The latest update regarding the detained investigators

Thursday, June 15, 2017


 

Currently Li Zhao, Su Heng, and Hua Haifeng are being detained by police in Ganzhou, under the suspicion of unlawful use of devices for eavesdropping or secret photographing. This case is handled by Ganzhou National Security Brigade. All three investigators have been reached out by lawyers. Two lawyers were contacted by the local registry Bureau of Justice after meeting with detained investigators. Afterward, Su Heng's attorney withdrew from the case, so Su is in the process of contacting with a new lawyer. Based on the information sent back from Li Zhao and Hua Haifeng's attorneys, both investigators were not abused while being detained.

 

China Labor Watch sent a letter to Ms. Ivanka Trump on June 6. In the four-page letter, we addressed some serious labor violation issues at her brand’s supplier factory. The letter also included partial of the footage and pictures captured during the investigation.. Among which, for example, the forged wage section was documented in April (the March salary was paid on April 27), which was around the time when the factory was producing for Ivanka Trump's products. However, the workers who worked in March did not get their payment according to China labor law.      

 

We are still waiting for Ms. Ivanka Trump's reply on this matter. We think the detention of our colleagues is a result of the investigation pertaining to Ivanka Trump's supplier factories. And, it depends on the Chinese government’s decision whether the detained investigators would be criminally charged in the end. Even though Ms. Ivanka Trump preferred not to voice on this matter, what she could do instead, is to improve the current factory conditions for her brand. However, it's been a while since China Labor Watch sent the letter to her, and we are very disappointed that we have not heard anything back from her.