Sunday, October 13, 2013

She's free: Ni Yulan is home



I got this from Amnesty International:

GOOD NEWS!
Ni Yulan is out of prison
You helped make a profound difference in someone's life.

As a result you taking action -- along with tens of thousands of others  -- a housing rights activist who had been terribly mistreated by Chinese police has been released from prison!

Ni Yulan was set free last weekend, after serving two and a half years, in declining health, in Tiantanghe Women's Prison in Beijing.

She has now been reunited with her husband Dong Jiqin and her family.
Thank you for speaking out on her behalf and being a part of this story. Your voice helped us press Chinese authorities to end the wrongful detainment of this former lawyer and defender of housing rights in China.

For 18 years as a human rights lawyer Ni Yulan defended those whose rights have been abused - but because of her human rights work, her licence to practice law was revoked.

She became a special target of Chinese authorities because she defended people who had been forcibly evicted from their homes by housing developers across China, especially in the leadup to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, when there was massive urban re-development and forced evictions.

She herself was also evicted and watched her home get demolished shortly before the Beijing Olympic Games, when there was massive development and forced evictions.

The news of Ni Yulan's release is especially welcome following the very harsh treatment Ni Yulan experienced at the hands of Chinese authorities.

In 2002, the police beat Ni Yulan so badly that they left her unable to walk unaided. Her health had been improving when she was detained in April 2011, as she had been receiving regular medical treatment and was able to walk with crutches. But she received no medical attention while in prison, and now needs to use a wheelchair. She also suffers from respiratory, heart and digestive problems.

Now out of prison, she is better able to tend to her health. 
Thank you for helping Amnesty International stand up for brave human rights defenders like Ni Yulan who are targeted because of the important work they do to defend the rights of others.

Too often it is these brave defenders who themselves need our help.

You were there for her when she needed you. THANK YOU.  

With warmth and gratitude,
alex_neve_mission.jpg 
Alex Neve
Secretary General,
Amnesty International Canada

P.S. This good news is part of a remarkable string of high-profile releases we've been able to report on over the past month or so, beginning with Shi Tao, a poet and writer who had been detained in China for his involvement in the pro-democracy movement, Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer who had been detained in China for her work defending women's rights, and a Canadian, Hamid Ghassemi-Shall who had been detained in Iran while visiting his family.  Every one of these releases is a cause for celebration, and makes me sit back in awe at the impact we can have on individuals' lives when we speak out together.  THANK YOU, we only experience these moments because people like you speak out and support us!
P.S. Even as we welcome this news, the treatment that Ni Yulan received at the hands of authorities, her wrongful detainment with no medical treatment, and the revoking of her legal license, all speak to the need for Amnesty International to be a powerful and influencial voice in the defense of human rights everywhere. Please make a gift to help us achieve more victories and provide more protection for those suffering human rights violations.

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