waving banners.

And a group of four protest organisers were told they would not be allowed access to hand the letter in to No 10.

MP Jeremy Corbyn and veteran peace campaigner Tony Benn were among the group hoping to take the letter to Downing Street.

But they were told it had “been decided” they would not be allowed in.

Mr Corbyn said: “It’s a shabby way of treating the majority of British people who are alarmed by the loss of life in Afghanistan.”

The rally was organised by the Stop the War Coalition to mark the death toll of British military personnel in Afghanistan, which has surpassed that of troops in Iraq.

Stop the War Coalition convener Lindsey German said: “They wouldn’t allow us in and when I asked why not the policeman at the gate said, it’s been decided’. By whom we don’t know.”

Demonstrators were asked to cross back over the road and position themselves behind the barriers.

But they continued to occupy the space in front of the Downing Street gates, chanting: “What do we want? Troops out. When do we want it? Now.”

The letter to be handed to Prime Minister Gordon Brown read: “The tragic deaths of 15 British soldiers in just over one week, including three who were barely 18 years old, has highlighted the need for British troops to be withdrawn from an unwinnable and unjustified war.

“The argument that British troops are in Afghanistan to bring stability, security and democracy is simply refuted by the facts.

“The lesson of history is clear. The Afghan people have always resisted any attempt to invade or occupy their country. All attempts to do so over the past 150 years have only brought horrific levels of death and destruction, both to the Afghan people and the invading armies.”

Mr Benn said it was an “unwinnable war”.

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From the rooftop of the Iranian Embassy in London an unmanned video camera records the faces of the angry crowd gathered in Knightsbridge, emboldened by their fury over what they believe was a rigged election.

A Metropolitan police officer who has been patrolling the demonstrations since they began three days after the close of polls in mid June, told The Times: “They’re filming quite a lot. Any intelligent person would assume they’re sending the footage back to Iran.” The tactic seems all the more disturbing as Nazenin Ansari, the diplomatic editor of Kayhan, a Persian weekly newspaper in London, says she has been investigating claims that a number of British Iranians have “disappeared” since the election.

“I have heard of some cases of people travelling from London into Tehran who have simply disappeared from the airport,” she said. “And I know of many cases of people who were planning to go and have decided not to any more. Because they have been in the demonstrations, there’s a real fear of photos being taken and being used against them.”

The swelling opposition towards the Ahmadinejad administration has politicised a once predominantly apolitical British Iranian community that feared expressing its dissent publicly.

Many activists accuse the regime of spying by gathering footage to punish and intimidate people should they choose to visit their homeland. Potkin Azarmehr, an Iranian activist and blogger, said that he was bouyed by the rapidly growing involvement of the Iranian population in Britain, which stands between 53,000 and 73,000, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

“One of the tangible things from all these demos is people have gotten to know each other and gotten closer to each other,” he said. “We’re united by a common goal, a common dream to change the misperception the world has of Iranians, because not all Iranians want to be represented by Ahmadinejad and his regime.”

Vahid Sadeghi Shirazi, a former political prisoner in Iran and one of the main demonstration organisers in London, said: “We are the voice of the Iranian people who are not allowed to speak up at the moment.” But a fear of the Iranian regime remains, as evidenced at Thursday’s rally — which marked the tenth anniversary of the student uprising against the Islamic revolution — in which many demonstrators disguised their faces with sunglasses, hats, wigs and paint.

Local activists are developing fresh ways of dodging the regime’s dissent radar by developing secret communication methods with their counterparts back home. Their greatest weapon has been cyberspace, despite the Iranian Government’s attempt to monitor websites and personal e-mails.

The movement was brought to life by the backing given to Mir Hossein Mousavi, Ahmadinejad’s main rival in the June 12 election. A movement that has met with violence, which, the regime’s opposition claims, has left more than 250 people dead. The regime is accused of playing down this figure by saying that only 20 deaths have been recorded.

The movement has also left hundreds of activists and bystanders who found themselves in wrong place at the wrong time behind bars.

Marayam, 32, a student from East London, spent four days in a police cell in Tehran during a holiday to visit her family. Her whereabouts became unknown the moment she was taken into custody. “They [police] told my parents they had never heard my name and categorically denied that I was in their custody,” Maryam, who was released without charge, said. The maths student returned to London recently.

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The protesters defied a call from the country’s supreme leader for the demonstrations to end.

Eyewitnesses said around 3,000 people chanted “Death to the dictator!” and “Death to dictatorship!” near Revolution Square in the city centre.

Police beat protesters and fired tear gas and water cannon at them. At least one person is thought to have been injured by gunfire.

Witnesses said Mr Mousavi’s supporters lit a fire at the headquarters of the president’s backers in the capital.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had issued a strong warning on Friday to the leaders of the street protests that they would be responsible for any bloodshed.

Mr Khamenei claimed the June 12 vote was won fairly by Mr Ahmadinejad.

But in a letter to the country’s top legislative body, Mr Mousavi claimed poll rigging had been planned months ago and insisted the election must be annulled.

The runner-up in the election said if he was arrested, he urged people to go on strike.

Meanwhile, a suicide bomber has blown himself up in Tehran at the shrine of Iran’s revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, injuring one person, reports say.

Foreign media are banned from reporting on non-official events but reports are still reaching the outside world of violence being used by the authorities.

The election result sparked fury among supporters of the losing candidates, who accused the government of rigging the poll and took to the streets in their hundreds of thousands in the biggest public protests since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Iran’s electoral watchdog, the Guardian Council, says it is ready to “randomly” recount up to 10% of the ballot boxes from the election, state TV said.

In his speech, Mr Khamenei also denounced Britain as the “most treacherous” of Iran’s enemies.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has said violence on the streets of Tehran must not be turned into a battle between Iran and the UK.

Writing in The Sun, he hit back at the Ayatollah’s claims. “Dignity has been shown by the protesters on the streets of Tehran,” Mr Miliband said.

“Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tried to blame the unrest on the West.

“But we will not allow anyone to turn scenes on the streets of Tehran into a battle between Britain and Iran. My message to the Iranian people is simple: the future of your country is for you to decide.

“But we need to know whether Iran is prepared to work with us to restore confidence in its nuclear intentions.”

The Ayatollah offered no concession to opposition supporters who are demanding the elections be cancelled and held again, sternly warning against further protests.

He blamed Great Britain and Iran’s external enemies for the unrest, vigorously defending the ruling system.

“The enemies (of Iran) are targeting the Islamic establishment’s legitimacy by questioning the election and its authenticity before and after (the vote),” the Ayatollah continued.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, talking to Sky’s political editor Adam Boulton, said: “What we want is to have a good relationship with Iran in the future.

“But that depends on Iran being able to show to the world that its elections have been conducted fairly and that there is no unfair suppression of rights and individuals in that country.”

Supporters of runner-up Mr Mousavi have so far ignored the Ayatollah, holding huge unauthorised rallies.

Tens of thousands of Iranians had gathered in and around Tehran University to hear Khamenei’s Friday prayer sermon.

Some in the crowd were draped in Iranian flags. Others held placards with anti-Western slogans.

As passions soared, the crowd reportedly chanted: “Death to the UK, Israel and the US.”

American President Barack Obama said he was very concerned by the “tenor and tone” of Khamenei’s comments.

In a US TV interview, Mr Obama said that Iran’s government should “recognise that the world is watching.”

He said “how they approach and deal with people who are, through peaceful means, trying to be heard” will signal “what Iran is and is not”.

Mr Khamenei’s speech followed six days of protests by Mousavi supporters.

On Thursday, tens of thousands of black-clad marchers bore candles to mourn those killed in earlier rallies.

Iranian state media has reported seven or eight people killed in protests since the election results were published on June 13.

Scores of reformists have been arrested and authorities have cracked down on both foreign and domestic media.

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Opposition Web sites said protesters had planned to gather Saturday in Revolution (Enghelab) and Freedom (Azadi) Squares, two of Tehran’s main areas.

But witnesses told VOA Persian News Network and other news agencies they saw large numbers of police gathered in the streets, blocking the demonstrators.

Near Freedom Square, the witnesses say police clashed with thousands of protesters, arresting some and using tear gas, batons and water cannons on others.

Some witnesses also said they heard gunshots, but it is unclear who fired the shots. At least three helicopters were hovering over the area.

At other places in the capital, witnesses say protesters attacked authorities, setting some of their motorcycles on fire.

News agencies are relying heavily on information published by Iranian citizens through social media services, such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

On Friday, Facebook announced it is making its Web site available in Farsi, so Iranians can use the service in their native language.

Google also introduced a new Farsi translating tool.

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The violence broke out before dawn as officers tried to end a road blockade by some 5,000 Indians in an area called Curva del Diablo - or “Devil’s Curve” - in the northern province of Utcubamba.

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The court’s ruling came a year after 2,000 rights activists, doctors and authors, including American writer Noam Chomsky, petitioned the Indian government for Sen’s release.

Sen, a paediatrician by profession, denies all charges that he was linked to the Maoist guerrillas who control parts of Chhattisgarh.

The state’s chief minister, Raman Singh, said he would comply with the court’s orders.

Sen, 59, is a public health expert and also a senior member of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, a respected Indian human rights group.

He was working with poor people in Chhattisgarh when he was arrested.

India’s Maoists say they are fighting for the rights of neglected tribal people and landless farmers. — AFP

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Legal representatives for a group of climate camp demonstrators have apparently told the Met they may launch a judicial review of the tactics used by officers last month to contain the protests in central London.

Tactics such as the controversial “kettling” could be subject to a review, experts have warned.

Demonstrators who staged the Bishopsgate climate camp on April 1st are said to want an explanation of how the Met handled the event.

Sky News reports solicitors from the law firm Bindmans have submitted a “pre-action” letter to the Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson on their behalf.

The police have come in for fierce criticism of the handling of the London protests on the eve of the G20 summit. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is currently investigating dozens of reports of police abuse as well as the ongoing inquiry into the death of Ian Tomlinson near the Bank of England last month.
© Adfero Ltd

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Keyes and the others were arrested on trespassing charges when they refused to leave campus, a university spokesman said. All 22 were being held in the St. Joseph County Jail on misdemeanor criminal trespass charges, in lieu of $250 bond each, said St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Sgt. Bill Redman.

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On April 30th, hundreds of human rights activists will gather near the White House to call on the Obama administration to support a criminal

inquiry into torture under the Bush administration and to fully break with past detention policies.

At a rally at Lafayette Park at 11:15 am, members of Witness Against Torture, Amnesty International, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Torture Abolition Survivors Support Coalition will speak out about the need for accountability and an end to Bush-era policies. At noon, sixty activists from Witness Against Torture — each representing one of the Guantanamo inmates cleared for release but still imprisoned – will risk arrest.

“Despite early, encouraging signs,” says Matthew Daloisio of Witness Against Torture, “the Obama administration has been a disappointment with respect to detainee issues and torture. President Obama has been reluctant to investigate possible, past crimes, and many of the immoral and illegal policies of the Bush administration — from the denial of habeas rights at Bagram Air Base, to the continued detention of innocent men in Guantanamo — remain in place. We need accountability, not immunity, and an end to the abuse of detainees. This president and many members of Congress are in office partly

because of their promise to repudiate Bush’s detention regime. It’s time they live up to that promise.”

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS, THURSDAY, APRIL 30

10:15am: Rally at the Capitol Reflecting Pool, followed by detainee procession to Lafayette Park

11:15 am: Rally at Lafayette Park and detainee procession to the White House

Noon: White House Protest

Witness Against Torture formed in 2005 when 25 activists went to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to protest outside the detention camp. The April 30 demonstration concludes Witness Against Torture’s 100 Days Campaign to Close Guantanamo and End Torture. During the campaign, WAT activists have held a daily vigil at the White House, brought protest signs to confirmation and other congressional hearings, lobbied lawmakers to change detention policies, and hosted numerous public events in the Washington area.

Background on the campaign and WAT demands, http://www.100dayscampaign.org/node/475

Details for April 30th, http://www.100dayscampaign.org/a30

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