Free Li Ming-Che: The Joint Statement from NGOs

We, the undersigned organizations, are extremely concerned with the Taiwan activist, Li Ming-Che, who has been detained by the PRC authorities. The fact that more and more human rights activists are arbitrarily arrested and detained in China, or even disappeared when traveling in China, shows that the human rights conditions in China are deteriorating. Li is the first person being detained after the effect of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Administration of Activities of Overseas Non-Governmental Organizations within the Territory of China. 

Li Ming-Che, a program manager of Wen-Shan Community University in Taiwan, also a volunteer of the Covenants Watch, entered China via Gongbei Port of Entry in Macau on March 19, and has not been seen since then. For 10 days, the PRC government refused to reveal Li’s whereabouts. It was under the pressure of Taiwan’s NGOs, the PRC government finally confirmed that Li was detained by the PRC authorities on suspicion of threatening national security, and is currently under investigation. But his family is still denied the right to visit him. His family has no knowledge about Li’s detention. Because Li has a medical condition of hypertension, his family strongly worries about his health. 

We believe that the arrest and detention of Li Ming-Che by the PRC government is not legitimate. Li Ming-Che, as an NGO worker, merely shared Taiwan’s experience of democratizationhis with his Chinese friends, who he met online in recent years. When his online Chinese friends were interested in knowing more about human rights issues or modern history, Li sent them books. In early 2016, Li urged his online Chinese friends to donate and to support the family of Chinese human rights activists, who have been detained by the PRC government.

We believe that no one should be arrested and detained because of sharing ideas on the internet. Li simply exercised his freedom of speech, which is protected by international human rights laws. His actions have also facilitated mutual understandings between Taiwan and China. The PRC government has no legitimate causes to arrest and detain him. We are sorry to see that the PRC government is getting more and more hostile to foreign human rights activists. For example, it arrested and deported Swedish human rights worker Peter Dahlin in 2016. The renowned Chinese scholar Feng Chongyi, a permanent resident of  Australia, was denied to leave China and detaineed over a week in March. China also repeatedly criminalizes regular civil activities as “color revolution” on national security grounds. The litigation and detention procedures are flawed, and violate fundamental human rights standards and principles.

China, as a member state of UN Human Rights Council, should have done better. But the PRC government has repeatedly violated rights of human rights activists domestically and abroad. This government has posed a significant threat to the development of global civil society. Therefore, we call for a joint action to hold he PRC government accountable.  

We demand the PRC government:

  • Release Mr. Li immediately,
  • Or release the details about the detention of Mr. Li,
  • Ensure that Mr. Li will not be tortured or inhumanly treated,
  • Ensure Li’s right to counsel, and the right of his family and lawyers to visit him,
  • Ensure Li’s access to adequate medical care.

Endorsed by Domestic NGOs:

  • Taiwan Association for Human Rights
  • Wen-Shan Community University, Taiwan
  • Covenants Watch, Taiwan
  • Awakening Foundation, Taiwan
  • Center for the Third Sector, National Chengchi University, Taiwan
  • Central Taiwan Citizen Action Front
  • Citizen Congress Watch
  • Citizen of The Earth Taiwan (CET)
  • Civil Movement for Constitutional Reform, Taiwan
  • Congress Investigation Corps, Taiwan
  • Convener of Taiwan Environmental Radiation Watch Civic Group
  • Dr.Chen Wen-Chen Memorial Foundation
  • Economic Democracy Union
  • Environmental Jurists Association
  • Forever Taiwan Cultural and Educational Foundation
  • Formosa Lily Workshop
  • Formosan Association for Public Affairs
  • Foundation for the Advancement of Media Excellence, Taiwan
  • Green Citizens' Action Alliance,Taiwan
  • Homemakers United Foundation
  • Human Rights Committee of Taipei Bar Association, Taiwan
  • Human Rights Nework for Tibet and Taiwan
  • Humanistic Education Foundation
  • ISTScare, Taiwan
  • International Socialist Forward
  • Judicial Reform Foundation, Taiwan
  • Kaohsiang Auxiliary Education Craft Union
  • Kaohsiung Association for the Promotion of Women's Right
  • Kaohsiung Educare Trade Union
  • Kaohsiung NGO Employees' Union
  • Kaohsiung women awakening association
  • Legal aid foundation, Taiwan
  • LOHAS Taiwan Association
  • Media Watch
  • New Vitality Independent living Association ,Taipei
  • Nylon Cheng Liberty Foundation
  • Open Culture Foudation, Taiwan
  • Pingtung Child Care Craft Union, Taiwan
  • Prison Watch, Taiwan
  • Serve the People Association
  • Tainan Educare Trade Union
  • Tainan Underground Railroad Anti-eviction Association
  • Taipei Association of Educators
  • Taipei Documentary Filmmakers' Union 
  • Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation
  • Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty
  • Taiwan association for china human rights
  • Taiwan Association for Disability Renaissance 
  • Taiwan Association for Disability Rights
  • Taiwan Association for Truth and Reconciliation
  • Taiwan Association of University Professors
  • Taiwan Citizen Media Cultural Association
  • Taiwan Citizen Participation Association
  • Taiwan Democracy Watch
  • Taiwan Forever Association
  • Taiwan Friends of Tibet
  • Taiwan Friends of Uyghurs 
  • Taiwan Gender Equity Education Association
  • Taiwan Gender Equity Education Association (TGEEA)
  • Taiwan Gender Queer Rights Advocacy Alliance
  • Taiwan Grassroots Alliance for Peace
  • Taiwan Health Right Initiative
  • Taiwan Innocence Project
  • Taiwan International Medical Alliance
  • Taiwan Jury Association
  • Taiwan Labour Front
  • Taiwan March
  • Taiwan Students for a Democratic China
  • Taiwan Support China Human Rights Lawyers Network
  • Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBT) Hotline Association
  • Taiwan Youth Anti-Communist Corps
  • Taiwanese Veterans Association
  • Takao Gooday
  • The Association of community college, Taipei City
  • The Association of Parent Participating Education in Taiwan
  • The Garden of Hope, Taiwan
  • Tsai Jui-Yueh Cultural Foundation, Taiwan
  • Treasure Taiwan Association, Taiwan
  • VMWBO
  • Youth Labor Union 95, Taiwan
  • Youth Synergy Taiwan Foundation
  • 台灣原住民族政策協會

Endorsed by Foreign or International NGOs:

  • Al India Network fo Individuals and NGOs working with with National and State Human Rights Institutions.
  • Alliance of Educare Trade Unions 
  • ALTSEAN-Burma
  • Armanshahr/OPEN ASIA
  • Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM)
  • Battoa Action Alliance
  • Beimen Community College
  • Beijing Spring 
  • Bytes for All Pakistan, Pakistan
  • Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC)
  • Center for Social Activism
  • Chiku Coastal Protection Association
  • China Aid
  • China Labour Bulletin
  • Chinese-Korean organization of Georgia , US
  • Dalit Foundation, India
  • Defence of Human Rights in Iran (LDDHI)
  • Earth Citizen, US
  • Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
  • ESCR -Asia
  • FIDH, under the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
  • Freedom House (FH)
  • Globe International Center, Mongolia
  • Gonggam Human Rights Law Foundation, South Korea
  • HAK Association , Timor Leste
  • Hand in Need
  • HRCCHINA HUMAN RIGHTS SERVICE CENTER
  • Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
  • Human Rights Defenders’ Alert, India
  • Human Rights in China
  • Human Rights Watch (HRW)
  • ICPC
  • INFORM Human Rights Documentation Centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • Initiative for China
  • International Cultural Youth Exchange
  • International Youth United
  • Internet Democracy Project
  • Judicial System Monitoring Program (JSMP), Timor-Leste
  • KASELA PALU GROUP, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
  • Korean House for International Solidarity
  • Madaripur Legal Aid Association (MLAA), Bangladesh.
  • Maldivian Democracy Network
  • Medlabor Reform Group
  • Metro Vancouver Oversea Taiwanese Society
  • Minority Rights Organization (MIRO),
  • New School for Democracy
  • Ngasan Maku the Study Society in Tokyo
  • Odhikar, Bangladesh
  • Pakistan Development Alliance
  • People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR)
  • People’s Watch, India
  • People's Empowerment Foundation, Thailand
  • Point of View, India
  • Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity (PACTI)
  • Queers with Disabilities
  • South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring
  • SUARAM, Malaysia
  • The International Campaign for Tibet
  • Think Centre
  • TING Pop Up Art Center, Germany
  • Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR)
  • World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), under the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
  • 劉曉波之友會

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