Today a network of regional OHS organizations is calling for the release of Yang Zhengjun, Wei Zhili, and Ke Chengbing, the three iLabour editors and labor activists who were detained for supporting Hunan pneumoconiosis workers’ fight for occupational health compensation. They have sent their letter to local authorities to call for the iLabour Three’s release.
A Letter from a regional OHS network to call on the release of Labour activists YANG Zhengjun, WEI Zhili, and KE Chengbing
区域性职业健康和安全网络要求释放劳权行动者杨郑君、危志立、柯成兵
To:
Song Yiya, Director of Shenzhen City Pingshan District Security Bureau
Wang Shiangyang, Prosecuter General of Pingshan District Shenzhen City People’s Procuratorate
Xu Wenhai, Director of Shenzhen City Security Bureau
He xun, Prosecuter General of Shenzhen City People’s Procuratorate
Li Chunsheng, Director of Guangdong Province Security Bureau
Lin Yiying, Prosecuter General of Guangdong Province People’s Procuratorate
Wang Dongming, Chairman, All-China Federation of Trade Union
宋逸阳，坪山区公安局局长
王向阳，坪山区检察院检察长
徐文海，深圳市公安局局长
何勋，深圳市人民检察院检察长
李春生，广东省公安厅厅长
林贻影，广东省人民检察院检察长
王东明，全国总工会主席
1st August 2019
On January 8th, the police stormed an urban village residence and detained “iLabour” website editor Yang Zhengjun.Three months later, on March 20th, police detained another two editors —Wei Zhili and KeChengbing. The three activists collaborate to produce “iLabour”, an independent online labour rights media platform. They have coveredworker stories and provided workers with a platform for legal consultation. At the time of their arrest, they were reporting and supporting a struggle of construction workers from Hunan, who have been working in Shenzhen to do blast hole drilling in Shenzhen in the 1990s, to claim their compensation where many of them were diagnosed with pneumoconiosis when return to their hometown.
2019年1月8日，警察闯入城中村单位，抓捕“新生代”网站编辑杨郑君。三个月不到，3月20日，警察又再抓捕另外两名“新生代” 编辑危志立和柯成兵。三位记者长期合力经营劳权自媒体平台“新生代”，报导工人相关的新闻和故事，并且提供劳权法律谘询。“新生代”三位记者被抓捕时，正紧密报导和支持湖南建筑工人追讨赔偿的斗争，这些建筑工人于1990年代在深圳从事爆破和风钻的工作，但回到家乡后却诊断出患上尘肺病。
The three “iLabour” activists began supporting pneumoconiosis workers’ struggle in early 2018 by providing them with labor law consultation and sending out updates of the struggle in Shenzhen online, where to petition for more than 10 times, to make their plight visible to the public. Harassment and suppression of the iLabour editors began as early as June 2018, when Ke was summoned by police for questioning about a piece on the pneumoconiosis struggle. In the same month, Yang was apprehended by police at the scene of the pneumoconiosis protests and taken in for questioning. The editors received other threatening calls from police as they continued to report on the case. On January 8th, one day after fifty pneumoconiosis workers who were forcibly sent back to Hunan police after another attempt to petition to the Shenzhen government, Yang Zhengjun was arrested in Guangzhou. After Yang’s arrest, Wei Zhili and KeChengbing continued to help the workers and provided them with legal advice. On March 20, Wei and Ke were also arrested in Guangzhou.
由2018年年初开始，数百位湖南尘肺病工人为了让他们艰难的处境为大众所知，至深圳上访超过十次，三位“新生代”编辑亦由2018年年初开始透过报导他们维权的即时消息，以及提供劳动法的谘询。然而自2018年年中，当局就开始打压和骚扰“新生代”的记者们，6月，杨郑君被警察强制传唤并审问一篇关于尘肺病维权的报导文章是否出自于他的手笔，又在尘肺病工人抗议的现场被抓捕和接受审讯。 1月8日，五十位尘肺病工人在深圳上访后被强行送回湖南之后一日，杨郑君被捕。危志立和柯成兵由于继续支持湖南的工人，也于3月20日被捕。
The local policetold Yang and Wei’s families that they were arrested for helping pneumoconiosis workers. Three of them were detained at the Shenzhen No. 2 Detention Center for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”, and transferred to “Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location” (hereafter RSDL ). All of their lawyers’ requestsfor meetings have been refused, and basic civil and political rights were being taken away. Their families are very concerned about their personal safety and well-beingsin such a secret detention.
警察告诉杨和危的家人，他们是因为参与尘肺病工人的维权而被刑拘。最初“新生代”三人涉嫌“寻衅滋事罪”被刑拘于深圳第二看守所，而后将强制措施转为“指定居所监视居住”（下称“指监“）自“新生代”三人被指监后，他们的律师从未成功与其会见，他们的家人十分担心他们的人身安全和健康。
We would like to address that helping pneumoconiosis workers to fight their compensation shouldn’t be a crime. The local government should not arbitrarily detain the “iLabour Three” due to their promotion of worker’ rights to health, a dignified life, and freedom of peaceful assembly through online platform. The poor situation of the pneumoconiosis workers is indeed the consequence of corporate violations against the labour law, and a reflection of local government ineffective enforcement of labour rules and regulations who fail to protect the health and basic rights of the workers. Instead of suppressing the voices ofworkers and activists by violence act and arbitrary detentions, the local government should ensure basic human rightswill be in place as follow:
我们在此重申，帮助尘肺病工人追讨他们的赔偿是无罪的。地方政府不应该因为他们在网上自媒体平台报导劳工维权、推广工人健康权利和和平集会的权利为由任意将其拘留。尘肺病工人悲惨的处境正正反映了企业违反劳动法、地方政府不严正执行劳工相关规定以保护工人健康和基本权利的问题。地方政府应该立即停止用暴力和任意拘留打压工人和行动者，并且采取以下行动来保障基本人权：
Release Yang Zhengjun, Wei Zhili and KeChengbing immediately and unconditionally;
立即无条件释放杨郑君、危志立、柯成兵；
Ensure that they are free from any forms of torture or cruelty, inhumane and degrading treatment, and have regular access to their family and lawyer of theirchoice;
确保杨郑君、危志立、柯成兵免于遭受酷刑、侮辱和非人道的待遇；能规律的会见他们的家人和其自由委托的律师；
Resume the negotiation with the pneumoconiosis workers and carry out adequate compensation plan which workers voice are included.
重启和尘肺病工人的协商，并在充分纳入工人意见的原则下执行适切的赔偿方案
Signed by:
连署团体:
Asian Network for the Rights of Occupational and Environmental Victims (ANROEV)
亚洲职业病及环境污染受害者权益网络
Scottish Hazards Centre
苏格兰职业危害中心
The European Work Hazards Network
欧洲职业危害网络
Asia Citizens Center for Environmental and Health
亚洲环境和健康公民中心
Ban Asbestos Network Korea
韩国禁用石绵网络
Peoples Training and Research Centre (PTRC)
人民培训和研究中心
The Occupational and Environmental Network of India (OEHNI)
印度职业和环境网络
Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and Environmental Foundation (OSHE)
柬埔寨职业病安全健康和环境基金会
Bangladesh Free Trade Union Congress (BFTUC)
柬埔寨自由工会联合会
Japan Occupational Safety and Health Resource Centre (JOSHRC)
日本职业安全和健康资源中心
一年之間，百人被捕，不可不知的中國勞權大事