H. Res. 877 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

November 7, 2009. 

Whereas Chinese human rights activists Huang Qi and Tan 

Zuoren both sought to help the parents whose children 

were killed as a result of the collapse of numerous school 

buildings during the Sichuan earthquake of May 12, 

2008; 

Whereas the parents allege that school buildings collapsed at 

a much higher rate than other types of buildings during 

the Sichuan earthquake; 

Whereas the parents also allege that poor construction contributed to the higher rate of school building collapses 

and that possible corruption among local officials and 

builders contributed to inferior construction and poor 

maintenance of the school buildings; 

Whereas Chinese courts have refused to hear lawsuits 

brought by parents seeking accountability for the school 

collapses, and Chinese officials have warned lawyers not 

to take on these cases; 

Whereas local Chinese officials have taken steps to prevent 

parents from petitioning to higher authorities and have 

kept some parents in arbitrary detention; 

Whereas, Huang Qi, founder of the human rights advocacy 

website Tianwang Human Rights Center 
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(64tianwang.com), traveled to the earthquake zone after 

the Sichuan earthquake and later posted articles on his 

website about the demands by parents for an investigation into the collapse of school buildings that killed thousands of children; 

Whereas plainclothes police took Huang into custody on June 

10, 2008, and Chengdu public security officials formally 

arrested him on July 18, 2008, on charges of illegally 

possessing state secrets; 

Whereas Huang’s lawyer said that during Huang’s detention, 

authorities questioned him about interviews he conducted 

during visits to areas affected by the quake; 

Whereas Chinese officials have considerable discretion to declare information a state secret, and their power to use 

such a charge to deny defendants access to counsel and 

an open trial is subject to few limitations; 

Whereas Huang’s closed trial was held on August 5, 2009, 

and according to the international nongovernmental organization Human Rights in China, four police officers kidnapped a volunteer for the Tianwang Human Rights 

Center, Pu Fei, to prevent him from testifying on 

Huang’s behalf; 

Whereas Huang suffers from numerous serious medical conditions, but Chinese authorities reportedly have denied 

him adequate treatment; 

Whereas Chinese officials denied requests to allow Huang to 

visit his seriously ill father, who passed away in early 

September 2009; 

Whereas following the Sichuan earthquake, writer and environmental activist Tan Zuoren was active in calling for 
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the government to investigate the cause of the large number of school building collapses during the earthquake; 

Whereas Tan was quoted in a May 27, 2008, South China 

Morning Post article as saying that ‘‘the government and 

the public must work together to find an answer’’ regarding why so many school buildings collapsed and urging 

local governments to inspect other school buildings for 

poor construction; 

Whereas in February 2009, Tan issued a proposal via the 

Internet calling on volunteers to travel to Sichuan to 

compile lists of students killed in the quake, research the 

treatment of the deceased students’ parents, and conduct 

an independent investigation into the quality of school 

building construction; 

Whereas Tan issued a preliminary report in March 2009 that 

criticized officials for failing to follow through on a commitment to fully investigate the role that inferior construction played in the school building collapses and for 

failure to deal with parents’ demands; 

Whereas authorities detained Tan on March 28, 2009, three 

days after the report was published; 

Whereas the indictment, dated July 17, 2009, said Tan was 

charged with inciting subversion of state power in part 

because he gave interviews to international media after 

the earthquake in which he allegedly harmed the image 

of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese Government; 

Whereas Tan’s trial, held by the Chengdu Intermediate People’s Court on August 12, 2009, was marred by procedural violations; 
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Whereas the court reportedly rejected requests by Tan’s lawyers to call three witnesses, including Ai Weiwei, a noted 

artist who helped design the Beijing Olympics’ National 

Stadium, or Bird’s Nest, and who also was investigating 

student deaths in the Sichuan earthquake; 

Whereas Ai told various news agencies that police came to his 

hotel and used force to prevent him and 10 other volunteers from leaving until after the trial ended; 

Whereas Tan’s lawyers reported that the judge frequently cut 

them off during the trial and that their request to show 

video evidence was not accepted; 

Whereas the parents of earthquake victims who attempted to 

attend Tan’s trial were detained; 

Whereas court officials reportedly did not allow reporters into 

the courtroom, and police also barred hundreds of supporters from entering the courtroom, saying the supporters needed passes even though court officials had told 

them earlier that no passes were necessary; 

Whereas the courts have not yet issued judgments in either 

Huang’s case or Tan’s case; and 

Whereas the Chinese Government’s own National Human 

Rights Action Plan, issued by the State Council Information Office in April 2009, says that ‘‘the state will guarantee citizens’ rights to criticize, give advice to, complain 

of, and accuse state organs and civil servants, and give 

full play to the role of mass organizations, social organizations and the news media in supervising state organs 

and civil servants’’: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
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(1) expresses its support for Huang Qi and Tan 

Zuoren for engaging in peaceful expression as they seek 

answers and justice for the parents whose children were 

killed in the Sichuan earthquake of May 12, 2008; and 

(2) calls on the Government of the People’s Republic of China to— 

(A) provide Huang Qi and Tan Zuoren with 

the rights that all Chinese citizens have under article 35 and article 41 of China’s Constitution, namely freedom of speech and association and the right 

to make suggestions to officials free from suppression and retaliation; 

(B) ensure that Huang Qi and Tan Zuoren are 

afforded the rights guaranteed to all defendants 

under the Criminal Procedure Law of the People’s 

Republic of China; and 

(C) implement its own National Human Rights 

Action Plan by allowing parents, concerned citizens, 

and the news media to conduct their own investigations into the role inferior construction and corruption may have played in the collapse of school buildings during the Sichuan earthquake, free from government harassment and official interference, and 
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by ensuring that citizens have full access to effective legal remedies for their grievances. 

Attest: 

Clerk.