Beijing authorities have issued an order to destroy the home of one of China’s leading rights activists who has been in police custody for more than 200 days, her husband and lawyer said yesterday.
Beijing’s Xicheng court ordered developers to level the home of Ni Yulan (倪玉蘭) and told the family to vacate the premises by the end of last week, husband Dong Jiqin (董繼勤) said, adding he had refused to leave.
“They stuck the demolition notice on our front door,” Dong said.
“Nobody came to talk with us, there were no negotiations for compensation, no public hearings.”
For over a decade, Ni, 47, had been a prominent rights activist and lawyer fighting against government backed land grabs in central Beijing, one of the city’s most sensitive social issues.
As all land belongs to the state in China, local officials enjoy immense powers to determine land-use rights, and critics say residents and farmers are often forcefully evicted in shady deals between the government and developers.
Ni was jailed for a year in 2002 for damaging public property after being arrested at a rally aimed at stopping the demolition of another courtyard home in Beijing.
Dong and rights activists said she was beaten in the 2002 arrest and has since had to walk with a cane due to injuries sustained then.
Dong and Ni’s courtyard home, in an historic part of central Beijing, then also became a target for developers and she was arrested in late April as she tried to stop it from being knocked down.
Ni was charged with “obstructing official business,” and she has been in custody ever since although she has not appeared in court.
An Aug. 4 trial was postponed at the last minute as prosecutors said they needed more time to gather evidence, according to Dong.
Her lawyer, Hu Xiao (胡嘯), said he was pushing for the court proceedings to begin quickly.
“I saw her last month, she is physically weak and her jailing has put a lot of stress on her,” Hu said. “She is a handicapped person, so we have asked the court to begin her trial as soon as possible out of respect for her health.”
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