A former reporter on food safety issues has been detained by police in China’s northeastern city of Dalian after being taken from the southern city of Xiamen, according to information released by his family and Chinese civil-rights advocates.
Hong Guangyu, a former Beijing Science and Technology Report reporter who has written extensively about food safety and science education, was criminally detained on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” The broadly worded offense is frequently used against activists and critics of the communist regime.
Chinese independent blogger Xiang Dongliang shared details of Hong’s arrest in a social media post, citing information from Hong’s family.
Hong’s detention has drawn attention in Chinese media and legal circles in part because his defense lawyer has been denied access to him three times.
According to Xiang, the lawyer, carrying an authorization letter signed on behalf of Hong’s family and other required documents, went to the Dalian Detention Center on Sept. 22, 23, and 24 to request a meeting with Hong. None of the requests resulted in a meeting.
By the third request, more than 48 hours had passed since the lawyer first sought access, Xiang said.
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China’s Criminal Procedure Law, Article 39, states that when a defense lawyer presents a lawyer’s practicing certificate, a law firm’s certification, and the relevant authorization documents, a detention facility should arrange a meeting with a detained suspect promptly and no later than 48 hours after the request.
The Epoch Times could not independently verify the specific times Hong’s lawyer submitted the requests, the detention center’s reasons for refusing or delaying access, or whether the lawyer was subsequently permitted to meet Hong, based on the information provided.
Questions Over Police Action
Two Chinese lawyers spoke to The Epoch Times regarding the matter on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal.
A Chinese human rights lawyer surnamed Hu, who is following the case, questioned whether Dalian police had jurisdiction over Hong’s case and whether the necessary procedures for cross-provincial law enforcement had been completed.
“Now the person has been arrested and detained in Dalian, and the family has retained a lawyer to represent him. The detention center does not allow the lawyer to meet Hong Guangyu, so he cannot sign the authorization letter,” Hu told The Epoch Times. “This is the detention center interfering with the legitimate rights and interests of the person involved. This move is very vicious.”
Another human rights lawyer, surnamed Liu from Guangdong Province, told The Epoch Times that authorities would first need to establish jurisdiction and complete the appropriate procedures when police investigate across provincial boundaries.
“In the past, there were jurisdictional disputes when police from Beijing and Yunnan made cross-provincial arrests of drug suspects. In the end, the Ministry of Public Security intervened to coordinate,” Liu said.
Hong previously worked as a reporter for the Beijing Science and Technology Report and spent years writing about food safety and science education. Screenshots released by Xiang also indicate that Hong participated in public outreach related to food and nutrition science.
The circumstances that led to his detention, however, remain unclear.
Possible Link to Cherry Growers’ Dispute
A possible connection has emerged with a dispute involving cherry growers in Dalian.
Chinese civil-rights group Civil Rights & Livelihood Watch said in a Sept. 27 post on its website that Hong was among several media workers detained in connection with a dispute involving Dalian cherry farmers. The group said Hong had spoken out on behalf of the farmers.
Civil Rights & Livelihood Watch gave Sept. 18 as the date Hong was taken away, while Xiang said he was formally criminally detained on Sept. 19. Hu, the human rights lawyer, said the two dates could refer to different stages of the case—the initial detention and the subsequent formal criminal detention.
Dalian is a major producer of Chinese cherries. Some local growers have alleged that their cherry trees died in large numbers after they used pesticides sold by a local company. The growers have challenged the products’ quality and disputed local authorities’ conclusions about the cause of the tree deaths.
They have sought to pursue the matter through lawsuits and complaints.
A cherry grower, surnamed He, from Dalian, told The Epoch Times that many growers sought to determine whether the pesticides were responsible for the deaths of their trees. He said they tried to have the products independently tested but ran into difficulties.
“We found people to conduct tests. They would not let us conduct the tests. The testing institute only allowed the government to conduct the tests and did not accept private testing,” He said. “Everyone then sought a lawyer to defend their rights, and we also asked people in the media for attention [regarding the matter]. We don’t know exactly what crime Hong Guangyu is involved in.”
Civil Rights & Livelihood Watch said several growers and a lawyer representing them were also taken away by Dalian police in September.
On Sept. 26, representatives of some Dalian cherry growers jointly issued a statement calling for a renewed investigation into the agricultural products and the cause of the cherry trees’ deaths. They also called for authorities to protect detained individuals’ right to meet with their lawyers and requested reviews of the law enforcement measures taken against those involved.
Dalian authorities have not publicly explained the growers’ allegations or clarified whether Hong’s detention is connected to their dispute.
The lack of a public explanation has left key questions unresolved, including why Hong was detained, the basis for the alleged criminal offense, and why authorities moved him from Xiamen to Dalian.
Xiao Bin contributed to this report.
