Zhang Xiaoyu (张小玉)
Zhang Xiaoyu is a petitioner from Jiaozuo, in the northern province of Henan. She and her husband, Xu Youchen, were veteran petitioners who had repeatedly sought redress from government authorities over a contract dispute between their family and local authorities. They had been arbitrarily detained in unofficial “black jail” facilities many times and sent to Re-education Through Labour, according to Amnesty International.
The July 2014 detention. On July 17, 2014, Zhang and her husband were petitioning in Beijing when police detained them and escorted them back to their hometown of Jiaozuo. Once there, they were taken to Zhucun Police Station. Their son, Xu Tianlong, was told that his parents had been detained for stabbing a policeman at the Jiaozuo police station. Authorities later accused both of intentional homicide.
Alleged beatings and procedural abuses. During their detention, the couple were severely beaten by police. Lawyer Liu Shuqing, who was able to meet them, confirmed that Zhang Xiaoyu had nearly lost her eyesight as a result of the assault, while Xu Youchen sustained serious injuries to his face. Their lawyers faced repeated obstruction. Chang Weiping, initially engaged to represent Zhang, was summoned and interrogated for 12 hours after demanding to meet his client; police named him a witness in the case, which disqualified him from acting as her lawyer. On July 24, 2014, four lawyers — Liu Shuqing, Chen Taihe, Li Jinxing, and Liu Jinbin — wrote to the Henan provincial, Jiaozuo municipal, and Zhongzhan district public-security organs alleging that the Zhongzhan branch bureau, which was handling the case, had refused lawyers’ requests to meet their clients, coerced a defense lawyer into testifying against his own clients, and had a conflict of interest because the deceased policeman worked at that same bureau. On July 30, 2014, lawyers Li Jinxing and Liu Hao were beaten by a group of unidentified men outside the Jiaozuo City Detention Center. Both Zhang and Xu were formally charged with intentional homicide on August 2, 2014.
Outcome. On June 4, 2015, the Sanmenxia City People’s Procuratorate dropped the intentional-homicide charge against Zhang Xiaoyu for insufficient evidence, and she was released. She was detained again in August 2015 in connection with her 2014 petitioning, and on December 22, 2016, she was sentenced to three years and six months in prison for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” Her husband, Xu Youchen, was convicted and sentenced to death for the death of the policeman; his appeal was reported to be under review.
Current status. There is no confirmed public reporting on Zhang Xiaoyu after her December 2016 sentencing. Her current situation is not known.
Sources. Amnesty International urgent actions (August 8, 2014; January 11, 2017); Human Rights in China, lawyer letter (July 24, 2014); Chinese Human Rights Defenders briefing (July 30, 2014).
Media profile & archive: Zhang Xiaoyu (张小玉) — Media Profile & Archive