Beijing authorities destroyed the home of leading rights activist Ni Yulan (倪玉蘭) yesterday as her distraught husband pleaded with the government to release her from jail.
Up to 200 police surrounded the home of the activist lawyer Ni and her husband Dong Jiqin (董繼勤) as a bulldozer demolished the rest of the central Beijing courtyard home that Dong’s parents purchased in 1951.
Authorities had already razed much of it in April.
“The home is not so important, what is important is that Ni Yulan should be released from jail,” a visibly shaken and tearful Dong said as he watched the razing of the home where he was born. “She was illegally arrested, beaten, jailed and illegally threatened to agree with this demolition.”
Workers came knocking on the door early yesterday morning, while police blocked both ends of the road leading to the home, refusing entry to those without proper identification.
Dong, 56, was able to only grab a plastic bag of legal documents before he was escorted out of the home.
Ni is a long-time campaigner against government-backed land grabs and has organized evicted residents to protest what they have alleged were government backed “illegal forceful eviction and demolition of homes.”
The issue is one of the most sensitive social problems in China, with ordinary residents nationwide accusing local government officials of enriching themselves through collusion with developers in lucrative real estate deals.
Ni, 47, who has worked with other leading activists or “rights defenders” like Hu Jia (胡佳) and Gao Zhisheng (高智晟), was arrested and charged with “obstructing official business” in April after wrecking teams destroyed most of the home.
Hu was sentenced to prison earlier this year, while Gao has disappeared and is believed to be in police custody.
Ni previously served a year in prison in 2002 for opposing evictions in Beijing.
“Who told you Ni Yulan has been jailed? I have never heard of this,” said an official with Beijing’s Xicheng government who refused to identify himself. “This home is being forcibly demolished in accordance with the law.”
BEYOND WASHINGTON: Although historically the US has been the partner of choice for military exercises, Jakarta has been trying to diversify its partners, an analyst said Indonesia’s first joint military drills with Russia this week signal that new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto would seek a bigger role for Jakarta on the world stage as part of a significant foreign policy shift, analysts said. Indonesia has long maintained a neutral foreign policy and refuses to take sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict or US-China rivalry, but Prabowo has called for stronger ties with Moscow despite Western pressure on Jakarta. “It is part of a broader agenda to elevate ties with whomever it may be, regardless of their geopolitical bloc, as long as there is a benefit for Indonesia,” said Pieter
US ELECTION: Polls show that the result is likely to be historically tight. However, a recent Iowa poll showed Harris winning the state that Trump won in 2016 and 2020 US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris courted voters angered by the Gaza war while former US President and Republican candidate Donald Trump doubled down on violent rhetoric with a comment about journalists being shot as the tense US election campaign entered its final hours. The Democratic vice president and the Republican former president frantically blitzed several swing states as they tried to win over the last holdouts with less than 36 hours left until polls open on election day today. Trump predicted a “landslide,” while Harris told a raucous rally in must-win Michigan that “we have momentum — it’s
TIGHT CAMPAIGN: Although Harris got a boost from an Iowa poll, neither candidate had a margin greater than three points in any of the US’ seven battleground states US Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in the final days before the election, as she and former US president and Republican presidential nominees make a frantic last push to win over voters in a historically close campaign. The first lines Harris spoke as she sat across from Maya Rudolph, their outfits identical, was drowned out by cheers from the audience. “It is nice to see you Kamala,” Harris told Rudolph with a broad grin she kept throughout the sketch. “And I’m just here to remind you, you got this.” In sync, the two said supporters
Pets are not forgotten during Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebrations, when even Fido and Tiger get a place at the altars Mexican families set up to honor their deceased loved ones, complete with flowers, candles and photographs. Although the human dead usually get their favorite food or drink placed on altars, the nature of pet food can make things a little different. The holiday has roots in Mexican pre-Hispanic customs, as does the reverence for animals. The small, hairless dogs that Mexicans kept before the Spanish conquest were believed to help guide their owners to the afterlife, and were sometimes given
RSS