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| Wife of Mongolian activist speaks out against Chinese harassment | Wife of Mongolian activist speaks out against Chinese harassment |
| (4 months later) | |
| The wife of a long-imprisoned ethnic Mongolian activist in China has spent nearly two years in detention and house arrest on a fabricated charge to silence her family, she said on Monday. | The wife of a long-imprisoned ethnic Mongolian activist in China has spent nearly two years in detention and house arrest on a fabricated charge to silence her family, she said on Monday. |
| Xinna told the Associated Press by telephone her husband, Hada, who had been detained for 17 years after being accused of separatism and spying in Inner Mongolia, , a Chinese region bordering the independent state of Mongolia, and has become "very depressed" in custody. Many ethnic Mongolians use only one name. | Xinna told the Associated Press by telephone her husband, Hada, who had been detained for 17 years after being accused of separatism and spying in Inner Mongolia, , a Chinese region bordering the independent state of Mongolia, and has become "very depressed" in custody. Many ethnic Mongolians use only one name. |
| Xinna appealed for the international community to help secure Hada's release. "He is in a very bad state," Xinna said by telephone on Monday from the regional capital of Hohhot, adding she had seen her husband about once a month recently. | Xinna appealed for the international community to help secure Hada's release. "He is in a very bad state," Xinna said by telephone on Monday from the regional capital of Hohhot, adding she had seen her husband about once a month recently. |
| "I asked him to walk around, but he wouldn't. The doctor suggested that he should be transferred to a mental health hospital, but they won't allow that. They don't even give him toilet paper," she said. | "I asked him to walk around, but he wouldn't. The doctor suggested that he should be transferred to a mental health hospital, but they won't allow that. They don't even give him toilet paper," she said. |
| Xinna, 57, said she and her son, Weilesi, 28, were detained in December 2010 – she on charges of illegally bootlegging CDs and he on drug charges – and that both have been under tight surveillance since her release in April. | Xinna, 57, said she and her son, Weilesi, 28, were detained in December 2010 – she on charges of illegally bootlegging CDs and he on drug charges – and that both have been under tight surveillance since her release in April. |
| Weilesi was released on bail in September of 2011, and authorities decided last month not to prosecute him, Xinna said. She was given a three-year sentence in April that was commuted to house arrest. Both have denied any wrongdoing, and Xinna claimed the charges were aimed at silencing them. | Weilesi was released on bail in September of 2011, and authorities decided last month not to prosecute him, Xinna said. She was given a three-year sentence in April that was commuted to house arrest. Both have denied any wrongdoing, and Xinna claimed the charges were aimed at silencing them. |
| While ethnic separatism is not well known in Inner Mongolia, it is a sensitive issue for the Chinese government, which fears the spread of the violent unrest that has hit its regions of Tibet and Xinjiang in recent years. | While ethnic separatism is not well known in Inner Mongolia, it is a sensitive issue for the Chinese government, which fears the spread of the violent unrest that has hit its regions of Tibet and Xinjiang in recent years. |
| Repeated calls to police and government offices in Hohhot rang unanswered on Monday. | Repeated calls to police and government offices in Hohhot rang unanswered on Monday. |
| Chinese authorities routinely harass family members of prominent dissidents, subjecting them to monitoring, questioning, house arrest or detention to silence them or to pressure activists into compliance. | Chinese authorities routinely harass family members of prominent dissidents, subjecting them to monitoring, questioning, house arrest or detention to silence them or to pressure activists into compliance. |
| Hada formed a political group in the early 1990s that strived for self-determination of Inner Mongolia. The family bookstore in Hohhot became the centre of the movement. | Hada formed a political group in the early 1990s that strived for self-determination of Inner Mongolia. The family bookstore in Hohhot became the centre of the movement. |
| Hada was ordered to spend 15 years in prison, but at the time of his scheduled release in December 2010 he was detained again by authorities with no word on his whereabouts. Xinna and Weilesi were taken into custody shortly before Hada's scheduled release. | Hada was ordered to spend 15 years in prison, but at the time of his scheduled release in December 2010 he was detained again by authorities with no word on his whereabouts. Xinna and Weilesi were taken into custody shortly before Hada's scheduled release. |
| Mother and son share a rented house in a Hohhot suburb. | Mother and son share a rented house in a Hohhot suburb. |
| "There are several cameras that have been installed around my house," Xinna said. "If I go out I need to get approval from authorities and I am followed by police." | "There are several cameras that have been installed around my house," Xinna said. "If I go out I need to get approval from authorities and I am followed by police." |
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