International Women’s Day: Supporting Human’s Rights Activists Detained by the CCP

WRIC News 03-08-2024

“March is a special month for women, and the 8th is International Women’s Day, which is also American Women’s Heritage Month. Women’s Rights in China, an NGO based in New York, will hold an event to support women and children who have been tortured in Chinese prisons and mental hospitals. Like-minded friends are welcome to join.”

Date:

March 10 (Sunday) at 2:00 pm

Location:

After gathering at Main Street and Kissena Blvd in Flushing, New York, take the subway and walk to the Chinese Consulate in New York.

Chinese police departments often use the excuse of ‘psychiatric patient’ to detain individuals without trial. Simply petitioning, questioning, or protesting against the political system or social injustice can lead to being labeled ‘mentally ill’ and subjected to forced detention. Detention locations have expanded beyond traditional centers to include mental hospitals, clinics, and education camps at all levels, without any time limits.

A notable case involves rights activist He Fangmei, the founder of the ‘Vaccine Babies’ organization, along with her wife and three young children, who have been detained in mental hospitals by the government for extended periods.

In October 2020, He Fangmei took her 7-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter to protest in front of the Huixian County Government in Henan Province, but all three were sent to a psychiatric hospital for detention. At this time, He Fangmei was five months pregnant. In the same month, her husband Li Xin, who defended her rights with his wife, was sentenced to five years in prison in another detention center for “criminal crime.”

In 2021, He Fangmei was forced to give birth to a daughter in Henan Gongji Psychiatric Hospital.

A year later, she was transferred to another detention center separately. There is no definite news about her so far. The three children remain incarcerated in a mental hospital. Their 10-year-old son was detained for about three years before being sent to a family for foster care. Currently, the two younger sisters are still detained in a mental hospital. Their poor daughter was born and raised in a psychiatric hospital. She has never felt the world outside the hospital until now.

It is understood that He Fangmei’s daughter was sexually assaulted in the Henan Gongji Psychiatric Hospital where she was mixed with adult male patients, and relevant personnel threatened those who knew about it “not to tell the truth.”

We strongly question that one of the main reasons why the hospital does not let the girls go back to live with relatives, friends or foster families is that the hospital wants to seal the children’s mouths and prevent them from telling the whole truth to the outside world, not to mention that they do not want the young girls to receive timely and independent medical treatment. Check the opportunity.

Undoubtedly, what happened to He Meifang’s family is not an isolated incident in China, and sadly, it may not be the last. Non-profit organizations and scholars have extensively documented such cases through reports and data. By standing in solidarity with women and children who have endured inhumane treatment by the Chinese government, we are safeguarding our fundamental rights from future violations. We urge you to join us in advocating for justice, human rights, and freedom. Together, let’s speak out against injustice and make a difference.