China contests remarks by UN rights chief on Sudan (AP)

GENEVA – A Chinese diplomat in Geneva says the U.N.'s top human rights official went too far by criticizing China for failing to arrest Sudan's president.

Xia Jingge said in an email Friday that China is "strongly opposed" to remarks a day earlier by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.

Pillay told reporters she was "disappointed" that China welcomed Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir during a visit this week rather than arrest him to ensure he stands trial on war crimes charges.

The diplomat also said Pillay's remarks have "no legal basis" since China hasn't joined the International Criminal Court.

He said China also has "serious reservations" about the case alleging al-Bashir is responsible for atrocities in Sudan's Darfur region.

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China cracking down on rights lawyers: Amnesty (AFP)

HONG KONG (AFP) – Beijing has unleashed an "uncompromising" assault on China's legal profession, targeting human rights lawyers in an effort to head off social unrest, Amnesty International said Thursday.

The move was a bid to control rights lawyers who take on sensitive cases as fears mount that uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa could take root in the world's most populous nation, the rights group said in a new report.

"Human rights lawyers are subject to escalating silencing tactics -- from suspension or revoking of licences, to harassment, enforced disappearance or even torture," said Catherine Baber, Amnesty's Asia Pacific deputy director.

"As part of the crackdown (on dissent), the government is rounding up lawyers associated with issues such as freedom of religion, freedom of expression and land rights," she added.

When asked about the report, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei emphasised that the country was governed by "the rule of law".

"Chinese lawyers conduct their work within the limits permitted by the constitution's laws. There is no such thing as a so-called arbitrary detention or enforced disappearance," Hong said.

Chinese authorities have launched their toughest campaign against critics of the government in years after anonymous online appeals emerged in February calling for weekly protests like those that have swept the Arab world.

Rights lawyers and activists were among those rounded up, including Ai Weiwei, a prominent artist and government critic who was released last week after three months in detention accused of tax evasion.

Authorities have ordered him to pay more than $1.9 million in back taxes and fines, a close friend of the artist told AFP on Tuesday.

Among the prominent lawyers rounded up at various points since February are Teng Biao, Jiang Tianyong, and Li Fangping -- vocal lawyers known for taking on sensitive cases often directed at government abuses.

All have since been released but have maintained an uncharacteristically low profile since their detention. Teng was held for 10 weeks.

Shanghai human rights lawyer Li Tiantian, who was released in late May from three months' detention, wrote in a series of subsequent posts on Twitter that police presented her with intimate details of her sex life and threatened to ruin her reputation.

The Amnesty report, "Against the Law: Crackdown on China's Human Rights Lawyers", said the country's rights lawyers have become a target because they "use the law to protect citizens against the excesses of the state".

"The Chinese state is attempting to wield and manipulate the law to crush those it perceives as a threat," Baber said.

The report said authorities weed out undesirable lawyers through annual assessments, conducted by "supposedly independent" lawyer associations that often fail those who take on sensitive cases, resulting in their licences being suspended or revoked.

Among China's 204,000 lawyers, only a "brave few hundred" risk taking on rights cases, while new regulations in recent years bar lawyers from defending certain clients or speaking to the media, Amnesty said.

"The measures have made legal representation more difficult to find for those who need it most," the report said, referring to groups including members of banned religious organisations such as Falungong, Tibetan activists and victims of forced evictions.

"Individuals who have suffered violations such as torture and illegal detention by the state are particularly vulnerable to inadequate legal representation," Amnesty added.

Prominent Chinese dissident Hu Jia was freed just days following Ai's release, after completing a more than three-year sentence for subversion.

Hu, 37, was jailed in April 2008, just months before the Beijing Olympics, after angering the ruling Communist Party through years of campaigning for civil rights, the environment and AIDS patients.

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UN rights chief slams China's failure to arrest Bashir (AFP)

GENEVA (AFP) – The UN rights chief expressed disappointment Thursday that China failed to arrest Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted on genocide charges, during his visit to Beijing.

"There is a duty and responsibility of every government, including China, to assist the court in bringing to justice" individuals who are sought for alleged violations, said Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

"It is disappointing when states do not deliver on this responsibility," she said.

"In this case there was an opportunity to ensure that Mr Bashir is able to stand trial," added Pillay.

Bashir arrived in Beijing Wednesday and was given a red-carpet welcome by Chinese President Hu Jintao, to the anger of Washington and rights groups. His trip to China was due to end Thursday.

The Sudanese president is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity that occurred in the Darfur region, where about 300,000 people have died since 2003.

ICC statutes dictate that any member country should arrest Bashir if he visits. China is not a party to those statutes, nor is the United States.

"We reserve our opinion on the ICC's prosecution against President Bashir," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said ahead of the Sudanese president's visit.

Pillay noted that if Bashir were arrested, he would be brought to stand trial, "it's not like we're calling for an execution of someone."

"I do feel disappointed when governments do not deliver on something that is intrinsic to their national systems -- to bring someone to trial," she added.

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Chinese Mongolians protest again, herders beaten: rights group (Reuters)

BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese police beat up and detained ethnic Mongolian herders who protested over the weekend against pollution caused by a lead mine, an overseas rights group said on Thursday, in the latest unrest to strike China's remote Inner Mongolia.

The New York-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center said the protest was sparked this month in Inner Mongolia's Bayannuur after a lead mine expanded onto a piece of grazing land.

"After repeatedly petitioning the (local) governments expressing their concerns regarding the danger to their environment and health with no satisfactory response, on June 24 ... frustrated herders marched to the area of the mine and shut down the mine's water pump," the group said in an emailed statement.

"On June 25, the (local) government mobilized more than 50 riot police and attacked the protesters. Many herders were beaten severely and taken away by police. Their health condition and status are unknown as of the date of this report," it added.

An official reached by telephone at the Bayannuur government said he had not heard of any protests, and declined further comment. Calls to the lead mine went unanswered.

Bayannuur, more than 400 km (300 miles) northeast of Beijing, has been home to a lead mine since 1978, according to the Inner Mongolia government.

The vast northern region of Inner Mongolia was rocked by protests last month sparked by the death of an ethnic Mongolian herder who was hit and killed by a truck after taking part in protests against pollution caused by a coal mine.

Angry ethnic Mongolians took to the streets across Inner Mongolia demanding better protection of the environment as well as their rights and traditions.

This month, a court in Inner Mongolia ordered the execution of a man for murdering the herder.

Beijing, ever worried by threats to stability, is trying to address some of the protesters' broader concerns about the damage done by coal mining to traditional grazing lands.

The authorities have launched a month-long overhaul of the lucrative coal mining industry, vowing to clean up or close polluters.

Ethnic Mongolians, who make up less than 20 percent of the roughly 24 million population of Inner Mongolia, have complained that their traditional grazing lands have been ruined by mining and desertification, and that the government has tried to force them to settle in permanent houses.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel)

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China releases human rights activist Hu Jia (AFP)

BEIJING (AFP) – One of China's most prominent prisoners of conscience, Hu Jia, returned home Sunday after completing a jail term for subversion but looked likely to be muzzled along with other top dissidents.

The human rights activist's release after more than three years in prison comes after outspoken artist Ai Weiwei emerged in Beijing last week from nearly three months in police custody amid a government crackdown on dissent.

Hu is widely expected to be hit with the same strict curbs as those applied to Ai and a range of other activists and rights lawyers, who have apparently been ordered to keep quiet to gain their freedom.

Hu returned to his home outside Beijing early Sunday morning, his wife and fellow activist Zeng Jinyan said on Twitter.

"On a sleepless night, Hu Jia arrived home at 2:30 am. Peaceful, very happy. Need to rest for a while. Thanks to you all," she said.

Hu, 37, was jailed on subversion charges in April 2008 just ahead of the Beijing Olympics after angering the ruling Communist Party through his years of bold campaigning for civil rights, the environment and AIDS sufferers.

Ai's detention had sparked an international outcry and his recent release has been widely seen as an attempt by China to defuse criticism during a visit by Premier Wen Jiabao to Europe now under way.

Hu's release at the end of his prison term, however, was long expected.

Aside from his jail sentence, Hu also faces one year of "deprivation of political rights" -- essentially a ban on political activities -- and Zeng has indicated he would be making no public statements.

"During this time, he must treat his cirrhosis and take care of his family," she said on Twitter last week.

Hu suffers from cirrhosis of the liver and Zeng has said the ailment has worsened during his time in jail, blaming the prison for providing inadequate medical care.

Hu and Zeng have a young daughter.

It was not immediately clear exactly what sort of restrictions Hu may face.

Attempts to reach Zeng by telephone at the couple's home were unsuccessful and Chinese security personnel prevented AFP journalists from reaching their apartment on Sunday.

EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton welcomed Hu's release, but her spokesman stressed the bloc's demands that Beijing ensure full freedoms are respected.

"Obviously we welcome the fact Hu has been released," said Ashton's spokesman, Michael Mann. "But it is important to keep an eye on how he is treated from here on in. We hope Hu is given full rights," he told AFP.

Hu began his activism by highlighting discrimination against Chinese HIV/AIDS sufferers and environmental degradation, but later spoke out on behalf of a wide range of victims of government abuses.

As a result, he and Zeng have suffered repeated detention or lengthy periods of house arrest that they have criticised as unlawful.

They made a short documentary, available on the Internet, detailing one of these detentions from 2006-2007 called "Prisoners of Freedom City".

Regularly tipped as a potential candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize, Hu has won overseas human rights awards from bodies such as the European Parliament.

"China has been a dictatorship throughout its entire history," Hu told AFP in a 2007 interview.

"Now... I believe that we have a chance to bring democracy to this country for the first time in 5,000 years."

He was taken into custody in December 2007 amid a previous crackdown on government critics ahead of the Beijing Olympics and convicted on subversion charges.

Rights groups have accused China's ruling Communist Party of abusing such charges as a way of silencing government critics.

Zeng said police told her Hu was not likely to enjoy a "normal" life after his release, remarks she interpreted to mean he would be confined to his home like some other recently released dissidents.

New York-based activist group Human Rights Watch on Friday also urged the Chinese government not to subject Hu and his family to "house arrest or other extrajudicial deprivations of liberty".

The government launched a major crackdown on dissent in February in an apparent bid to squelch any possible Chinese version of the "Arab Spring" uprisings in the Middle East.

Normally outspoken detainees such as Ai have uncharacteristically refused public comment after their release.

Activists say this indicates a systematic new government strategy to silence dissenters, possibly through threats against them or their families.

The rights group Chinese Human Rights Defenders has said 49 people have been detained on suspicion of criminal acts in the ongoing crackdown, most of whom have either been formally arrested, sent to re-education camps, or released on bail awaiting trial.

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China releases human rights activist Hu Jia: wife (AFP)

BEIJING (AFP) – China has released high-profile human rights activist Hu Jia after he completed a sentence of more than three years for subversion, his wife said on Sunday.

"On a sleepless night, Hu Jia arrived home at 2:30 am. Peaceful, very happy," Zeng Jinyan, also an activist, wrote on her Twitter account.

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