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Take Action for Shi Tao
Support the Campaign to Release Shi Tao
Publish or Blog for Shi Tao
to Release Shi Tao
The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) has launched a comprehensive campaign to release Shi Tao. WAN, who awarded the Golden Pen of Freedom to Shi in 2007, is an international association of newspapers, newspaper executives and agencies, and regional press organizations. WAN defends and promotes press freedom, and fosters communications and contacts between newspaper executives from different regions and cultures.
The WAN Board adopted a resolution condemning the repression of journalists and cyberdissidents in China, stating that it believes that an "end of 'business as usual' in China is necessary to effect belated and needed reform, and it encourages all partners in the Games, and all companies doing business with China, to speak out about China's human rights abuses."
The WAN campaign includes an international conference dedicated to the press freedom situation in China, which will be held in April 2008, and is entitled "Beijing 2008: Championing Press Freedom."
You can support WAN's campaign by visiting http://www.wan-press.org/china.
Send appeals to the Chinese authorities:
Calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Shi Tao and others imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of expression;
Urging ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), guaranteeing the right to freedom of expression;
Calling for the implementation and fulfillment of the right to freedom of expression, including by installing greater protections for members of the press; and
Urging the provision of immediate and appropriate medical treatment for Shi Tao's deteriorating health; and treatment of Shi and all other prisoners in a manner consistent with the People's Republic of China (PRC) Prison Law and numerous international standards.
Send your appeals to:
President Hu Jintao
President of the People's Republic of China
Yongdingmenjie, Beijing 100032
Head of the Deshan Prison
Zhangmuqiao, Wulingqu, Changdeshi 415400, Hunan
Sample letter to President Hu Jintao:
Printer-friendly letter
I am writing to express my grave concern regarding the imprisonment of journalist Shi Tao who was convicted on April 27, 2005 of illegally providing state secrets overseas, and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Shi Tao's conviction results from his legitimate exercise of his right to freedom of speech and expression.
Shi Tao was convicted following a trial that violated international due process standards. His conviction also has broader implications for the independence of the media. Protecting and encouraging an independent media is one of the best ways to guarantee the right to freedom of expression and information, as enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which the PRC is a signatory, and Article 35 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China (PRC).
I therefore urge the PRC to immediately and unconditionally release Shi Tao and others imprisoned for the legitimate exercise of their right to freedom to expression; ratify the ICCPR, which the PRC has stated it will ratify on numerous occasions; and implement and fulfill the right to freedom of expression enshrined in the Constitution, including by instituting greater protections for members of the press.
[your signature]
Sample letter to Head of Deshan Prison:
Head of Deshan Prison
Dear Prison Director,
I am writing to express my grave concern regarding the imprisonment of journalist Shi Tao who was convicted of illegally providing state secrets overseas on April 27, 2005, and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. Shi Tao is currently detained at your prison and is reportedly in poor health as a result of forced labor activities at Chishan Prison, prior to his transfer.
Shi Tao was convicted following a trial that violated international due process standards. His detention results from the legitimate exercise of Shi's right to freedom of expression. It also has broader implications for the independence of the media. I believe, therefore, that Shi Tao and others imprisoned for their legitimate exercise of their freedom of expression should be released.
I urge you to ensure that Shi Tao is given immediate and appropriate medical treatment for his deteriorating health, and that he and all others in your facility are treated in a humane manner consistent with the PRC Prison Law and numerous international standards.
Do you have a website or a blog? Download the banners below and link back to this Take Action website (http://www.ir2008.org) to encourage others to help make a difference.
If you would like to accompany the link with a short profile of Shi Tao, please copy and paste the following text:
Shi Tao (b.1968), a journalist, headed the news division at the Dangdai Shangbao (Contemporary Business News) in Changsha, Hunan Province prior to his arrest. On April 20, 2004, Shi attended a staff meeting where a Chinese Communist Party Central Propaganda Bureau document about security and preparation for the fifteenth anniversary of the June 4 crackdown was discussed. That evening, Shi reportedly used his personal Yahoo! e-mail account to send notes about this meeting to the New York-based website, Democracy Forum. Shi was detained on November 24, 2004. On April 27, 2005, he was sentenced to ten years in prison for illegally providing state secrets overseas. He is currently held at Deshan Prison and is due for release in 2014. For more information, please see http://www.ir2008.org.
Human Rights in China (HRIC) | http://www.hrichina.org | hrichina@hrichina.org