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More about Hada

This case has touched the heart of the Amnesty International group in Lyme Regis, and since 2006 we have been patiently sending letters to four different Chinese officials each month, besides getting hundreds of postcards to Hada signed by members of the public several times a year, though we fear they may not reach him in his cell.

Hada, during his 15 years in prison, was not allowed to read books or newspapers, even the official Chinese ones; had no access to radio or any other medium; could not receive mail or phone calls or talk with other prisoners. The boredom, for a scholar, writer, and bookseller, must have been maddening. When his wife and child, rarely, could visit, they had to talk by a phone through a small thick glass window. But at least, because of those visits, Hada knew of your appeals and was helped by the emotional support.

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (in Chinese, Nei Menggu Zizhiqu) has been included in China since 1947. It is distinct from Mongolia (formerly sometimes called Outer Mongolia), an even larger independent republic to the north of it. Inner Mongolia is the home of 6 million ethnic Mongols, but because of immigration they are now outnumbered by 18 million Han Chinese.

If you would like more addresses to which to write (officials of the central Chinese government and of Inner Mongolia province), e-mail to us.

Information from Amnesty International's Urgent Actions and from the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center and its Free Hada Now campaign:

Hada (many Mongols have one-word names) was born on Jan. 16, 1956. He was a teacher and editor. In 1990 he and his wife Xinna opened a small "Mongolian Studies Bookstore" in Hohhot (also spelled Huhhot or Huhehot; Chinese Huhehaote), Inner Mongolia's capital. Intellectuals used to gather there and discuss ways to preserve Mongolian identity. In 1992 Hada and others founded the Southern Mongolian Democratic Alliance (SMDA), for peaceful promotion of human rights, Mongolian culture, and "the concept of a high degree of autonomy for China's minority nationalities", as guaranteed in the Chinese Constitution and the Ethnic Regional Autonomy Law. He edited a journal, The Voice of Southern Mongolia, and wrote a book, The Way Out for Southern Mongols, mentioning mass killings, reduction of Mongol population by birth control, mass immigration of Chinese, suppression of Mongol religion and culture, and environmental destruction, but only urging Mongols to stand up for their rights under China's constitution. (Mongolians have been reduced to 20% of the 24 million population of Inner Mongolia.) Hada and others organized a demonstration and a school strike.

On 10 December 1995 — World Human Rights Day! — a dozen police raided the bookstore, and arrested Hada. The next day about 200 Mongolian college students gathered outside Hada's bookstore, singing Mongolian songs, holding up pictures of Genghis Khan, and and calling for Hada's release. Instead, many of the protesters were arrested, also Hada's wife Xinna and his brother Has, who spent 3 months in prison without charge. Hada's small son Uiles, born in 1984, was left at home alone; the bookshop was closed down, all the books, research papers and other properties confiscated. After a year of detention, Hada and Tegexi, another member of SMDA,were tried behind closed doors on 6 December 1996 for "splitting the country", "conspiring to overthrow the government", and "espionage" (this because of interviews Hada gave to the Voice of America and overseas news media). They were not allowed a lawyer or to defend themselves.

They were sentenced respectively to 15 and 10 years' imprisonment, to be followed by 4 and 3 years deprivation of political rights. Their appeals were denied two months later. Tegexi was due for release in 2005; Hada in December 2010. Hada's sentence was never reduced for good behavior, as was often done for prisoners guilty of crimes such as rape and robbery.

Hada was in Inner Mongolia's Prison 4, at Chifeng. (The city's Mongol name is Ulaan-Hada! Ulaan means "red" and hada means "rock" or "cliff".) This is 400 miles east of Hohhot and much farther by train. China's Prison Law allows twice-monthly visits by relatives, yet these were not allowed to Hada's family.

They feared he might not survive to the end of his sentence. Severe beatings and ill-treatment in prison broke his health, and he was very weak. Some of the injuries he sustained from torture did not heal. He had a recurrence of tuberculosis, had arthritis, high blood pressure, and heart problems, for which he did not receive adequate medical treatment. It was reported that he was not given enough food. He was often put in solitary confinement, once as long as 66 days. He was not allowed to talk to other inmates or to exercise in the open air. He was not allowed phone calls or letters from his family.

Xinna and Uiles were left in destitution. The bookshop being their only source of income, Xinna made long effort to re-open it, and was at last allowed to, but had to reduce the number of books, especially those with "sensitive topics". Police and security people frequently came to harass her and issue fines for no real reason. They prevented her from taking jobs. She was harassed by the Bureau of Public Security and the Bureau of National Security, put under close surveillance, detained. questioned, and beaten. Uiles had to drop out of high school and struggle for a living.

Further developments, during Hada's imprisonment

Much of this consists of the activities of Hada's plucky wife, Xinna. She seems to be doing her utmost to maintain for him the struggle for ethnic Mongol rights that he would be continuing if he were free.

She gave an interview to the Voice of America, using a cordless phone, which was therefore confiscated. In July 1997 she and their son Uiles were detained for four days during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of establishment of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. In June 1998 she wrote a strong letter to President Clinton a few days before his state visit to China. In July 1998 she and Uiles visited Hada in prison. Both were detained for more than four hours, and the boy was beaten. They were then for a long time stopped from visiting, and could send clothing, but not the medicines Hada needs.

In 2002 Uiles was arrested on an allegation of "involvement in robbery", allowed no lawyer, and his mother was told only 30 minutes before the trial. He was imprisoned for three years in the Youth Jail. On release he was allowed no identity card, and was told he could have one only if he and his mother promised not to "bring trouble" during Inner Mongolia's 60th anniversary.

In February 2005 it was learned from a recently released prisoner that Hada not only was stopped from speaking to fellow inmates but was routinely subjected to disciplinary punishments, including solitary confinement and being repeatedly chained to a metal "shackle board" — a metal plank with handcuffs at each corner.

In August 2007 Uiles visited his father, and afterwards gave a 700-word written report. He had explained to his father why his mother, having myocardial ischemia and a liver illness, had not been able to visit. The prison is mainly for felons (rather than political prisoners). Hada was in an 8-inmate cell with no sunlight. He had become totally gray-haired and "looked so thin and small". Uiles had brought a cotton-padded mattress, but the authorities would not allow this to be given to Hada in place of the thin and dirty one he had. Hada had not received newspapers sent to him, and was denied access to books that had been sent. He suspected he was being given some sort of drug. He had incontinence of urine and feces (probably due to a nerve system disorder, according to a medical friend of Uiles). Another prisoner said that Hada "is monitored every day and not allowed to talk to anybody"; and that the food is "even worse than in the Youth Jail". Prisons generally allow inmates to make purchases, such as of extra food, but Hada has not been allowed to do this even once. Authorities said that Hada was not doing hard labor, because his health was so poor. "I encouraged him and told him that everything will be fine as long as he keeps on."

On March 26, 2008, Xinna sent an open letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao. She mentioned that, last winter, Hada fell into a coma in the prison toilet. None of the medications given him in jail had relieved his pain. "It is heartbreaking to see him... he looks like a totally different person". She was outraged that on March 18 prison officials, in violation of the Prison Act, confiscated a letter of appeal that Hada had written and wanted to pass to her. "I, along with many Mongols and others, refuse to accept the charges against Hada... it is a typical case of ethnic repression." She made full and bold comments on China's devastating policies in not only Inner Mongolia but Xinjiang and Tibet; and ended with three appeals: right of free expression for citizens; right to self-determination for the minority regions; release of political prisoners including Hada.

In April 2008, the letter that Hada dictated to Xinna during her visit did become available, and is translated in a page of the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center's website. It is a detailed rebuttal of the charges against him.

On July 6, 2008, according to a Reuters report by Ben Blanchard, Xinna issued an appeal to the Chinese government to release her husband as a goodwill gesture ahead of the Olympics. The Olympic torch was to pass through Inner Mongolia in the next few days, including Chifeng itself on July 10. Xinna commented on the irony of this, and said she hoped the torch's arrival in Inner Mongolia would help to highlight the plight of her husband, who has received less attention than more well-known jailed Chinese dissidents.

And on July 19 a letter by Xinna was read by Rick Moody to a meeting called "Bringing Down the Great Firewall of China" hosted by the PEN American Center in New York City. She mentioned that his illnesses "are not only untreated but have worsened in the prison; recently he has felt severe leg pain and deteriorating vision. June 20, this year, the prison authorities took him to an unidentified hospital and examined his health condition. He was put in handcuffs and shackles during his hospital visit. The results of the medical examination were not given either to me or my son or to Hada himself. The only thing that encouraged us to live through this extreme hardship is that he has never given up what he believes. We haven't seen any smile on his face when we visited him. But he smiled last time when I told him that freedom loving friends around the world are encouraging and supporting us."

Xinna managed to get another statement out to the world, about the plight of Mongol herders and the suppression of information on it. This was reported by Free-Hada-Now.org on May 2, 2009. Xinna said:
"Recently, following my previous statement on the state of affairs of the herders of my home town, I was contacted by a correspondent from the Agence France-Presse (AFP). In mid-April, he visited Hohhot, and interviewed me about my husband Hada's prison situation and human rights issues of Southern Mongolia in general. I explained the situation with the herders and how their lands and animals were being plundered. I also offered to put him in touch with Mongolian herders of Darhan-Muumingan Holboot Banner (Banner is equivalent to county) who have been affected by the policies related to the "Ecological Migration" ("sheng tai yi min" in Chinese). I also introduced him to another friend of mine who agreed to serve as his driver and interpreter, someone who would personally escort him to the herders' community for him to conduct personal interviews and observe firsthand the effects on the Mongols of the Banner where I used to live.
"The authorities were eavesdropping on my telephone conversation with the reporter, so they were forewarned about the visit the correspondent was planning to make. They knew the time and date when he was planning to go and who would be escorting him. So when the correspondent set off on his trip to my hometown, somewhere on the road, they were stopped by the police and asked to submit their papers for a 'routine' check. The routine check led to a 4-hour delay, during which time, the police had ample opportunity to rush to herders' place. They advised the locals that a foreign correspondent was coming and they were told under threat of severe punishment to say nothing negative about their living conditions or the situation regarding the forced migrations. So naturally, when the correspondent arrived, he heard nothing negative. In addition, the authorities also threatened the escort and intimidated him such that he too has now severed all contact with me. This is why the Chinese government's so-called policy of openness accorded to foreign journalists and correspondents is completely without merit, because they can still manipulate facts through intimidation of citizens."

In September 2009 Xinna was able to make another visit to the prison, and found that her husband's health and his treatment by the Chinese authorities had not improved.

On November 15, 2009 — during Obama's visit to China — Xinna's bookstore was raided by 17 or 18 men from the "Cultural Marketing Management Bureau". They confiscated nine boxes full of CDs and other materials. These were Mongolian music and traditional songs. The authorities accused Xinna and other Mongolian bookstores (only hers has been raided twice; no Han Chinese store has been raided) of pirating CDs. The reason is that production of Mongolian music is repressed in Inner Mongolia, so that, to meet the demand for their own music from the 4 milllion indigenous inhabitants, CDs have been made clandestinely or imported from Mongolia proper. Xinna's vigorous statement, dated Dec. 31, and sent to us by Tikan Chemenlik of Free Hada Now, can be read at http://free-hada-now.org/blog/?p=67

On December 25, 2009, Uiles after an overnight journey from Hohhot reached the prison and was made to wait 6 hours (authorities were "in a meeting") for a half-hour visit to his father.
Hada said he had been taken in October (in handcuffs and foot shackles) to a hospital and diagnosed with two conditions, peripheral neuritis and phlebitis. (This may have been why family visits were refused for two months.) Some medicine had eased leg pain slightly but swelling had not gone down. He cannot sleep well, because of leg pain and upset stomach.
He is now in a cell on the 5th floor, so that his leg condition makes it impossible for him to take walks. In the system of "inter-inmate monitoring", Hada's monitor is Zhang Jian Xin, a murderer who killed his own brother, and who constantly yells at and threatens Hada — did so while Uiles was there.
Hada has not been allowed to watch news channels, just channels that he has no interest in. Though prison regulations state that prisoners may read official publications including newspapers and books, newspapers bought with the family's money and sent to Hada have been confiscated, except for a few without political content. Uiles brought books but could get no receipt or promise that they would reach Hada.
"Otherwise, the prison authorities' attitude has seemed to be relaxed a bit because my father's prison term is closer."
After returning home, Uiles did some research on peripheral neuritis and phlebitis: if they occur together they could be caused by insufficient blood supply and could indicate diabetes. The family has often asked to see Hada's medical records, now especially needed to prepare for medication after his release; the prison authorities still refuse, claiming "confidentiality".
"One thing my father asked me to appeal for is that he really wants to read some books, to prepare for his release. He wants to understand what has happened after more than 14 years in prison."
This is slightly condensed from the efficient report by Uiles, which can be seen at http://free-hada-now.org/blog/?p=70

On June 27, 2010, Xinna made another statement. These are the leading points from the translation made by the Southern Mongolia Human Rights Information Center:
She visited Hada in April. He was thin and pale, but confident that he could survive to the approaching end of his jail term. "I told him that many friends are concerned about his situation." He still had unusual reactions to prison food. Books were still denied to him, books Xinna sent had never been delivered, but "After my continual requests, he is sporadically allowed to read some newspapers that I ordered for him", so is not completely unaware of what is happening outside. He had received visits from several officials (from the Political-Legal Department of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and the Political-Legal Department of Chifeng City). They asked him about his plans after release, politely "offered him freedom to choose leaving or staying in the country", and, if he chose to stay, help in finding him and his son jobs. Hada's reaction: "This is meaningless that they tell me this after they put me through this extreme unjust hardship for this long"; it was a trick to find out what he was thinking. He said he would pursue a lawsuit against his unjust trial; it was an ethnic issue that had been distorted to "separatism" and "espionage". And Xinna felt the whole family should pursue the case.
On June 4 the authorities tightened their control over the family. Strange vehicles appear near Xinna's house every day, and there are constant problems with her phone. Control over Mongols in general has been tightening. The internet has been "the only place of freedom" but most sites previously accessible are now not. The administrator of the Mongol Yurt Association Website, named Sodmongol, was arrested. A book called "True Story of Cultural Revolution in Inner Mongolia", by a Beijing intellectual, reached Huhhot and 50,000 copies were eagerly bought by Mongols. The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Public Security Bureau Department No.3 set up a special task force to confiscate and ban it.

On July 2, 2010, Xinna gave her opinion about a sinister change. Hu Chunhua, the new Party Secretary of Inner Mongolia, has proposed that Mongolian language be replaced by Chinese as the medium of education, under a slogan of "responding to the requirements of a new era". Xinna's statement was posted in September by SMHRIC at http://free-hada-now.org/blog/?p=81 "...It is extremely unfair that no Chinese is requested to learn Mongolian whereas all Mongolians are forced to learn Chinese if they want to survive on their own land." If Mongols suggest that Chinese learn Mongolian, they are accused of separatism.

As December 10, 2010, approached — Hada's presumed release date — Mongols who regard him as a hero prepared to welcome him, but were harassed and detained. Reporters Without Borders on Nov. 25 issued a statement urging China not to delay Hada's release. Govruud Huuchinhuu, a writer who for the past ten years has used the Internet to defend Mongol rights, tried to organize a welcoming party to greet Hada. On Nov. 11 she was arrested at her home in Tongliao by two plain-clothes policemen, taken to the Horchin district Bureau of Public Security, then sent home, and kept under illegal house arrest; after that her movements were restricted and she could not be reached.
    On Dec. 4, Hada's wife Xinna and son Uiles were detained, and the family bookstore was raided. The Public Security Bureau told relatives that Xinna was held on suspicion of running an illegal business, and Uiles was accused of drug-dealing. The authorities urged Uiles to "clearly draw a line" between himself and his parents and not to engage in separatist activities. He was released later the same day, but re-arrested the next day.
    On Dec. 10 Hada's relatives heard nothing about his release. Next day, a CD was anonymously handed to Xinna's sister Naraa; it contained 5 photographs showing Xinna, Uiles, and a very much aged Hada smiling wanly as they sat on a couch before a table laden with food. The photos were labeled "reunion feast" and date-stamped Dec. 10; Naraa said that the clothes indicated they were recent, but they were obviously not at the family's home. The photos had also been posted on a Chinese overseas dissident website, Boxun.com.
    On Dec. 13 Hada's uncle Haschuluu received on his cell phone a text message apparently from Hada, saying that he had been released but sking for no communication except by text message. It seems, according to the SMHRIC, that such a message must have been sent by Hada under duress. Haschuluu told SMHRIC that his attempt to reply received no answer, and that since then he had been under 24-hour surveillance.
    On Dec. 14 Naraa was summoned by a high-ranking official to the Public Security Bureau. She was told that it was the Public Security Bureau who had delivered the CD of photos; and that the three were "enjoying a family reunion" in a "five-star luxury hotel", where they needed to stay for "a bit to plan their next step". The official would not say what hotel this was or how long they would be held. All three have not been heard from since. As Enhebatu Togochog of SMHRIC said, "Not only are they not freeing him, but they are detaining his family members too."
    Amnesty International on Dec. 15 issued a statement headed "China Must Reveal Whereabouts of Missing Mongolian Activist." Catherine Baber, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Deputy Director, said that "China is using enforced disappearance to keep activists and their family members out of the spotlight while the world's attention is focused on China's first Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo."
    Irony indeed. On the same Wprld Human Rights Day, December 10, 2010, China failed to release Hada, and refused to allow Liu Xiabo to travel to Oslo and receive his Nobel Prize.
    The New York Times published on Dec. 14 and 16 articles by Andrew Jacobs about the disappearance of Hada and his family. "A call to the Public Security Bureau in Chifeng, the city where Mr. Hada was imprisoned, was referred to the No. 4 Detention Center. There, a man identifying himself as a prison employee hung up when asked about Mr. Hada's whereabouts... Inner Mongolia government spokesman Wen Fei said he had never heard of Hada."

On Jan. 1, 2011, Sanj Altan of the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center in New York was interviewed by Freedom's Herald about the disappearance of Hada and his family. The video of the interview was available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EITlfMaDDLw, as we learned on Jan. 2 in an email from Tikkun (which described Hada as having been imprisoned "for a crime that is unrecognized in a democratic society").    Sanj Altan said that Hada's there had been no further communication with the uncle and sister-in-law, whose phones had been disconnected. Communication to the whole family was being cut off. SMHRIC was hoping to organize demonstrations on Saturday, January 8, outside China's embassies and consulates in as many countries as possible, and urged anyone who could do so to join urging that Hada and his family be released.
    Tikkun also passed on a message from Temtsilt Shobtsuud. president of the Inner Mongolian People's Party, deploring the continued detention of Hada.
    Joshua Rosenzweig, a Hong Kong-based researcher at nonprofit Dui Hua Foundation, which promotes Chinese-American dialogue on human rights, said Mr. Hada's long sentence and the fact that it was not reduced for good behavior highlights Beijing's hard line toward those who support separatist aspirations among the country's ethnic minorities. "Even individuals imprisoned for crimes like rape and robbery get time off for good behavior."
    Mongolian activists held demonstrations for Hada outside Chinese embassies on Dec. 8. On Dec. 7 we (members of the Lyme Regis Amnesty International group) hand-delivered a letter to the Chinese embassy in London. Also on Dec. 7 Amnesty issued an Urgent Action (2/11) calling for clarification of Hada;s situation and unconditional release.

On February 21, 2011, "a carefully edited video clip" (as SMHRIC described it), one and a half minutes long, was posted on YouTube by "tianguodenver", a name previously used by Chinese State Security to post video clips and pictures of Hada. It showed Hada and Xinna and Uiles making bland remarks. Hada said "With my sister-in-law, maternal-side uncle, brother-in-law, and mother-in-law, this is the first time after 15 years I spent the Chagaan Sar (Mongolian New Year) with them together. It is my top priority to treat my health problems after I return home." There was still no indication of where they were or even whether they were actually together.

On May 4, Hada's sister-in-law Naraa managed to get through with difficulty by telephoned to the Southern Mongolia Human Rights Information Center in New York (she had had several phones confiscated and expected it to happen again).
    She revealed that Hada had been taken out of the Chifeng Prison on Dec. 3, accompanied by six police vehicles because harmless Hada had been categorized as a “dangerous stubborn criminal” (“wei wan fan”). Ludicrously, the six policemen had to be locked up with Hada for the night at a prison in Bogt City part way along the 400-mile journey. He arrived on Dec. 10 (the supposed date for his release) in a two-storey building used secretly as a tight-security prison, near the Baita International Airport in Hohhot (the capital and his home town).
    His wife and son, Xinna and Uiles, detained 4/5 December, were brought there to have the brief “family reunion” that was supposedly in a “luxury hotel,” and Chinese secret service personnel took the photos that were circulated on the internet. Around Jan. 17 Xinna and Uiles were formally arrested, on charges of “illegal business” and “drug possession,” respectively; on Feb. 6 they were taken to, respectively, the Inner Mongolia No.1 and No. 3 Detention Centers in Hohhot. All three went on long hunger strikes to protest illegal detention and false accusations. Naraa was allowed to visit Hada several times, e.g. on Feb. 17 when she was told to dissuade him from his 15-day hunger strike. “The prison guards opened his mouth by force to try to feed him. He spit out the food.” Naraa said she had not known Hada “is such an intelligent and knowledgeable man”; she resolved to improve her Mongolian and read Mongolian history. When she brought him some T-shirts with Mongolian lettering, prison guards threw them into a trash can. She ceased visiting after Feb. 20 because of the searches she was subjected to “at every move”; they even searched the underwear of her 80-year-old mother.
    The three detainees had been asked to sign documents that they would not give interviews, and Hada to repudiate his claims of innocence; otherwise, they would not be released. “The authorities even promised that they will offer Uiles a nice job, pay a good compensation to Xinna, and find a professor's position for Hada in a university if they sign the paper.” But Hada continued to insist that he had committed no crime. Though ill (leg-pains, a nervous problem causing shivering in his face), he was clear-minded and said he would fight to the death for the freedom of Southern Mongolians. On Apr. 15 Naraa's mother was notified that Uiles would be put on trial at the end of April, so Naraa started to seek a lawyer, but was told on Apr. 20 that the trial was postponed. The family bookstore was still locked up, and “the food in the refrigerator must have rotted.”
    Reporters Without Borders on May 5 issued a renewed appeal for the immediate and unconditional release of Hada, Xinna, and Uiles.

Further details, July 2011: Naraa told SMHRIC that the police had pressed her to write letters to Hada saying that his relatives no longer support him and will not visit him in prison. She refused, and fell ill under the pressure. No family member has been able to visit Uiles in detention. Xinna's brother was able to visit her on 4 July for about an hour and found her "under stress".

In December 2011, Hada had suffered a whole year of unjust imprisonment beyond his release date.

In April 2012, Xinna and Uiles were "released" — into house arrest in a warehouse in Hohhot. They continued to reject offers of fine jobs and housing and, for Uiles, a "beautiful girlfriend", on condition of signing papers to admit their guilt.

On October 22, 2012, Xinna gave a long phone interview with SMHRIC. She said the local police had threatened to arrest her if she continued to answer interviews from foreign news media. Then in November Xinna and Uiles disappeared. Phone calls to them were unanswered, or answered with automatic messages, "No such number" or "The phone is powered off." Hada's uncle, Haschuluu, living far off in Chifeng where Hada was formerly imprisoned, told SMHRIC "over a noisy connection" that "I have lost contact with Xinna, Uiles and their relatives for at least six months. My request to visit Hada has continually been denied. I have contacted the Hohhot City Public Security Bureau about the whereabouts of Xinna and Uiles. They refused to tell me." And they cut off his phone, tapped his cell phone, and threatened him too with arrest.