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We Are Ready: Petition to the Chinese Government
April 21, 2008
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From PEN America: PEN believes there are currently 39 writers and journalists (names and bios below) imprisoned in China for exercising their right to speak and write freely, as guaranteed under Chinese and international law. We are concerned that, despite official pledges to respect essential rights in this Olympic year, Chinese authorities continue to harass and detain writers in violation of their right to freedom of expression.Please find below the names and bios of 38 writers who are currently imprisoned in China. SIGN THE PETITION!
Jamyang Kyi
Prominent Tibetan writer, reporter, activist and singer detained April 1, 2008 in Qinghai Province. Kyi was reportedly escorted from her office at the state-owned Qinghai TV in Xining by plainclothes police officers and has not been seen since April 7. Police searched her home and confiscated her computer and contacts lists. Her whereabouts are currently unknown.
Chen Shuqing
(phonetic guide: Chen Shoe Ching)
Dissident writer and leading member of the Zhejiang Branch of the banned China Democracy Party (CDP), arrested September 14, 2006 and charged with “inciting subversion.” Chen’s case has twice been handed back to the police for lack of evidence, but on August 14, 2007 he was sentenced to four years in prison and one year’s deprivation of political rights. His appeal was rejected without trial by the Zhejiang High People’s Court on October 29, 2007. Chen is being held at Qiaosi Prison in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province.
Guo Qizhen
(Gwo Chee Jun)
Cyber-dissident arrested on May 12, 2006 and charged with “inciting subversion of state power” for 34 articles he published on overseas websites attacking the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. Guo was sentenced to four years in prison and three years’ deprivation of political rights on October 17, 2006. He is being held in Cangzhou Detention Center No. 2 in Heibei Province, and is reportedly nursing a broken leg and is in a fragile psychological state, possibly due to abuse.
Dawa Gyaltsen
Tibetan dissident arrested in November 1995 for writing pro-independence pamphlets which were posted in April 1995 as part of widespread protests against the Chinese authorities. Dawa was charged with carrying out “counter-revolutionary propaganda” and is now serving a 15-year prison sentence. He is currently being held in the notorious Drapchi Prison in Lhasa. He was reportedly severely tortured under interrogation, and has suffered numerous forms of abuse in prison, including beatings, psychological stress, and lack of access to fresh air. When he was first arrested, he was handcuffed and thrown into a dark room without food for ten days.
Jampel Gyatso
Monk from Drakar Trezong monastery in Qinghai Province, where he was on the editorial team of the monastery’s journal, The Charm of the Sun and Moon. Jampel was arrested on January 16, 2005 and sentenced to three years re-education through labor (RTL). He is currently being held in Topa RTL Camp at Huangzhong Dzong, near Xining.
Hada
Owner of the Mongolian Academic Bookstore and founder and editor-in-chief of underground journal The Voice of Southern Mongolia, arrested December 10, 1995 and sentenced to 15 years in prison and four years’ deprivation of political rights for “inciting separatism and espionage” on December 6, 1996. Hada is currently being held at No. 4 Prison of Inner Mongolia in Chi Feng City, and is suffering from stomach ulcers and coronary heart disease.
He Depu
(Huh Duh Poo)
Dissident activist and writer arrested on November 4, 2002 and subsequently sentenced to eight years in prison and two years’ deprivation of political rights for “inciting subversion.” His trial lasted a mere two hours before he was convicted on charges that stemmed from his collaboration with the banned China Democracy Party (CDP) and his internet essays. He has reportedly suffered numerous abuses in prison, including beatings that left permanent injuries.
Hu Jia
(Who Jyah)
Freelance reporter and blogger, civil rights, environmental and AIDS activist, arrested December 27, 2007 at his home in Beijing on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power.” Hu was officially charged on January 30, 2008 by the Beijing Municipal People’s Procuratorate, and on March 7, his case was submitted to the prosecution. Hu stood trial on March 18, and on April 3, he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison and one year’s deprivation of political rights. He is currently being held at the Beijing Municipal Detention Centre at Dougezhuang in Chaoyang District.
Hu Shigen
(Who Shir Gun)
University lecturer, political activist and dissident writer, arrested September 27, 1992 and charged with “counterrevolutionary crimes” for planning June 4 memorial activities in many of China’s major cities. Hu was a founding member of the China Freedom and Democracy Party (CFDP) and China Free Trade Union (CFTU) and has campaigned for government accountability for the violent suppression of the Democracy Movement in June 1989. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and five years’ deprivation of political rights and is currently being held in Beijing No. 2 Prison. His sentence has recently been reduced by a total of two years. His health is deteriorating but he is reportedly being denied medical care for a number of conditions.
Huang Jinqiu
(Hwang Jin Chew)
Internet essayist, writer and journalist, Jinqiu’s essays on the internet attracted the attention of the Chinese government in early 2001. In January 2003, he announced on the web site his intention to found the China Patriot Democracy Party (CPDP).. He was arrested on September 13 in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province. News of his arrest broke in December 2003 on the Boxun web site. Chinese authorities later notified Huang’s parents in January 2004 and officially acknowledged his arrest and detention. Huang experienced further delay when his trial began on June 22, 2004 (nearly a year after his original arrest and detention) and eventually led to his conviction on September 27, 2004. Huang Jinqiu has been sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment and four years’ deprivation of civil rights for “organizing, planning and carrying out subversive activities” and for writing “reactionary” articles on the internet as an alleged member of CPDP’s preparatory committee. Reports received in February 2005 indicated that Huang was transferred to Pukou Prison, near Nanjing City, where he was a victim of routine ill treatment.
Korash Huseyin
Editor of the Uighur-language Kashgar Literary Journal, arrested for publishing Nurmuhemmet Yasin’s short story “Wild Pigeon” in late 2004. Chinese authorities consider the story to be a criticism of their government’s presence in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. Huseyin was sentenced to three years in prison and is due to be released in 2008.
Jin Haike
(Jin High Kuh)
Geologist and writer, arrested March 13, 2001 along with Xue Wei, Yang Zili, and Zhang Honghai after participating in the “Xin Qingnian Xuehui” (New Youth Study Group), an informal gathering of individuals concerned with political and economic inequalities who used the internet to circulate relevant articles. Jin was finally sentenced on May 28, 2003 to ten years in prison on charges of subversion. He is currently suffering from multiple medical conditions whose causes are still unclear.
Kong Youping
Internet writer and factory worker, arrested December 13, 2003 after posting five articles and seven poems on an overseas website that alleged corruption. Kong was sentenced on September 16, 2004 to 15 years in prison for “subverting state power,” a sentence that was reduced to ten years on appeal. He is currently being held at Lingyuan City prison, west Liaoning Province and is reportedly suffering from high blood pressure and deteriorating eyesight.
Dolma Kyab
Writer and teacher in his native Tibet, Kyab writes under the pen name, Lobsang Kelsang Gyatso. On March 9, 2005, Dolma Kyab was arrested in Lhasa at the middle school where he was teaching history and taken to the TAR Public Security Bureau Detention Center, popularly known as “Seitru” in Tibetan. He was held pending trial at Seitru on charges of “endangering state security;” on September 16, 2005, he was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Lhasa People’s Intermediate Court. Upon declaration of sentence, Dolma Kyab was supposed to be transferred to Chushul--Chinese: “Qushui”-- Prison, but prison officials refused to accept him because he had contracted tuberculosis while detained at Seitru. In March 2006, he was reportedly transferred to Chushul Prison after some medical treatment. Dolma Kyab was moved to the Seilong Labor Camp in Xining in early July 2007. PEN has received reports that he is in very poor health.
Li Zhi
(Lee Jir)
Internet writer and financial officer in the Dazhou municipal government in Sichuan province, arrested August 11, 2003 after posting essays accusing Sichuan officials of corruption on an overseas website. Li was sentenced to eight years in prison and four years’ deprivation of political rights on December 10, 2003 on charges of “subverting state power.” Evidence was supplied by Yahoo!, which passed on his user information to the authorities. He is currently being held in Sichuan No. 3 Prison in Dazhu County.
Lu Gengsong
(Loo Geng Soong)
Writer and human rights activist, arrested on August 24, 2007 after his articles critical of the authorities were published online. Lu was formally charged with “inciting subversion of state power” on September 29, 2007, and stood trial before the Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court on January 22, 2008. He was convicted, and on February 5, 2008 was sentenced to four years in prison and one year’s deprivation of political rights. He is currently being held incommunicado at the Xihu (West Lake) Detention Centre in Hangzhou City.
Lu Jianhua
(Loo Jyen Hwa )
Research professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Deputy Director of Public Policy Research, and Executive Director of the China Development Strategy, arrested in April 2005 on charges of “leaking state secrets” to Hong Kong-based reporter Ching Cheong. After a secret trial lasting only 90 minutes on December 18, 2006, Lu was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He is reportedly being held incommunicado in Beijing City jail.
Lu Zengqi
(Loo Zeng Chee)
Falun Gong member and internet writer, sentenced on February 19, 2004 to ten years in prison for writing an online publication which “tarnished the image of the government by broadcasting fabricated stories of persecution suffered by cult members.” The newsletter alleged ill-treatment in prison of a fellow Falun Gong member.
Abdulghani Memetemin
Writer, teacher and translator from the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, arrested July 26, 2002 after providing information to the East Turkestan Information Centre (ETIC), a Uighur rights and pro-independence group run by exiled Uighurs in Germany. Memetemin was convicted in June 2003 by the Kashgar Intermediate People’s Court of “illegally providing state secrets to overseas organizations” and sentenced to nine years in prison. He was reportedly denied legal representation at his trial and has been tortured in prison.
Ning Xianhua
(Ning Shyen Hwa)
Internet writer and factory worker, arrested December 13, 2003 after posting online essays supporting the establishment of trade unions and the China Democracy Party (CDP). Ning was sentenced on September 16, 2004 to 12 years in prison for “subverting state power,” a sentence that was reduced to eight years on appeal. He is currently being held at Shenyang prison in Liaoning Province.
Qi Chonghuai
(Chee Choong Hwhy)
Journalist detained June 25, 2007 following the publication on the Xinhuanet website of an article alleging official corruption in the Tengzhou Communist Party. Qi was formally charged with “blackmail” on August 2, 2007, and his case was handed to the Tengzhou People’s Procuratorate on November 2, 2007 – one month later than the law permits. He is currently being held at the Detention Center of Tengzhou City pending further investigation.
Shi Tao
(Shir Tao)
Journalist and poet Shi Tao wrote for daily Chinese publication Dangdai ShangBao (Contemporary Business News) based in Changsha. Shi also submitted articles and supplied occasional political commentary to overseas Chinese web sites and has written several books of poetry. While employed at Contemporary Business News, a staff meeting was held to discuss the approaching 15th anniversary of the June 4 Tiananmen Square massacre, which focused on a memo issued by China’s Central Propaganda Department giving instructions on information gathering and media coverage of the anniversary. Shi was arrested on November 24, 2004 and charged on December 14, 2004. On March 16 2005 Shi was found guilty of “illegally divulging state secrets abroad” in a secret two-hour hearing. In September 2005, it was revealed that corporate internet giant Yahoo! had assisted Chinese government authorities by supplying information used to convict Shi Tao. Yahoo! Holdings (Hong Kong), Ltd. furnished the police with Shi Tao’s account holder information, leading to his IP address and facilitating his conviction. Shi Tao was transferred to Prison No. 1, a high-security prison in Hunan province where he was forbidden from doing any significant writing. In December 2005, Shi Tao was reported to be suffering from respiratory illness and a skin inflammation. According to his family, the unsanitary conditions of his work caused Shi’s health to quickly deteriorate. In June 2007, Shi was transferred to Deshan Prison in Changde City, Hunan province. His family reports that his living conditions have improved considerably, Shi Tao is an Honorary Member of PEN USA.
Tao Haidong
(Tao Hi Doong)
Internet writer and editor, arrested July 9, 2002 in his home in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region while in the process of posting articles on the internet. Tao was found guilty of “inciting subversion of state power” and sentenced to seven years in prison and three years’ deprivation of political rights. He is currently being held in Changji Prison in Changji City, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.
Tohti Tunyaz
Tohti Tunyaz (pen name: Muzart) is an ethnic Uighur historian and writer.
Tunyaz is currently serving his 11-year sentence in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region Prison No. 3 in the provincial capital of Urumqi. He has a wife and children in Japan. It is reported that he has exhausted his appeals and will therefore remain incarcerated until his sentence expires on March 31, 2009. Tohti Tunyaz is also an Honorary Member of the Canadian, Catalan, English, Japanese, Lichtenstein and Perth PEN Centers. Tunyaz was first arrested on February 6, 1998, a few weeks into a trip to Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region for research purposes. His only proven “crime” appears to be that of obtaining and copying part of a 50-year-old document for his research with the help of an official librarian, which the authorities claimed was “theft of classified information.” On November 10, 1998, Chinese authorities charged Tunyaz with “stealing state secrets for foreign persons” and “inciting national disunity,” the latter charge allegedly for publishing a book in Japan in 1998 entitled The Inside Story of the Silk Road.
Wang Xiaoning
(Wahng Shyow Ning)
Internet writer and dissident, arrested on September 1, 2002 and charged with subversion for articles published online between 2000 and 2002. Wang was sentenced to ten years in prison and two years’ deprivation of political rights on July 25, 2003 after Yahoo! supplied his user information to Chinese authorities. He is currently being held in Beijing No. 2 Prison and has reportedly been tortured.
Wu Yilong
(Woo Yee Loong)
Internet writer and China Democracy Party (CDP) activist, arrested in June 1999 for circulating pro-democracy articles on the internet and for his work with the magazine Zai Yedang (Opposition Party). Wu was sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges of subversion on November 9, 1999. He is currently being held in Zhejiang No. 4 Prison in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province.
Xu Wei
(Shoe Way)
Reporter for Xiaofei Ribao (Consumer Daily), arrested March 13, 2001 along with Jin Haike, Yang Zili, and Zhang Honghai after participating in the “Xin Qingnian Xuehui” (New Youth Study Group), an informal gathering of individuals concerned with political and economic inequalities who used the internet to circulate relevant articles. Xu was finally sentenced on May 28, 2003 to ten years in prison on charges of subversion. He has suffered ill-treatment in prison and has gone on hunger strike several times.
Xu Zerong
(Shoe Zuh Roong)
Research professor at Zhongshan University in Guangzhou, arrested June 24, 2000 and sentenced on December 20, 2001 to 13 years in prison for leaking state secrets and illegal business activities related to his research on Chinese military operations during the Korean War. Xu is reportedly being held in a section of Xichuan Prison reserved for elderly and sick prisoners and is suffering from serious health conditions.
Yan Zhengxue
(Yen Jung Shwe)
Dissident writer, painter and member of Independent Chinese PEN Center, arrested October 18, 2006 for his critical writings published online on overseas websites. Yan was sentenced to three years in prison and one year deprivation of political rights for “inciting subversion of state power” on April 13 2007. He is being held in Shiliping Prison in Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province.
Yang Maodong (pen name: Guo Feixiong)
(Yang Mao Doong)
(Gwo Fay Shyoong)
Dissident writer, independent publisher and civil rights activist, arrested on September 14, 2006 and sentenced on November 14, 2007 to five years in prison for “illegal business activity.” Yang has endured intense torture at the hands of prison authorities, including beatings, sleep deprivation, stress positions, and suspension by his arms and legs while attacked with electric prods. The abuse has reportedly driven him to attempt suicide. Yang began a hunger strike at Meizhou Prison, Meizhou City, Guangdong Province on December 13, 2007 to protest the deprivation of his basic rights.
Yang Tongyan (pen name: Yang Tianshui)
(Yang Toong Yen)
(Yang Tyen Shway)
Dissident writer and member of Independent Chinese PEN Center, arrested without a warrant on December 23, 2005 in Nanjing and held incommunicado until January 27, 2006. Yang was convicted of subversion for posting anti-government articles on the internet and organizing branches of the China Democracy Party (CDP), and was sentenced to twelve years in prison. He is currently being held in Nanjing Prison in Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, and his diabetes is reportedly worsening in prison.
Yang Zili
(Yang Zee Lee)
Writer and computer engineer, arrested March 13, 2001 along with Xue Wei, Jin Haike, and Zhang Honghai after participating in the “Xin Qingnian Xuehui” (New Youth Study Group), an informal gathering of individuals concerned with political and economic inequalities who used the internet to circulate relevant articles. Yang was finally sentenced on May 28, 2003 to eight years in prison on charges of subversion. He is currently suffering from numerous ailments but has yet to receive any medical treatment.
Nurmuhemmet Yasin
Award-winning freelance Uighur writer, Yasin is known for his numerous short stories, essays, and three volumes of poetry: First Love, Crying From the Heart and Come on Children. Chinese authorities consider his story, “Wild Pigeon”, to be a criticism of their government’s presence in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. After a closed trial in February 2005 at which he was denied a lawyer, Yasin was sentenced by the Maralbesh Country Court to 10 years in prison. Korash Huseyin, the editor of the Kashgar Literary Journal, was sentenced to three years in prison for publishing “Wild Pigeon.” Upon appeal, the Kashgar Intermediate Court upheld the 10-year sentence; on May 19, 2005 Yasin was transferred to Urumqi No. 1 Prison where he currently remains detained.
Yuan Qiuyan
(Yooen Chyoo Yen)
Falun Gong member and internet publisher, sentenced on February 19, 2004 to ten years in prison for publishing an online publication which “tarnished the image of the government by broadcasting fabricated stories of persecution suffered by cult members.” The newsletter alleged ill-treatment in prison of a fellow Falun Gong member.
Zhang Honghai
(Jang Hoong High)
Freelance writer, arrested March 13, 2001 along with Xue Wei, Jin Haike, and Yang Zili after participating in the “Xin Qingnian Xuehui” (New Youth Study Group), an informal gathering of individuals concerned with political and economic inequalities who used the internet to circulate relevant articles. Zhang was finally sentenced on May 28, 2003 to eight years in prison on charges of subversion. He is currently suffering from several medical conditions and has been ill-treated in prison.
Zhang Jianhong (pen name: Li Hong)
(Jang Jyen Hoong)
(Lee Hoong)
Freelance writer, playwright, poet and member of Independent Chinese PEN Center, arrested on September 6, 2006 and charged with “incitement to subversion of state power” for his critical articles published on overseas websites. Zhang was sentenced to six years in prison on March 19, 2007. He is reportedly suffering from muscle necrosis, a condition that has led to partial paralysis and continues to deteriorate despite his transfer to the General Hospital of Zhejiang Prison in Hangzhou City. He applied for medical parole on May 31, 2007, but that application was denied. He has not yet received a response to a more recent application.
Zhang Lin
(Jang Lin)
Dissident writer, pro-democracy advocate and member of Independent Chinese PEN Center, arrested January 27, 2005 for a number of “subversive” articles he had written and subsequently posted on the internet between August 2003 and January 2005. Zhang was convicted of “incitement to subversion” by the Bangbu Intermediate People’s Court on July 28, 2005 and sentenced to five years in prison and four years’ deprivation of political rights. He is currently imprisoned in Nanjiao Prison in Hefei City, and is said to be very weak and suffering from several medical conditions.
Zheng Yichun
(Jung Yee Choon)
Poet, professor and freelance journalist, arrested December 3, 2004 in connection with 63 articles he had written for foreign-based publications and websites. Zheng was convicted of “incitement to subversion of state power” on July 21, 2005 and sentenced to seven years in prison and three years’ deprivation of political rights. He is currently being held in Jinzhou Prison, Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province, where he is suffering from diabetes.
Zhu Yufu
(Jew Yoo Foo)
Internet writer, founder and editor of the China Democracy Party’s magazine, arrested April 18, 2007 and sentenced to two years in prison on July 10, 2007 after pushing a policeman during his arrest. On March 28, 2008, Zhu was re-tried by the Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court, and on April 9 he was sentenced to an additional two years, four months and 26 days’ deprivation of political rights. He is currently being held in Zhejiang No. 6 Prison in Haining City, Zhejiang Province. Zhu had been previously imprisoned and was released in 2006 after serving seven years for his dissident activity.