Li Heping formally arrested. Fifteen human rights lawyers have now been formally arrested.

On Wednesday January 20, 2016, the family members of Li Heping, Li Chunfu, and Gou Hongguo received notice of their formal arrest on the criminal charge of “subverting state power.” Li Heping is being held in Tianjin’s Number One Detention Center. Li Chunfu and Gou Hongguo are being held in Tianjin’s Number Two Detention Center.

A Boxun correspondent learned that ten days after the Tianjin Municipal Procuratorate approved Li Heping’s arrest on January 8, 2016, his family and attorney were informed on Tuesday January 19, 2016 by police officer Li Bin of the Tianjin Number One Detention Center that Li Heping had been arrested.

On the morning of Tuesday January 19, 2016, Li Heping’s wife Wang Qiaoling and his lawyer Ma Lianshun went to the Tianjin Number One Detention Center to confirm whether Li Heping was in custody there. The detention center refused to confirm or deny it. Attorney Ma Lianshun went to the reception window and submitted paperwork, and a police officer named Li Wenyi said the person in charge was in a meeting and said that we should wait in the reception room.

Then at about 3 p.m., Ma Lianshun said: “We’ve found Li Heping. According to police office Li Bin, Li Heping was formally arrested by the Tianjin Number Two Procuratorate on January 8, 2016. This confirms that Li Heping is alive, and we can see him in the detention center. He hasn’t been tortured to extract a confession.

Thus far, 15 human rights lawyers and activists have been arrested: Li Heping, Liu Yongping, Li Chunfu, Gou Hongguo, Hu Shigen, Liu Sixin, Wang Yu, Bao Longjun, Wang Quanzhang, Gao Yue, Zhou Shifeng, Li Shuyun, Xie Yanyi, Zhao Wei and Xie Yang.

Among them, Li Heping, Li Chunfu, Gou Hongguo, Liu Yongping, Hu Shigen, Liu Sixin, Wang Yu, Wang Quanzhang, Zhou Shifeng, Li Shuyun, Zhao Wei, altogether 11 people, have been charged with the crime of “subverting state power.” Attorneys Bao Longjun, Xie Yanyi, and Xie Yang are being held on suspicion of the crime of “inciting subversion of state power.” Gao Yue is charged with the crime of “destroying evidence.”

Li Heping, Liu Yongping, Hu Shigen, Wang Yu, Zhou Shifeng, Li Shuyun, Zhao Wei, Gao Yue and eight other people are detained in the Tianjin Number One Detention Center. Li Chunfu, Gou Hongguo, Liu Sixin, Xie Yanyi, Bao Longjun, Wang Quanzhang and six other people are detained in Tianjin Number Two Detention Center. Xie Yang is detained in the Changsha Number Two Detention Center.