Zhao Lianhai

Zhao became a leader in the movement of parents to get restitution and treatment for their children. He called for a national memorial day for the victims. He held a memorial ceremony in his home for parents of harmed children.

He started the "Home for Kidney Stone Babies" (结石宝宝之家, jieshibaobao.com) website from his apartment in Daxing, near Beijing. The website was blocked in China. The site was also shut down by the government so he moved hosting to Japan.

Parents of children harmed by melamine-tainted milk went to the website and could exchange information about how to sue. Zhao also pushed for increased research into the number of kidney stone babies.

The site published a leaked document from the Henan Department of Health, which had allegedly ordered workers to underreport kidney stone cases.

The website also posted claims that autopsies of children were being denied.

In 2009, Zhao posted a petition arguing against accepting the government's compensation plan as inadequate (especially considering the long-term unknowns), and not created in consultation with parents. The petition was signed by several hundred parents.

The police and/or public security bureau harassed him, his wife, his mother, his siblings, and volunteer students. The government also broke up meetings and a press conference.

Zhao was taken by police in mid-November 2009. Arrest papers were given to his wife Li Xuemei on 21 December 2009, on charges, she said, of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble". His case was handed to prosecutors in early 2010. He was tried at Daxing district court in Beijing where he was legally represented by Li Fangping and Peng Jian.

A lawyer's blog claimed the police wrote the following:

From September 2008 to September 2009, Zhao Lianhai used 'protecting rights' as well as the Sanlu milk powder issue as an excuse to hype and agitate people who did not know the truth to disturb social order ... by shouting slogans and gathering illegally.

He was sentenced on 10 November 2010 to {{frac|2|1|2}} years prison. The main charge was inciting social disorder.

Three incidents were used against Zhao at his trial:

• Organizing a gathering of 12 parents
• Holding a sign in front of a factory and court
• Giving media interviews in a public place

Amnesty International condemned the sentence and he began a hunger strike in protest. Li Xuemei, his wife, indicated there would be an appeal.

Leung Man-tao, a Hong Kong based writer, wrote an op-ed in Southern Weekend in Guangzhou, defending Zhao. He was named as a political prisoner by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China,Congressional-Executive Commission on China, [http://ppd.cecc.gov/QueryResultsDetail.aspx?PrisonerNum=7658 Political Prisoner Databas: Zhao Lianhai] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017004848/http://ppd.cecc.gov/QueryResultsDetail.aspx?PrisonerNum=7658 |date=October 17, 2012 }}. and as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.[http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/latest-victories/ua-31109-chinese-prisoner-of-conscience-released-from-prison "Chinese Prisoner of Conscience Released from Prison"], Amnesty International, 13 January 2011.

Zhao was subsequently released on medical parole, which normally allows freedom of movement, subject to regular reports to the local police. But Zhao has largely been restricted to his Daxing home and official harassment has continued, such as when he tried to take his children for a day out on 31 May 2011, and the family were surrounded by police and public security officials and held in a nearby restaurant in what onlookers thought was a hostage situation.

Reports and discussions on Chinese websites are restricted. On 30 March 2010, Hong Kong singer Gigi Leung posted about the unjustly jailed Zhao Lianhai on Sina Weibo. After receiving a message from website's administrator, Gigi Leung then deleted the relevant blog, resulted in hundreds of supportive messages from her fans.{{cite news|url=http://t.sina.com.cn/gigileungwingkei|title=梁咏琪 微博|last=Gigi Leung|date=2010-04-01|access-date=1 April 2010}}{{cite news|url=http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/template/apple/art_main.php?iss_id=20100401&sec_id=4104&subsec_id=12731&art_id=13884022|title=遭勒令刪去內地微博文章 撐維權爸爸 貼文抱不平 梁詠琪被河蟹了|work=Apple Daily|date=2010-04-01|access-date=1 April 2010}} [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-35C06KOi4 Video News]

On 10 December 2010 several Hong Kong journalists were at Zhao's apartment in Daxing, Beijing to interview his supporters."[http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.2af62ecb329d3d7733492d9253a0a0a0/?vgnextoid=adb4aba96dfcc210VgnVCM100000360a0a0aRCRD&ss=Hong+Kong&s=News Broadcasting head condemns attack on HK journalists]". South China Morning Post. Retrieved on 2010-12-10. About 40 members of a "Neighbourhood Management Committee" tried to stop the journalists. The journalists were kicked, struck and had their cameras blocked. An ATV journalist's camera was hit. A female RTHK reporter was slapped."[http://www.zaobao.com/zg/zg101211_011.shtml 趙連海獲選“年度民間人士” 港傳媒北京採訪遭驅趕]". Lianhe Zaobao. Retrieved on 2010-12-10. The Hong Kong Journalists Association expressed concern about the incident. Hong Kong director of broadcasting Franklin Wong Wah-kay (黃華麒), head of the public broadcaster RTHK, condemned the attack and said the journalists were legally covering the case under mainland law.

On 29 December 2010 the director of the Hong Kong and Macau office of the State Council Wang Guangya said that under the one country, two systems principle Hong Kong should not interfere. He then made a controversial statement that "well water should not mix with river water (do not interfere with each other)"."[http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/expressnews/20101229/news_20101229_55_723040.htm 王光亞：趙連海案已妥善解決]" {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001161226/http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/expressnews/20101229/news_20101229_55_723040.htm |date=October 1, 2012 }}. RTHK.org. Retrieved on 2010-12-29."[http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/expressnews/20101229/news_20101229_55_723108.htm 葉國謙：港區人大關心趙連海案 不涉河水井水]" {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110101142837/http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/expressnews/20101229/news_20101229_55_723108.htm |date=January 1, 2011 }}. RTHK.org. Retrieved on 2010-12-29.

{{wikisource|zh:北京市大兴区人民法院（2010）大刑初字第318号刑事判决书|District Court Judgement (in Chinese)}}

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{{reflist|refs=

[https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101110/ap_on_re_as/as_china_tainted_milk_trial China food safety activist given 2½ years] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101114002835/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101110/ap_on_re_as/as_china_tainted_milk_trial |date=November 14, 2010 }} Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press – Wed Nov 10, 2:41 am ET, via news.yahoo.com on 2010 11 10

{{cite news|url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-11-10/china-court-jails-tainted-milk-activist-amnesty-says.html|title= China Court Jails Tainted-Milk Activist, Amnesty Says |work= BusinessWeek|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110912094536/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-11-10/china-court-jails-tainted-milk-activist-amnesty-says.html |archive-date=September 12, 2011 |editor1-first= Frank|editor1-last= Longid|editor2-first= Douglas|editor2-last= Wong|editor3-first= Matthew |editor3-last=Brooker

|date= 10 November 2010 }}

[http://www.duihuahrjournal.org/2010/11/injuring-injured-case-of-zhao-lianhai.html Dui Hua Human Rights Journal: Injuring the Injured: The Case of Zhao Lianhai], Dui Hua foundation, via www.duihuahrjournal.org on 2010 11 10

[https://www.scmp.com/article/969435/police-hound-activist-family-day-out Police hound activist on family day out] 2 June 2011

[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/feb/03/china-contaminated-milk-campaign-social-disorder Chinese tainted milk campaigner accused of provoking social disorder - World news - guardian.co.uk] Tania Branigan in Beijing, 2010 03 02, via www.guardian.co.uk on 2010 11 10

[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/3545733/China-milk-scandal-Families-of-sick-children-fight-to-find-out-true-scale-of-the-problem.html China milk scandal: Families of sick children fight to find out true scale of the problem - Telegraph]

co.uk, 2008 03 12, via www.telegraph.co.uk on 2010 11 10

[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11724323 BBC News - China jails tainted milk activist Zhao Lianhai]

co.uk, via www.bbc.co.uk on 2010 11 10

[https://www.thestar.com/World/Columnist/article/572723 Father of poisoned baby rallies parents in tainted-milk fight - thestar.com], Bill Schiller,

Asia Bureau, Toronto Star, via www.thestar.com on 2010 11 10

[http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/TOE5BL06U.htm Reuters AlertNet - China arrests father active on melamine milk issues], By Lucy Hornby, Reuters, editor Ken Wills, 2009 12 22, via www.alertnet.org on 2010 11 10

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