Dinah Lee Küng

Date: April 23, 2009
The organizers of the landmark pro-democracy Charter 08 Movement have confirmed that He Depu, writer and democracy activist in Beijing Prison No. 2 has been added to the official list of signatories.
This achievement, when Democracy Party detainees have been not only routinely imprisoned, but denied political rights even following their release is a significant achievement for underscoring the determination of He Depu and his colleagues inside the prison to make their voices heard.

CONGRATULATIONS, HE DEPU, AND OUR THANKS TO THE CHARTER 08 ORGANIZERS
******************************************************************
Date: February 12, 2009 HAPPY YEAR OF THE OX
Our thanks to Prison No. 2 officials for allowing Mrs He Depu to bring her husband a meal from outside, including meat and oil and vegetables, to share together on the same bench. It was their first meal together in more than six years, supervised by only two prison staff equipped with recorder. They were allowed to speak of family matters, but interrupted when He Depu attempted to discuss fellow prisoners' conditions.

This was a concession hard-won for the couple and PEN Centre S.R. thanks the responsible Chinese authorities.

FROM INSIDE BEIJING PRISON 2, HE DEPU ASKS, ADD ME TO CHARTER 08

As many of you know, Democracy Wall vet and subject of UN Rapporteur on Torture Manfred Nowack's recommendation for immediate release, He Depu, wrote an open letter to Jacques Rogge released on the day of the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, suggesting Rogge walk the 10 km to visit him at Beijing No. 2 prison. There Rogge would learn that the Games were not, as he suggested in the International Herald Tribune, a "catalyst" for change, (unless he meant six months of physical restriction indoors for Cellblock 17 due to Olympics construction and a no-meat diet for political prisoners. The letter was picked up by news outlets in the hundreds.)

Immediately after the release of the letter, Mrs. He Depu's 24 hour surveillance detail was stepped up and an escort for her post-dinner strolls generously provided. However, she writes that for the first time, she felt actually safer, as it seemed they were now unwilling to bully her in public. (She had previously been bundled into a police van when trying to walk to her mother's.) Her monthly visits to her husband are now closely monitored by prison officials on both sides.

Because of the Rogge letter, He Depu was taken from Cellblock 17 to a "supervisory" punishment block No. 13, but apparently the party rep for that wing, by the name of Mr. Cui, refused to take responsibility for him and he was returned to 17. Letters from him to his wife were intercepted for some time.

He Depu was allowed a family visit for Lunar New Year, unlike many political detainees. He extends heartiest thanks for people outside paying attention to his words and health.

Most significant, the prisoners in Beijing No.2 have heard about Charter 08 and the arrest of Liu Xiaobo and on Jan. 21, He Depu asked that his name be added to the Charter.

他的精神很好，身体还是很消瘦，又感冒了，我很为他的身体担心。他最爱听的话就是朋友们在关心他，在关注他。他还很关注刘晓波的事，他说：那样一个好人却被关押，太遗憾了，《08宪章》非常好，你代我也签上名吧。

Thanks to all,
Dinah on behalf of PEN S.R.

DATE: August 6, 2008

He Depu (何德普), a veteran dissident serving an eight year prison sentence, appeals to International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge. He Depu tells President Rogge that prison conditions in China have worsened as a result of the Olympic Games, especially for political prisoners. He calls on President Rogge to visit Beijing's No. 2 Prison (北京第二监狱) in order to understand the human rights conditions there.

The letter, dated April 26, 2008, passed through many hands before reaching PEN Centre Suisse Romand.
He Depu, one of China's most prominent political prisoners, participated in the Democracy Wall Movement in 1979, the democracy movement in 1989, and a signature campaign for Wang Dan between 1993 and 1995. He also established a magazine, Beijing Youth, and in 1998 helped form the banned China Democracy Party. He Depu was detained on November 4, 2002, after signing an open letter to the 16th Party Congress calling for political reform. On November 6, 2003, he was sentenced to eight years in prison and two years' subsequent deprivation of political rights for "inciting subversion of state power." He has repeatedly suffered abuse while in detention. In September 2007, HRIC learned that prison authorities had threatened to deprive He of family visits after his wife, Jia Jianying (贾建英), revealed the poor prison conditions under which he was living, which were reported on by overseas media. In February 2008, Jia appealed to the prison authorities to release him for medical care.

Below is the full text of He's letter translated by Human Rights in China:


April 26, 2008

Most Honorable Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge:

Hello!

I am a political prisoner in China. Because I wrote and published articles on my political views on the Internet in 2002, I was sentenced to 8 years in prison by the Chinese government. Because I live in Beijing, I am currently being held in the Beijing No. 2 Prison, Prison Block 17 (北京第二监狱17分监区). Today marks the 100th day before the Beijing Olympic Games, and I am writing this letter in the hope that I might use the Olympics as a "catalyst" to change the human rights situation in prisons, even if the change is small and basic. What worries me most is that this "catalyst" will not have a catalyzing effect in Chinese prisons whatsoever.

In August 2007, you wrote an article entitled, "A Catalyst, Not a Cure" about China hosting the Olympics, which was published in the International Herald Tribune and was reprinted in the Chinese media under different titles. I have read it many times. In your piece you wrote: "It is natural for human rights and other organizations to place their causes in the spotlight that the Beijing Olympic Games is casting on China, and to draw attention to reforms they advocate. However, the Games can only be a catalyst for change and not a panacea." You wrote with great honesty, and I agree with you that torture and other forms of cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment in Chinese prisons will not be thoroughly resolved by one session of the Olympic Games. But the question is, whether the human rights situation in Chinese prisons is improving or worsening. Is this catalyst having a catalyzing effect?

I believe that the Olympic Games should not just be understood as a collection of competitions of active sports. They are athletic competitions, but even more so, they should be viewed as a movement for social progress that embodies the values of humanity, or a movement that promotes human civilization. As for what you wrote in "A Catalyst, Not a Cure": "The Olympic Movement does not exist in a vacuum. Sport is part of society. With Beijing, however, one of the great challenges will be to manage expectations that the Olympic Games can influence China's evolution to the extent many observers desire."

I have briefly described below how uniquely unfortunate the human rights situation is for Chinese prisoners, and how urgently it needs to change. This is our hope as political prisoners.

First, the regulations for disobedient prisoners are inhumane and discriminatory. There is a rulebook in prisons called, "Regulations for the Management of Special Prisoners," (特管犯管理规定) in which there are many limitations for "special prisoners." There are even more limitations specifically governing political prisoners who do not admit guilt. This booklet strictly differentiates the treatments of political prisoners and regular criminals. Political prisoners are not allowed to call or meet with their families, obtain a reduced sentence, be interviewed by the media, or participate in recreational activities organized by the prison. Letters written to their families are often not delivered. Letters sent from organizations or individuals to political prisoners are not delivered, in accordance with these regulations. The booklet stipulates numerous limitations that are specifically for political prisoners, I will not mention them all here. You could say that the "Regulations for the Management of Special Prisoners" are comparable to racial segregation and discrimination. The Olympics are fast approaching, but the limitations placed on us as political prisoners in Beijing have not only not lessened, but rather have increased.

Second, the food and medical treatment provided in prison are extremely poor. For more than ten years, prisoners' food has been worsening by the year, and every month, the quality of food has been steadily declining. Originally we prisoners thought that the quality of our food would improve during the Olympics. No one could have imagined that as the Olympics approached, it actually got worse and worse. Prisoners call the government food "rabbit feed" because it has neither oil nor meat. For many years, there have been two numbers that have been particularly high: the first is the number of sick prisoners, the second is the extremely high number of deaths. There are three reasons for these high numbers:

1. Very little money is spent on food, so the food is very bad and prisoners are malnourished;

2. Sick prisoners are unable to gain access to quality medical treatment;

3. In accordance with regulations, prisoners have very few opportunities to go outdoors and breathe fresh air.

Last summer, in order to welcome the Olympics, the No. 2 Prison remodeled its roof. As a result, for almost a half year, prisoners were not permitted to go outside for fresh air. In May of last year, due to the Olympics, the prison also increased prisoner supervision. The prison warden gave orders to take away thermometers as well as equipment for measuring blood pressure. The reason was that they contained mercury which the prisoners might attempt to drink. Now, prisoners suffering from high blood pressure normally have no way of monitoring their own blood pressure, seriously affecting their health. The conditions of prison hospitals are extremely poor. The doctors are unqualified and have poor medical skills. If the current living conditions do not change, then the health of political prisoners and that of other prisoners will continue to suffer during the Olympics.

Third, as the Olympics approach, prisoners have been put under severe control and surveillance. The Beijing penal system's police have placed harsher limitations on the living conditions and learning environment of prisoners. Even our extremely small and pathetic "study rooms" have all been completely shut down. As a result, prisoners have no choice but to be bound to their prison cells. Prison cells are smaller than 20 square meters, but contain ten beds each. It is said that prisoner supervision will continue to tighten, and will only end after the Olympics are over. If the most basic living spaces of prisoners (such as washrooms, bathrooms, TV lounges, storage space, and study rooms) are all restricted, how is it possible to speak of Olympic activities? It would be more practical to discuss human rights.

I have a question for Mr. Rogge: Each time you come to Beijing and see the joyous spectacles here, do you know that just ten or so kilometers away, Beijing's political prisoners are suffering immensely for the progress of society and the elevation of human civilization? Tens of thousands of prisoners in Beijing, each holding a bowl half full of boiled vegetables, are training their eyes upon you. How does this make you feel?

Finally, I hope that when it is convenient, you can come just once to the Beijing No. 2 Prison to see what it is like for the prisoners living here, give some attention to the human rights' conditions of prisoners, and see if your so-called "catalyst" has really done any good. We are not asking for a total transformation in the human rights condition. We are only asking for a small, basic change.

To your health,
He Depu – Beijing political prisoner
April 26, 2008, Beijing No. 2 Prison, Prison Block 17

August 2008

Days before the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing on 8 August 2008, International PEN, the world association of writers, notes that:

* there are 44 writers and journalists currently held in Chinese prisons;
* dissident writers and journalists not in prison face serious restrictions on their movements and on their ability to speak and publish freely;
* Internet censorship and other laws such as subversion and inciting separatism or "splittism" are regularly used to deny the universally-guaranteed right to freedom of expression;

The Olympic ideal speaks of ‘equality of sports which are international and democratic’.

The goal of the Olympic movement is to ‘contribute to the building of a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport, practiced without discrimination of any kind, in a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.’

International PEN therefore asks:

How do arrests of writers and censorship tally with democracy?

How can suppression of reporting promote equality and peace?

Fair play and censorship are not compatible, nor does the repression of writers promote the building of a peaceful and better world.

International PEN urges the Chinese government to affirm its commitment to promoting the spirit of the Olympic ideal by:

* releasing all writers and journalists currently imprisoned and stop detaining, harassing, and censoring writers and journalists in China;
* end Internet censorship, and reform laws used to imprison writers and journalists and suppress freedom of expression;
* abide by its pledge that "there will be no restrictions on media reporting and movement of journalists up to and including the Olympic Games."

June 4, 2008, LETTER TO THE CHINESE MISSION IN GENEVA

PEN Centre Suisse Romand urges China to recognize that "This tragic earthquake reminds us that any society that encourages grassroots vigilance and unfettered expression in exposing malpractice and corruption, either political or economic, is only more resilient in the face of natural disaster..." (read letter in full below)

June 4, 2008, 19th Anniversary of Tiananmen

H.E. Ambassador Li Baodong
Mission of the PRC to the UN
Chemin de Surville 11
1213 Petit-Lancy 2

Your Excellency Li,

PEN International’s Suisse Romand chapter wishes to extend its heartfelt sympathies to the Chinese people during this time of grief and reconstruction in the wake of the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan which cost an estimated 69,000 lives and 91,000 recorded injuries and 18,000 people missing.

We also applaud the Chinese government’s efforts to open the country to both foreign and local reporting, as well as international aid reaching nearly $6 billion, in their efforts to relieve the victims’ acute needs and sufferings.

We also respectfully urge the government to take note of reports that poor construction and corrupt financial practices may have led to an increase in unnecessary damage and loss of innocent lives. The collapse of shoddily-built “tofu” schools, FuXin No 2 Primary School and Juyuan Middle School for example, draws the world’s sincere condolences to poor families who invested all their hopes and savings in a single child now buried under the rubble of greed.

This tragic earthquake reminds us that any society that encourages grassroots vigilance and unfettered expression in exposing malpractice and corruption, either political or economic, is only more resilient in the face of natural disaster.

In this spirit of healing, PEN S.R. underscores the positive part that journalists, essayists, poets, and petitioners historically play in accelerating reform of a Chinese society in transition. Modern technology now adds the internet community to that list of people who genuinely wish to strengthen China. Callous Party cadre behaviour, corrupt aid distribution, inadequate Army helicopter training have all been exposed swiftly around the world via Chinese blogs in English, Chinese and other languages.

PEN S.R., therefore joins other members of the human rights community in reviewing the EU-China dialogue on human rights and legal affairs to conclude there has been no meaningful progress in human rights in China during this crucial time running up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

We join our human rights colleagues reminding the Chinese mission to the Human Rights Council that repression of writers, journalists, lawyers, petitioners, civil society activist and religious voices has flagrantly increased, most recently with the convictions of internet corruption whistle-blowers Qi Chonghuai and He Yanjie on May 13 and today, the seizure and harrassment of PEN Independent China president, Liu Xiaobo.

Instead of China’s opening the door wide and fulfilling its promise under Articles 1 and 2 of the Olympic Charter, its disrespect for its obligations under the Olympics banner only repeats itself on the floor of the Human Rights Council where China also sends a strong negative message on compliance.

We strongly urge, yet again, that China, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, implement the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, particularly with regard to PEN S.R.’s Honorary Prisoner, He DePu, as a signal that it intends, even at this late date, to contribute to the building of the Council as an institution, to respect its own constitutional protections against conviction on evidence obtained by torture, and to move forward with the global community that extends so much assistance and moral support in China’s hour of need.

Dinah Lee Küng
PEN Centre Suisse Romand

Here in Geneva, the 7th Session of the UN Human Rights Council runs from March 3- 28. PEN Centre Suisse Romand appeals to the UN Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Dr. Paul Hunt to talk to the Chinese government immediately about 12 writers in Chinese prison in need of urgent medical assistance:

March 3, 2008

Dr. Paul Hunt
Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health
OHCHR
Palais Des Nations
1211 Geneva

Dear Dr. Hunt,

It is my privilege to inform you on behalf of PEN Centre Suisse Romand of the medical conditions of twelve PEN Honorary Prisoners, all of them prominent writers now suffering serious illness and medical neglect in Chinese prisons.

Although the overall tally of Chinese, Tibetans, and Mongolians detained for exercising their right to freedom of expression is more extensive, we are confident that these particular cases merit the immediate attention of the Rapporteur on the Right to Health.

We encourage and support any dialogue between your office with representatives of the People’s Republic of China. Both the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the UN in Geneva have copies of this letter, as have other pertinent human rights groups and interested missions. (viz cc’s attached below.)

For the purpose of your mandate, this list concentrates only on the writer’s age, urgent health situation, sentence duration, and place of detention, rather than PEN’s outstanding questions regarding the legality of his conviction under Chinese law and the UN Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19.

This letter seeks your help in requesting the Chinese government take immediate action to ensure that our colleagues—all of them non-violent, non-criminal intellectuals— survive their incarceration in body and spirit. Where prison doctors admit they are unable to address these conditions, PEN S.R. urges that these writers be moved to hospital or released on compassionate grounds.

Many of their physical sufferings are related to maltreatment, systematic torture or beatings during detention. Please note below two writers were already interviewed by the UN Rapporteur on Torture, Professor Manfred Nowack, during his investigative tour of China.

If PEN can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me here in Geneva.

With best wishes for a successful and productive Seventh Session of the Human Rights Council, March 3-28, 2008.



1. Honorary Prisoner of PEN Centre Suisse Romand,
HE Depu
(b:1956)
*
Medical concerns:
Police beating caused permanent loss of hearing in one ear. Torture for 85 days fixed to the “shackleboard” triggered collapse and confression. Sudden weight loss, pallor and high blood pressure go untreated. Restricted to punitive isolation and a no-exercise, no-meat regime, losing teeth and suffering from liver ailiment. Denied all medicines and vitamins. Received second beating inside his cell by a fellow prisoner in April 2007 (probably) orchestrated by prison guards
Sentence: Having worked as editor of magazine Beijing Youth which was subsequently banned, and served as co-founder and electoral candidate of the China Democracy Party was given eight years in prison expiring 2011.
Location: Beijing Prison No. 2, interviewed by UN Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowack

2. HU Jia
*
(b. 1973)
Medical concerns: Cirrhosis of the liver and other chronic conditions require urgent medical attention
His wife Zeng Jingyan and 3 month old daughter Hu Qianci under house arrest.
Detained: for documentary film “Prisoners of Freedom City” and other work publicizing evironmental and AIDS issues
Location: Held incommunicado at the Beijing Municipal Detention Centre.

3.Hu Shigen
* (b. 1954)
Medical Concerns: Intestinal and heart problems. Back problems caused by untreated dislocation of several vertebrae, which remain untreated and now threatening paralysis. Malnutrition and chronic migraines. Needs a hearing aid and is extremely weak.Requests for medical parole by his family have been ignored by the authorities.
Sentence: Sentenced to 20 years in prison and a subsequent five-year deprivation of
political rights, reduced by two years, for drafting key documents calling for government accountability for the violent suppression of the Democracy Wall movement. Held under Class Two Close Supervision, i.e. monitored by fellow prisoners, who record his activities and prevent him from talking to anyone.Term expires 2012.
Location: Beijing No.2 Prison, interviewed by UN Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowack

4. KONG Youping
*
(b. 1952)
Medical concerns: Losing his eyesight, suffering from high blood pressure.
Sentence: 10 years expiring 2013 after posting five articles and seven poems on an overseas website challenging the official version of the “Beijing Spring” and alleging official corruption.
Location: Lingyuan City Prison, Liaoning Province.

5. GUO Qizhen *
(b.1958)
Medical concerns: Suffered a broken leg and in a fragile psychological state. General deterioration for lack of care. Denied family visits until June 2007, when his wife reported that he had sustained serious bruising, allegedly as a result of beatings by fellow inmates, (probably) orchestrated by prison guards.
Sentence: 4 year sentence expires 2010, based on his 34 articles on overseas website attacking at the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party and government
Location: No.4 Prison in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province.

6. ZHANG Jianhong (aka Li Hong)
*(b. 1958)
Medical concerns: Diagnosed in May 2007 with muscular dystrophy, but did not receive any treatment until October 2007, when he was transferred from Qiaosi
Prison to the Zhejiang Prison General Hospital. His condition worsening.Repeated applications for medical parole have not been considered.
Sentence: 6 year term expires 2012/​2013 for articles criticizing government
Location: Qiaosi Prison, Zhejiang.

7. YANG Maodong (aka Guo Feixiong)
*(b. 1966)
Medical Condition: Deteriorating, partly due to hunger strike in protest at his treatment in prison and ill treatment.
Sentence: Lawyer, novelist, essayist and independent publisher, sentenced to 5
years in prison, expiring 2011
Location: Meizhou Prison, Meizhou City, Guangdong Province

8. ZHANG Lin (no photo)
(b.1963)
Medical concerns: Said to be very weak. Requires treatment for a slipped cervical disc that is affecting his central nervous system. Prison medical facilities inadequate to treat his condition.
Sentence: Five years in prison and four years without rights, to expire 2010, because of articles he had written and subsequently posted on the Internet. “Evidence” included an essay quoting punk rock song.
Location: Nanjiao Prison,Hefei City, Anhui Province

9. YANG Tongyan (aka Yang Tianshui)
*(b. 1961)
Sentence: Twelve years in prison, expires 2017, for his critical writings published on dissident news websites such as Boxun.com and Epoch Times.
Medical concerns: Diabetes, prison treatment inadequate.
Place of detention: Nanjing Prison, Ningshuang Road 9, Box 1215-12,
Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province.
10. XU Zerong (b.1954)).*
Medical concerns: Untreated high blood pressure and other serious health conditions.
Sentence: Thirteen years, expiring 2013 for research use of documents concerning Chinese military operations in the Korean War; other charges relate to the allegedly illegal publication of booksand periodicals and the sale of book authorisation numbers.
Location: Xichun Prison, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, held in prison section reserved for sick and elderly.
11. Dolma Kyab*
Medical Concerns: Contracted tuberculosis in detention, received some treatment at Lhasa Military Hospital which tried to discharge him to Chushul Prison. Chushul Prison first refused him for medical reasons, later accepted his transfer. He remains in very poor condition and subjected to hard labour in Qinghai.
Sentence: for the manuscript of his unpublished book Sao dong de Ximalayasha (The Restless Himalayas) and reportedly for a second book detailing the location and number of Chinese military camps in Tibet, the historian/​environmentalist was sentenced to ten and a half years in prison, expiring 2015.
Location: Transferred to Xi’ning Prison,Qinghai Province, northwestern China



12. HADA (b.1955)
Medical concerns: reported to be in extremely poor health and routinely subjected to torture and other ill-treatment.

* Sentence: Fifteen years and four years' deprivation of political rights expires 2010, for publishing Voice of Southern Mongolia.
Location: Inner-Mongolian Autonomous Region Prison No. 4.


With thanks for your efforts,
Dinah Lee Küng
PEN Centre Suisse Romand

June 11, 2007

His Excellency Ambassador La Yifan
Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations
c/​o mission de la République Populaire de Chine
11 Ch de Surville CP 85
1213 Petit Lancy 2 GE

RE: Regarding the People’s Republic of China’s non-cooperation with the UN Rapporteur’s recommendation, and suspected retaliation for meeting with the UN Rapporteur against PEN Honorary Prisoner Mr. He Depu, Beijing Prison No. 2,

Dear Ambassador La,

It is my privilege to address your mission for the fourth time on the subject of International PEN’s Honorary Prisoner, Mr. He Depu, the Beijing Spring editor, China Democracy Party electoral candidate and subject of a recommendation by the UN Rapporteur on Torture, Professor Manfred Nowack in his March, 2006 report to the UN Human Rights Council.

Having expressed last March PEN’s appreciation for the medical exam extended to Mr. He at our request, we must convey our profound disappointment in China’s refusal after more than a year to acknowledge or comply with Professor Nowack’s unequivocal recommendation that Mr. He be released on the basis of illegal procedure under Chinese Criminal Procedural Law as well as the Convention on Torture.

Moreover, we raise with alarm that in addition to being refused necessary medicines and adequate food, Mr. He has been subjected to at least one severe beating inside prison in mid-April at the hands of a fellow prisoner, an individual who clearly enjoys privileges, such as radio access and cigarettes, not allowed normal prisoners. We have waited in vain to hear of disciplinary action against this violence; in fact, lack of sanctions and the threat of repeated violence against Mr. He implies de-facto complicity and possibly punitive intentions towards Mr. He on the part of the prison authorities.

We recall for you the words of Professor Nowack’s report: “Since He Depu has been convicted of a political crime, possibly on the basis of information extracted by torture, the Special Rapporteur appeals to the Chinese Government that he be released.”

Over the last year of “institution-building” at the Council, PEN has strongly argued that the case of Mr. He is an excellent and clear-cut opportunity, under China's own system of justice, for the People’s Republic of China to fortify the emerging Council by complying fully with the Rapporteur.

As a leading member among the Asian participants, China cannot shirk its responsibility to set a strong example by not only cooperating during a Rapporteur’s visit, but also providing the necessary follow-up on recommendations as well as physical protection for victims of torture in both pre- and post-trial situations on the mainland.

In short, “Killing the chicken to scare the monkeys,” inside the walls of Prison Number 2— to permit unrestrained violence toward a brave but vulnerable interviewee once Professor Nowack has departed China—is not only destructive to the morale of an individual who put his faith in the UN Mandate-Holder system, but palpably undermines the authority of the Council and its deliberations during its important transition period.

PEN welcomes your comments during this Fifth Session of the Council,

With my compliments to your good offices,



Dinah Lee Küng
PEN Int. (Centre Suisse Romand)Type your paragraph or brief header here

(As a member of PEN Int. in Geneva, Küng follows China's censorship and detention of writers and internet journalists.)

NOVEMBER 16, 2006, PEN SUISSE ROMANDE HOSTED CHINESE POET YANG LIAN AND INTERNET ACTIVIST YU ZHANG AT VOLTAIRE'S HOME, LES DELICES, GENEVA FOR AN EVENING ON BEHALF OF CHINESE WRITERS IN PRISON. FOR PRESS COVERAGE AND PHOTOS, GO TO LINK FOR HUMAN RIGHTS TRIBUNE, ABOVE


LETTER TO CHINESE AMB. SHA ON REGARDING HONORARY PRISONER HE DEPU'S MEDICAL CONDITION, NOVEMBER 15, 2006 RE: Medical Emergency, Mr. He Depu, Beijing Prison No. 2

Dear Ambassadors Sha and La,

In these weeks of preparation for the third session of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council, permit me to once again raise the long-standing case of Mr. He Depu, veteran member of the "Democracy Wall" generation, the founding editor of Beijing Youth magazine, former electoral candidate, and a PEN Int. Honorary Prisoner of particular interest to us in Geneva.

His diet and physical condition have both deteriorated sharply, causing international concern.

As you will recall, Mr. He was one of the prisoners singled out for a recommendation by UN Special Rapporteur Prof. Manfred Nowack and his investigating team in their March 2006 report, “Mission to China, Report of the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Professor Nowack’s recommendation is: “Since He Depu has been convicted of a political crime, possibly on the basis of information extracted by torture, the Special Rapporteur appeals to the Chinese Government that he be released.” As you know, any Special Rapporteur's recommendation will be regularly reviewed at the United Nations for implementation.

In responding to these and other questions, Amb. La Yifan promised from the UN floor last September that the Chinese government would respond fully at the coming session.

We respectfully report that Mr. He’s daily intake of an entirely meatless diet has diminished to starvation rations, he has lost 18 kg, and that he is in urgent need of a thorough medical examination to diagnose the cause of such a persistent decline in his health.

In this sensitive period preceeding the 2008 Olympics, it is of interest to all parties that Mr. He be released, and if— in flagrant contravention of the U.N. Rapporteur’s recommendation— Mr. He’s detention continues, that he at least survive this incarceration.

To this end, we urgently request a comprehensive medical examination and treatment by a doctor. He has been treated by prison staff only intermittently with infusions for fever and hypertension, without any noticeable reversal of his overall decline. As Mrs. He Depu (Jia Jianying) writes to the warden of Beijing Prison no. 2, “I desperately want my husband to emerge from prison a healthy man. I know that a thorough health check will cost money, and if the prison allows this exam, family members will bear the cost.”

PEN Int. supports Mrs. He’s plea with all our energy and resources. We look forward to an immediate response and pledge our public appreciation for any assistance from the Chinese authorities in improving Mr. He’s endangered situation.

Dinah Lee Küng

LETTER APPEARING IN THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE, OCT 25, 2006:
Too soft on China
Shame on Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Peter Mandelson for calling to reframe the EU-China trade relationship without criticizing Beijing's stepped-up detention and conviction of Chinese lawyers and writers tackling China's endemic corruption, pollution and property theft ("A new way to do business with China," Views, Oct. 23).
President Hu Jintao's selective powerplay against Mayor Chen Liangyu of Shanghai only underlines Beijing's usual wink-and-nod at corrupt cronies not challenging central authority.
For EU officials to ignore the worsening repression of China's home-grown conscience is just the same old way to profit from China.
Dinah Lee Küng St. Cergue, Switzerland

LETTER TO PEN INT. FROM THE WIFE OF HONORARY PEN PRISONER, HE DEPU, SEPT 13, 2006, "His fellow prisoners and He have always been and are still actively fighting back. Yang Jianli, Zha Jianguo, Gao Hongming, Yang Zili, Xu Wei and Hu Shigen have been all really strong and are reacting bravely in the face of this imprisonment..."

LETTER TO CHINESE AMBASSADOR SHA ZUKANG, ON CHING CHEONG, ZHAO YAN AND HE DEPU
September 5, 2006

His Excellency Ambassador Sha Zukang
Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations
c/​o Mission de la République Populaire de Chine
11 Ch de Surville CP 85, 1213 Petit Lancy 2 GE

Your Excellency Sha,

On behalf of PEN International, Centre Suisse Romand, I again congratulate China on its election to the United Nations Human Rights Council.

I respectfully remind Your Excellency that during the weeks of the Council’s second session (September 18- October 6) human rights experts and observers, (including PEN International promoting the rights of free expression,) are looking to the People’s Republic of China to demonstrate a spirit of transparency and constructive self -assessment and public discussion, thereby setting an excellent precedent for future such exercises between the UN Special Rapporteurs and their member-state interlocutors.

It is unfortunate when anticipating this session's presentation of Prof. Manfred Nowack’s Report by the UN Rapporteur on Torture in China that the globally-scrutinized cases of the New York Times’ researcher Zhao Yan and the Singapore Straits Times’ Hong Kong correspondent Ching Cheong have resulted in convictions deemed legally flawed by international experts, both in terms of the evidence produced and timeliness of the procedures.

In accordance with his role as a political analyst and accredited reporter, the Singapore Straits Times’ correspondent Ching Cheong was cooperative and candid about his contacts with Taiwanese political theorists on the subject of reunification negotiations. He contributed ideas on this topic to think tanks both on the mainland and in Taiwan in a genuine spirit of patriotism in line with his history as a committed left-wing journalist. His entrapment across the border from his Hong Kong base by the mainland security services reflects worryingly on Deng Xiaoping’s principle of "One Country, Two Systems" on which the political stability of Hong Kong resides.

This renowned Hong Kong writer’s conviction on trumped-up espionage charges as well as the state’s dogged prosecution of any case against Zhao Yan has only drawn more attention to President Hu Jintao’s current campaign to tighten media controls—a recent crackdown that has seen dozens more journalists jailed.

To an experienced diplomat like yourself, both judicial decisions must surely represent a missed opportunity for your government. It is obvious that if the Beijing court had convincingly demonstrated Ching Cheong was a spy, he would more have received the traditional capital punishment rather than five years. In the case of Zhao Yan, the State was so incapable of proving any trafficking in state secrets, it resorted to a fallback conviction on a separate charge of fraud. (PEN warmly supports the appeal of Zhao Yan against his conviction and jail sentence of three years.)

In both cases, the failure of the Chinese prosecutors to nail down their politicized accusations resulted in “face-saving"” convictions— a disappointment for the credibility of China’s developing legal system, not to mention punitive for these professional journalists sacrificed as the proverbial “slaughtered chickens to scare the monkeys.”

Saddened that China’s courts favoured obvious Communist Party salvage operations over a high-profile chance to demonstrate impartiality and independence in the face of Beijing’s political winds , PEN strongly urges that your Geneva Mission advise Beijing to act on the UN Rapporteur on Torture, Professor Nowack’s recommendation regarding our PEN Suisse Romande’s Honorary Prisoner He Depu.

We second Prof. Nowack’s clear call for He Depu’s earliest release in time for the beginning of this second Human Rights Council session.

“The new will invariably supersede the old, and change is expected of every generation,” was the very poetic quote of Vice-Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi standing before the Council last June. PEN Int. Writers in Prison Committee would applaud He Depu’s release as an encouraging signal that Chinese diplomats understand that change means the PRC’s assuming sincere accountability to UN fora as part of its expanding international role, (the recent focus of a magazine-length interview in the New York Times with your counterpart, Ambassador Wang Guangya.)

In this spirit of promised change, and with thanks for the consideration of your good offices, we invite your comments,

Dinah Lee Küng

On June 22, 2006, THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE published her comment as follows:
"The same day we read of Nicholas Kristof's China blog stunt, PEN Int. Suisse Romande received alerts from our Writers in Prison Committee announcing the detentions of internet writer Guo Qizhen, held since May 12 on subversion charges for his critical writings and internet journalist Yang Xiaoqing, sentenced to prison June 15 for his reporting on official corruption.
Perhaps Bejing's internet police had their eye on true threats to Communist Party authority and less interest in Mr. Kristof's "Party tricks?"

On May 22, 2006 Küng and her family hosted DEMOCRACY WALL EDITOR AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE CHINA DEMOCRACY PARTY, XU WENLI, for lunch attended by PEN Suisse officials, and representatives of Human Rights Watch, Television Suisse Romande, the World Council of Churches, the Swiss-China Association, the Geneva Writers Group, Tibetan experts and others. Xu addressed the group for three straight hours, ably translated by Nancy Li Rossignol who donated the better part of her weekend to participate. Xu talked of his sixteen years in detention on the mainland and made it clear that repression and isolation at the hands of the CPP hadn't dimmed his acute analysis of a vaccuum in Chinese politics without a channel for free expression.