Boycott urged for China’s proposed “Women’s Summit”

Wednesday March 11, 2015

Boxun’s correspondent was informed that on the afternoon of Wednesday March 11, 2015, Wu Rongrong’s attorney Wang Fei and Wei Tingting’s attorney Wang Qiushi separately went to the Haidian District Detention Center in Bejing to complete paperwork requesting to meet with their clients. The detention center denied the requests. The lawyers also sought to deliver money for the prisoners’ purchase of daily use items, but the detention center said that only family members could do that.

While the five feminist activists Li Tingting, Wu Rongrong, Zheng Churan, Wei Tingting, and Wang Manwu were being arrested for protesting sexual harrassment, the deputy director of the China National Working Committee on Women and Children, Song Xiuyan, announced that on September 26 China will co-host a “Global Women’s Summit” in New York.

But because of the arrests of the Chinese feminist activists, international women’s rights organization are preparing to boycott the summit. Netizen “Monarchy” issued a message saying: “We can really stir up big trouble. Today when foreign feminist networks heard that the Chinese government had arrested five young women for protesting against sexual harassment, they were righteously indignant. Yesterday it was announced that in September the Chinese government will co-host a “Global Women’s Summit” in New York. Many international women’s organizations say that if the Chinese government continues to repress women’s rights activists struggling for gender equality like this, they’re not worthy of co-hosting the summit.”

On Wednesday, March 11, 2015, an international campaign calling on the Chinese government to free the five feminist activists had collected 493 signatures, including people from China, Japan, Brazil, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Finland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and India. People from more than 30 countries and regions have signed the petition.
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