Anniverary of arrest--8.12.09

两笔会再次呼吁释放刘晓波

（纽约2009年12月7日）美国和中国的作家们今天重申他们的呼吁，立即无条件释放一年前被捕而现在面临可能高达15年徒刑的刘晓波。他们把继续监禁这位著名异议作家和笔会会员称为“公然违反对言论自由权，只会加强人们对中国承诺法治的怀疑。”

刘晓波是一位享誉国际的文学评论家和政治活动家，于2008年12月8日在《零八宪章》发表前夕被带走。《零八宪章》是一份突破性的宣言和请愿书，呼吁中国的政治改革、更多人权和结束一党专制。刘晓波被关押在不明之处 “监视居住”
达6个半月以后被正式逮捕，并因其参与起草《零八宪章》而被指控涉嫌“煽动颠覆国家政权”。

刘晓波的审判前拘留时间已延长了三次，而警方一直在设法立案对付他，询问他的同事，抄他们的家，骚扰《零八宪章》最初300多位签署者中许多人。刘晓波仍然被关押在北京市第一看守所，一直没有宣布审判日期。与此同时，一万多名中国公民不顾对《零八宪章》起草者和支持者的压力而签署了这份文件。

美国笔会自由写作项目主任拉里·赛姆斯指出：“在刘晓波被监禁一年里，中国当局成功地压制了对 “六四”20周年的所有公共意见，镇压了新疆的民众示威，精心举办了中国共
产党统治60周年的庆典，策划了围绕奥巴马总统访问的活动，以约束异议声音，并限制信息和思想的自由交流。这些行动在在显示了中国言论自由的状态。刘晓波自80年代中以来一直不懈地在中国制度内争取人权和政治改革，继续关押他对中国政府的方针政策提出了特别尖锐和迫切的人性问题。我们明确地谴责对他的继续关押，并继续呼吁当局立即释放他。”

刘晓波是独立中文笔会前会长。独立中文笔会是国际作家组织一个分会，为推动中国境内言论自由权正脚踏实地的工作。

“去年人权日前夕拘捕刘晓波，对曾期待中国当局会在北京奥运会后以某种方式改善人权记录的人们是一记直接的耳光。”独立中文笔会常务秘书兼狱中作家委员会协调人张裕评论说： “一年后，在缺乏国际强烈抗议的
情况下，情况变得更糟，当局最近延长对刘的拘留，并继续拒绝我们两位在狱中患重病的会友保外就医。因此，我们呼吁国际社会更强烈地要求释放他们。”

中国目前还监禁了另外五位笔会会员，包括师涛、杜导斌和张林。张林在狱中渡过了四年半后于今年8月12日提前获释，但因为替狱中的会友向境外媒体发言，于12月3日再次被安徽省蚌埠市公安局拘留。

另外两名服重刑的独立中文笔会会员杨天水和张建红都患有严重的疾病——杨在江苏省在南京监狱因发烧住院，患结核性肠道炎等；张患肌肉萎缩症以致半身瘫痪，尽管转入杭州市的浙江省监狱总医院，但病情仍继续恶化。两人都因“颠覆罪”系狱。

独立中文笔会会长廖天琪说：“中国当局把知识分子和作家关入监狱是心虚的行为。为了维护他们的言论自由权，我们那些勇敢的同仁愿意承担失去自己人身自由的风险。但当局不可能把所有想要进表达自己思想的人都关进监狱，我们太多了。”

美国笔会和独立中文笔会属于国际笔会在全世界的145个分会之列。国际笔会致力推进世界各地作家间的友谊和理性合作，为言论自由奋斗，代表世界文学的良知。更多信息请参阅：www.pen.org/china2008和www.chinesepen.org。

联系人：
美国笔会拉里·赛姆斯（Larry Siems），+1-212-334-1660 ext. 111， lsiems@pen.org
独立中文笔会张裕，+46-8-50022792， wipc@penchinese.net

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information contact: Larry Siems, PEN American Center, (212)
334-1660 ext. 105, lsiems@pen.org
Yu Zhang, Independent Chinese PEN Center, +46-8-50022792,
wipc@penchinese.net

PEN Renews Calls for Liu Xiaobo’s Release

New York City, December 7, 2009—Writers in the United States and Chinatoday renewed their appeals for the immediate and unconditional release ofLiu Xiaobo, who was arrested one year ago and is facing a possible 15-yearprison term, calling the continued detention of the renowned dissidentwriter and PEN member “a flagrant violation of the right to freedom ofexpression” that “only reinforces doubts about China’s commitment to the rule of law.”

Liu Xiaobo, an internationally-recognized literary critic and politicalactivist, was taken from his home on December 8, 2008, on the eve of the release of Charter 08, a groundbreaking manifesto and petition calling for political reform, greater human rights, and an end to one-party rule in
China. He was held for six and a half months under “residential surveillance” at an unknown location before he was formally arrested and charged with “inciting subversion of state power” for his participation in the charter’s creation.

His pretrial detention period has been extended three times as police have sought to build a case against him, questioning and raiding the homes of colleagues and harassing many of the original 300 signatories to Charter 08. Liu Xiaobo is still being held at Beijing Detention Center No. 1, and there has been no announcement of a trial date. Meanwhile, more than 10,000 Chinese citizens have signed the Charter 08 petition despite the pressure on the documents creators and supporters.

“In the year that Liu Xiaobo has been in prison, Chinese authorities successfully suppressed all public observations of the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, stifled popular demonstrations in Xinjiang, staged elaborate celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of Chinese communist rule, and orchestrated events surrounding President Obama’s visit to restrain dissident voices and restrict the free exchange of information and ideas,” said Larry Siems, Director of the Freedom to Write and International Programs of PEN American Center. “These actions speak volumes about the state of freedom of expression in China. The continuing detention of Liu Xiaobo, who has worked tirelessly within the Chinese system since the
mid-1980s to win political and human rights reforms, puts a particularly poignant and compelling human face on the Chinese government’s approach and policies. We condemn his continued detention unequivocally and continue to call on authorities to release him immediately.”

Liu Xiaobo is a past president of the Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC), a center of the international writers’ organization that is doing on the ground advocacy for the right to freedom of expression inside of China.

“Arresting Liu Xiaobo on the eve of Human Rights Day last year was a direct hit on the faces of those who had been expecting the current Chinese regime to improve its human rights record in some way after Beijing Olympic Games,” commented Yu Zhang, ICPC’s Executive Secretary and Writers in Prison Committee Coordinator. “A year later, in the absence of strong international protests, the situation has become even worse. The authorities recently extended Liu’s detention and continue to reject the medical parole applications of two of our PEN colleagues who have been seriously ill in prison. We therefore call on the international community to press even more strongly for their release.”

Five other PEN members are currently jailed in the country, including Shi Tao, Du Daobin and Zhang Lin, who spent four and a half years in prison before his early release on August 12, 2009. Zhang was detained again by the Public Security Bureau of Bangbu City in Anhui Province on December 3 for speaking with foreign media on behalf of his other PEN colleagues in prison.

Yang Tongyan (pen name Yang Tianshui) and Zhang Jianhong, two other ICPC members serving long prison sentences, are both suffering from serious ailments. Yang has been hospitalized in Nanjing Prison in Jiangsu Province with a fever, and is suffering from tuberculous intestinal inflammation. Zhang is suffering from muscular dystrophy, a condition that has led to
partial paralysis and continues to worsen despite his transfer to the General Hospital of Zhejiang Prison in Hangzhou City. Both have been imprisoned on subversion charges.

“It is cowardly for China to throw its intellectuals and writers into jail,” said Tienchi Martin-Liao, ICPC’s President. “In order to protect their right to freedom of expression, our brave colleagues are willing to risk their physical freedom. But the authorities cannot put all people who want to express their own thoughts into prison. We are too many.”

PEN American Center and the Independent Chinese PEN Center are among the 145 worldwide centers of International PEN, an organization that works to promote friendship and intellectual cooperation among writers everywhere, to fight for freedom of expression, and represent the conscience of world literature. For more information on PEN’s work, please visit www.pen.org
and www.chinesepen.org.

Letter to China's President Hu Jintao

Letter from the Consortium
for the Release of Liu Xiaobo
to China's President Hu Jintao

December 22, 2008

President Hu Jintao
People's Republic of China
Zhongnanhai, Xichengqu,
Beijing
People's Republic of China

Dear President Hu Jintao,

We, the undersigned scholars, writers, lawyers and human rights advocates write to share our deep concern with the ongoing arbitrary detention of literary critic and former professor of literature Liu Xiaobo.

Mr. Liu, a prominent and highly-regarded intellectual both in and outside of China, was taken away from his home in Beijing by public security officers on the evening of December 8. During the accompanying search of his apartment, which lasted for several hours, police seized his computers, mobile phones, and most of his personal papers.

No official reason has been given for Mr. Liu's arrest. In violation of China's own laws and regulations, the police have failed to inform either his relatives or his lawyer of his whereabouts or the reasons for his detention.

Because of the fact that Mr. Liu's arrest came half a day before the publication of a public appeal to promote human rights and democracy in China entitled "Charter 08," and because the police detained and questioned several other "Charter 08" signatories at the same time, the presumption is that Mr. Liu has been arrested solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed under China's constitution and international law.

Mr. Liu's activities have always been peaceful and according to law. Although he was twice arbitrarily detained for several years for writing articles criticizing the government, he has never been convicted of any crime. In recent years, Mr. Liu's reputation grew as his essays on current affairs in China and his principled defense of human rights and democracy circulated widely. Mr. Liu has consistently opposed recourse to violence. In his articles, he has lauded the amendments to the constitution that stipulate respect for human rights and property rights. He has written strongly in favor of the development of a free civil society in China.

As President of the People's Republic of China, you have yourself often pledged to strengthen China's legal system, stressing recently that "the rule of law is important for the promotion, realization and safeguarding of a harmonious society." We urge you to honor your commitment to ensure the civil rights of citizens who peacefully express their views on public affairs.

For the international community to take seriously China's oft-stated commitment to respect human rights and the rule of law, and for China's own citizens to trust the judicial system to redress legitimate grievances, it is urgent that China's central leadership ensure that no one be arrested or harassed simply for the peaceful expression of his or her views.

It is equally urgent that judicial authorities throughout China cease to use China's anti-subversion law to prosecute peaceful critics such as Mr. Liu Xiaobo, who should be released immediately without conditions.

Sincerely,

Edoardo Albinati
Writer
Italy

Elisabeth Allès
Director, Centre d'études sur la Chine Moderne et Contemporaine (Centre for the Study of Modern and Contemporary China)
École des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales
France

Vincenzo Balzani
Professor, Department of Chemistry
University of Bologna
Italy

Geremie R. Barmé
Federation Fellow, College of Asian & Pacific Studies
Australian National University
Australia

Robbie Barnett
Professor of Tibetan Studies
Columbia University
USA

Richard Baum
Professor of Political Sciences
University of California in Los Angeles
USA

Jean-Philippe Béja
Senior Researcher, CNRS/CERI Paris, CEFC
Hong Kong

Robert Benewick
Emeritus Professor of Politics
University of Sussex
UK

Gregor Benton
Professor of Chinese History and Archeology
Cardiff University
Wales, UK

Bernard Bernier
Professor, Department of Anthropology
Université de Montréal
Canada

Robert Bernstein
Founding Chair, Human Rights Watch
USA

Thomas P. Bernstein
Professor Emeritus, Political Science
Columbia University
USA

Igor Blazevic
Director, One World Human Rights Film Festival
Czech Republic

Board of International Pen
Jiri Grusa, President, International PEN
Eugene Schoulgin, International Secretary, International PEN
Cecilia Balcazar, Board Member
Mike Butscher, Board Member
Takeaki Hori, Board Member
Eric Lax, Board Member
Yang Lian, Board Member
Mohamed Magani, Board Member
Kristin Schnider, Board Member
Karin Clark, Chair International PEN's Writers in Prison Committee
UK

Michel Bonnin
Professor, Centre d'études sur la Chine Moderne et Contemporaine (Centre for the Study of Modern and Contemporary China)
École des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales
France

Anna Bravo
Historian
Turin University
Italy

Alessandra Brezzi
Associate Professor
University of Urbino
Italy

Vincent Brossel
Head of Asia-Pacific Desk
Reporters Sans Frontières

Jean-Pierre Cabestan
Professor and Head, Department of Government and International Studies
Hong Kong Baptist University
Hong Kong

Claude Cadart
Researcher (Retired)
CNRS/CERI Sciences-Po, Paris
France

William A. Callahan
Chair in International Politics
Co-Director, British Inter-University China Centre
University of Manchester
UK

Anita Chan
Visiting Research Fellow, Contemporary China Centre
Australian National University
Australia

Gordon G. Chang
Writer
USA

Kristen Cheney
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
University of Dayton
USA

Joseph Cheng
Professor of Political Sciences, City University
Hong Kong

Cheng Yingxiang
Researcher (Retired)
CNRS/CERI Sciences-Po, Paris
France

Leïla Choukroune
Assistant Professor of Law
HEC Paris School of Management
France

Martin Chung
Lecturer, School of Arts, Letters and Sciences
Macao Inter-University Institute
Macao

Marcello Cini
Physicist
Professor Emeritus
La Sapienza University, Rome
Italy

Jerome A. Cohen
NYU School of Law
USA

Patrizia Dado
Associate Professor of Chinese Modern and Contemporary Literature
Faculty of Oriental Studies
La Sapienza University, Rome
Italy

Gloria Davies
Convenor of Chinese Studies
Monash University
Australia

Michael C. Davis
Professor of Law
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong

Sara L.M. Davis
Executive director
Asia Catalyst
USA

Bob Dietz
Asia Program Coordinator
Committee to Protect Journalists
USA

Jean-Luc Domenach
Senior Researcher
CERI-Sciences-Po (Institute of Political Sciences), Paris
France

Michael W. Dowdle
Faculty of Law
National University of Singapore
Singapore

June Teufel Dreyer
Professor, Department of Political Science
University of Miami
USA

Ryan Dunch
Associate Professor, History and Classics
University of Alberta
Canada

Umberto Eco
Professor of Semiology
University of Bologna
Italy

Richard Louis Edmonds
Visiting Professor in the Committee on Geographical Studies
Center for East Asian Studies
University of Chicago
USA

Fang Lizhi
Professor of Physics
University of Arizona
USA

Feng Chongyi
Deputy Director, China Research Centre
University of Technology, Sydney
Australia

Ernesto Ferrero
Writer, Director of the International Book Fair of Turin
Italy

Eric Florence
Researcher, Centre for Ethnic and Migration Studies
University of Liege
Belgium

Marcello Flores
Professor, Comparative History
University of Siena
Italy

Christine Fréchette
Coordonnatrice
Chaire d'études politiques et économiques américaines (CÉPÉA)
Montréal, Canada

Edward Friedman
Professor, Political Science
University of Wisconsin
USA

Matilde Callari Galli
Department Chair, Educational Sciences
University of Bologna
Italy

Anna Maria Gentili
Department of Politics, Institutions and History
Alma Mater Studiorum
University of Bologna
Italy

Carlo Ginzburg
Professor
Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa
Italy

Andre Glucksmann
Philosopher
France

Merle Goldman
Professor Emerita
Boston University
USA

Richard J. Goldstone
Former Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa.
Learned Hand Visiting Professor of Law
Harvard Law School
USA

Nadine Gordimer
Nobel Laureate in Literature
South Africa

Lars Grahn
Book publisher, retired
Sweden

Andrea Graziosi
Professor, Contemporary History
Federico II University, Naples
Italy

Giles Gunn
Professor and Chair, Global and International Studies
University of California, Santa Barbara
USA

Tyrell Haberkorn
Peace and Conflict Studies Program
Colgate University
USA

Carol Hayman
Professor of Anthropology
Austin Community College
USA

Seamus Heaney
Nobel Laureate in Literature
Ireland

Donald Holzman
Professor Emeritus
Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales
Paris
France

Marie Holzman
Writer and sinologist
France

Sharon Hom
Executive Director
Human Rights in China
USA

Jean-François Huchet
Director
French Center for Research on Contemporary China
Hong Kong

Bruce Jacobs
Professor Asian Languages
Monash University
Australia

Jean-François Julliard
Secretary General
Reporters Sans Frontières
France

Lucina Kathmann
International Vice-President, International PEN
Novelist and essayist
Mexico

Willem E.C. Van Kemenade
Visiting Senior Fellow
Netherlands Institute of International Relations (Clingendael)
The Hague, The Netherlands

Wendy Keys
Filmmaker
USA

Hari Kunzru
Writer
UK

Jeri Laber
Consultant to the Association of American Publishers
USA

Andre Laliberte
Associate Professor, School of Political Studies
University of Ottawa
Canada

Willy Lam
Professor
Akita International University
Japan

Alessandra Lavagnino
Professor of Chinese Language and Culture
University of Milan
Italy

Marc Lazar
Professor
Sciences-Po Paris (Institute of Political Science), Paris
Luiss University, Rome
Italy

Joanne Leedom-Ackerman
Vice President International PEN
USA

Steven I. Levine
Associate Director, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center
University of Montana
USA

Xiaorong Li
Senior researcher, Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy
University of Maryland
USA

Lin Xiling
Former Rightist
France

Perry Link
Chancellorial Chair for Innovation in Teaching Across Disciplines
University of California, Riverside
USA

Dimon Liu
Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow, The Council of Independent Colleges
USA

Stanley Lubman
Lecturer in Residence
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
USA

Richard Madsen
Professor of Sociology
University of California, San Diego
USA

Alessandro Marzo Magno
Writer
Italy

Victor H. Mair
Professor Chinese Language and Literature
University of Pennsylvania
USA

James Mann
Author-in-residence
Johns Hopkins, School of Advanced International Studies
USA

Barrett L. McCormick
Professor, Political Science Department
Marquette University
USA

Françoise Mengin
Senior Researcher
CERI-Sciences-Po (Institute of Political Sciences), Paris
France

Alice Lyman Miller
Research fellow, Hoover Institution
Stanford University
USA

Andrew Miller
Senior Editor, Alfred A. Knopf
USA

Marina Miranda
Associate Professor
History of contemporary China
La Sapienza University. Rome
Italy

Olivier Mongin
France

Marc-Olivier Padis
Rédacteur en chef de la revue Esprit
France

Ronald N. Montaperto
Consultant on Asian Affairs
North Carolina
USA

Robin Munro
Research Associate, Law Dept, SOAS
UK

Andrew J. Nathan
Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science
Columbia University
USA

Barry Naughton
Professor
Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies
University of California, San Diego
USA

Valerie Niquet
Director, Asia Centre
French Institute of International Relations (IFRI)
France

Giorgio Parisi
Professor of Theoretical Physics
La Sapienza University, Rome
Foreign Member of the National Academy of Sciences (USA)
Italy

Enrico Parlato
Associate Professor
La Tuscia University
Italy

Pia Pera
Writer
Italy

Martyne Perrot
Researcher
Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris
France

Roberta Pierobon
Attorney
Italy

Eva Pils
Assistant Professor
Hong Kong

Anemone Platz
Associate Professor, Asian Section
Aarhus University
Denmark

Karoline Postel-Vinay
Senior Researcher
CERI-Sciences-PO (Institute of Political Sciences), Paris
France

Benjamin L. Read
Assistant Professor
Politics Department
University of California, Santa Cruz
USA

Maria Rita Masci
Literary translator
Italy

Arthur Rosenbaum
Associate Professor of History
Claremont McKenna College
USA

Kenneth Roth
Executive Director
Human Rights Watch
USA

Elisa Rotino
Lecturer in History and Civilization of Far East
Università L'Orientale, Naples
Italy

Salman Rushdie
Author
USA

Victoria Sanford
Associate Professor of Anthropology
Lehman College and The Graduate Center
City University of New York
USA

Éric Sautedé
Lecturer
School of Management, Leadership and Government
Macao Inter-University Institute
Macao

Patricia Scott Schroeder
President and CEO, Association of American Publishers
USA

Jonathan Schwartz
Associate Professor of Political Science, Director of Asian Studies
State University of New York, New Paltz
USA

James C. Scott
Sterling Professor of Political Science and Anthropology
Yale University
USA

Jacques Seurre
Sinologist
Agence France Presse
France

James Seymour
Honorary Senior Research Fellow
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong

Tsering Shakya
Canadian Research Chair on Religion and Contemporary Society in Asia
Institute of Asian Research University of British Columbia
Canada

Satoru Shinomiya
Professor of Law
Waseda Law School
Japan

Susan L. Shirk
University of California, San Diego
USA

Joel Simon
Executive Director
Committee to Protect Journalists
USA

Gianni Sofri
Professor
Università di Bologna
Italy

Dorothy J. Solinger
Professor, Political Science
University of California, Irvine
USA

Yongyi Song
Associate Professor/Librarian
California State University
USA

Wole Soyinka
Nobel Laureate in Literature
Nigeria

Elliot Sperling
Indiana University
USA

Leslie E. Sponsel
Professor of Anthropology
University of Hawaii at Manoa
USA

Christine Stufferin
President, Alex Langer Foundation
Italy

Su Xiaokang
Chinese writer in exile
USA

Frederick C. Teiwes
Emeritus Professor of Chinese Politics
University of Sydney
Australia

Stig Thogersen
Professor of China Studies
Aarhus Universtity
Denmark

Emilie Tran
Visiting Professor
University of Science and Technology
Hong Kong

Steve Tsang
Reader in Politics, Oxford University
UK

Toshiro Ueyanagi
Professor of Law
Waseda Law School
Japan

Jonathan Unger
Professor and Head Contemporary China Centre
Australian National University
Australia

Peter Van Ness
Contemporary China Centre and Department of International Relations Research School of Pacific & Asian Studies
Australian National University
Australia

Sebastian Veg
Researcher
CEFC (French Centre of Research on Contemporary China)
Hong Kong

Sandro Veronesi
Writer
Italy

Wan Yanhai
Director
Beijing Aizhixing Institute
China

Jeffrey Wasserstrom
Professor of History
University of California, Irvine
USA

Martin K. Whyte
Department of Sociology
Harvard University
USA

Calla Wiemer
Visiting Scholar
Center for Chinese Studies
University of California, Los Angeles
USA

Leon Wieseltier
Literary editor, The New Republic
USA

Leroy B. Williams
Professor of History and Political Science
Harvard University
USA

Richard A. Wilson
Gladstein Distinguished Chair in Human Rights
Director Human Rights Institute
University of Connecticut
USA

Wendy Wolf
Editorial director, nonfiction
Viking Penguin
USA

Dr. Guoguang Wu
Chair in China and Asia-Pacific Relations Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives
University of Victoria
Canada

Yu Maochun
Professor of East Asia and Military History
United States Naval Academy
USA

Francesco Zamponi
Researcher CNRS
Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris
France

Sam Zarifi
Director, Asia-Pacific Region
Amnesty International
UK

Kate Zhou
Associate Professor of Political Science
University of Hawaii
USA

China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group

《零八憲章》公布一周年 立即釋放劉曉波　反對以言入罪
China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group

今天是北京著名作家、獨立中文筆會榮譽會長劉曉波博士因起草及簽署《零八憲章》，以涉嫌觸犯「煽動顛覆國家政權罪」被帶走一周年。今天，也是《零八憲章》 發表一周年。《零八憲章》首批聯署人士是三百零三名內地知識分子，發表至今，已有超過一萬名海內外關心中國的人士簽署。聯署人的行動符合《中華人民共和國 憲法》第三十五條，行使所有中國公民應該享有的言論和出版權利，以溫和理性的態度表達他們爭取民主、人權、法治和公義的理想，要求中國政府改善人權狀況。

但聲稱邁向盛世的中共，不願聆聽異見聲音，很多聯署人士因此受到一連串迫害，包括被公安人員威嚇、無理帶走，甚至被拘禁。起草人之一的劉曉波更因此換來莫 須有的罪名。我們要求中國政府履行自己訂立的法律和遵守所簽署的《公民權利和政治權利國際公約》，立即釋放劉曉波，停止以言入罪，落實保障中國人民的言論 自由。

中國政府於一九九八年簽署《公民權利和政治權利國際公約》，當中第十九條訂明「人人有自由發表意見的權利」；及至二零零四年，全國人大修憲，將「尊重和保 障人權」寫進《憲法》；今年又制訂《國家人權行動計劃（2009──2010）年》，詳列各方面須要改善的人權範疇。可見《零八憲章》的內容和訴求完全符 合中國政府訂立的法律，以及對保障人權和言論自由的承諾。

去年十二月八日，劉曉波以涉嫌「煽動顛覆國家政權罪」被帶走，「監視居住」七個月期間，被非法扣留在北京近郊，今年六月二十三日被正式逮捕，至今逾五個 月，並於上月底再被延長拘押兩個月，這已是劉曉波第三次被延長拘押。我們對於中國政府一再延長對劉曉波的羈押期限，表示強烈抗議。劉曉波因言獲罪，被當局 以莫須有的罪名拘押，理應立即釋放，但中國政府卻一再延長對他的羈押，是濫用國家法律以合理化和延長對劉曉波的人權侵犯行為。

劉曉波除了被無理拘禁，家人也被剝奪探望的權利。妻子劉霞多次要求探望劉曉波，但中共當局百般刁難，已數月未能探望劉曉波，所帶去的書刊均被沒收，至今並 未發還。我們要求中國政府遵守《憲法》，保障中國公民應有的言論自由，恢復家人定期探望的權利，並遵守中國於一九九八年簽署的《公民權利和政治權利國際公 約》，尊重公民的言論自由，廢除「煽動顛覆國家政權罪」，停止以言入罪，立即釋放劉曉波。

在此，我們要求中國政府：

1. 遵守《憲法》和落實國際人權公約賦予人民享有言論自由的權利。

2. 立即釋放劉曉波及其他被以言入罪的文字工作者及維權人士。

中國維權律師關注組、獨立中文筆會
香港天主教正義和平委員會、香港市民支援愛國民主運動聯合會
温哥華支援民主運動聯合會、齊氏文化基金會
普林斯頓中國學社、澳洲中國政治及宗教受難者後援會
北京之春雜誌社、香港記者協會
香港教育專業人員協會、天安門母親運動
香港基督徒學會、民主黨國是小組、勞改基金會

二零零九年十二月八日

Liu Xiaobo in Police Custody

China: Retaliation for Signatories of Rights Charter
Critic Liu Xiaobo Remains in Police Custody
December 10, 2008


(New York) - The drafters and signatories of an historic public appeal for human rights and democracy in China are facing unprecedented retaliation by the government, Human Rights Watch said today. Several prominent signatories of the document, "Charter 08," have been detained by the police, and at least 10 other people have been questioned in connection with the document. The Charter was published on December 10 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

"To commemorate human rights day by harassing signatories of a petition and arresting leading dissidents suggests that the Chinese government remains hostile to fundamental rights including expression and association," said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. "Indeed, it calls into question the government's intention to draft a national human rights action plan, when the exercise of such basic rights is curtailed."

Concern is mounting over the case of Liu Xiaobo, one of China's most well-known dissidents, who remained in police custody 48 hours after he was taken away from his home on December 8. According to Zhang Zuhua, a co-signatory detained at the same time and released after 12 hours, Liu may have been placed under formal criminal detention on suspicion of "incitement to subvert state power." Liu, a writer, a former teacher at Beijing Normal University, and the director of the independent Chinese PEN Center, is a veteran of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. He has repeatedly been subject to various forms of incarceration, including house arrest.

The Charter, which urges putting human rights, democracy, and the rule of law at the core of the Chinese political system, was signed by more than 300 people from a cross-section of society, and by several prominent figures including retired party officials, former newspaper editors, members of the legal profession, and human rights defenders.

Human Rights Watch called for the Chinese government to immediately and unconditionally release Liu Xiaobo and other signatories detained or questioned in connection with the Charter. Human Rights Watch urged foreign governments to convey to the Chinese government their expectation that none of the signatories would be punished for simply exercising their right to free expression, including in criticizing China's political system. Although China's Constitution recognizes the right to free expression, this right is vitiated by provisions that preclude criticisms of the Communist Party of China.

"By affixing their names to the Charter the signatories knew they would face official retribution," Richardson said. "Their courage must be recognized, and their actions defended."

International PEN

PEN Honors Chinese Writer, Dissident, and Political Prisoner Liu Xiaobo
TQC Reporting

Zheng Yi, Li Jianglin, and Barbara Goldsmith at the award ceremony. Credit: Mary Zheng.

With the recent English-language publication of books like Yu Hua’s Brothers and Wang Gang’s English, Western readers might perceive a thaw ongoing in China. After all, these books and others like them were originally published in China, and they offer a frank portrayal of some of the worst excesses of the Cultural Revolution.

Make no mistake, however, not all Chinese writers are free to write and publish what they please.

That point was driven home on April 29, 2009 when the PEN American Center honored the Chinese poet and essayist Liu Xiaobo, following up on the April 16 presentation to Xiaobo’s wife of the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. Xiaobo could not receive the award in person because he is currently detained by the Chinese government.

In a press release, PEN called Xiaobo “one of China’s preeminent dissident writers and activists and a leading figure in the PEN movement internationally.”

Xiaobo was arrested on December 8, 2008. Although the authorities did not give an official reason for his arrest, many see it as significant that the arrest occurred the day before the publication of Charter 08, “a public appeal to promote human rights and democracy in China.” (Charter 08 can be read in its entirety in English in the January 15, 2009 issue of The New York Review of Books, available free online.)

Although Xiaobo was arrested for political activities, at the ceremony honoring Xiaobo’s work, his wife, Liu Xia, emphasized the connection between Xiaobo as a writer and as a dissident:-----

"I understand that this award is not meant to encourage Liu Xiaobo, the poet, but rather to encourage Liu Xiaobo, the political commentator and initiator of Charter 08. I would like to remind everyone of the close connection between these two identities. I feel that Xiaobo is using his intensity and passion as a poet to push the democracy movement forward in China . He shouts passionately as a poet ‘no, no, no!’ to the dictators."

In a letter to The New York Review of Books, Xia elaborated on this idea:-----

"In my eyes, he has always been and will always be an awkward and diligent poet. Even in prison, he has continued to write his poems. When the warden took away his paper and pen, he simply pulled his verse out of thin air. Over the past twenty years, Xiaobo and I have accumulated hundreds of such poems, which were born of the conversations between our souls."

Sarah Hoffman, a Freedom to Write Associate at the PEN American Center, said that PEN wanted to honor Xiaobo both for his dedication to freedom of expression and his dedication to PEN. Citing his four years as president of the Independent Chinese PEN Center (2003 – 2007) and his role in the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, Hoffman said, “Throughout his entire life he has represented so fully what PEN is all about: freedom of expression, advancing literature, and promoting literary fellowship. And even beyond that, regardless of any of his political inclinations or desires, he has advocated non-violence—he has advocated words and dialogue. On Tiananmen Square in 1989, there’s this iconic image of Xiaobo trying to smash a rifle that he had taken from a worker who was there to defend the students on the steps of the Monument. He likely prevented even more bloodshed on the night of June 3-4 by calling on all students and workers to put down their weapons.”

Hoffman also noted that what separates Xiaobo’s writing from from other Chinese writers who have discussed politically sensitive matters in their work is that “it’s a different, more relaxed line that these novels are skirting—many aspects of the Cultural Revolution are now permitted to be discussed and dissected in China.” She contrasted this with discussing Tiananmen Square, as Xiaobo does, which she characterized as “very different.” Hoffman added: “The government that initiated the Cultural Revolution of the ’60s and ’70s is not the same one that oversaw the crackdown on pro-democracy activists in 1989. That government is still in place, and that is the government that Liu Xiaobo is criticizing.”

Xiaobo was previously imprisoned for his role in the events of 1989. Since then he has been placed in a reeducation-through-labor camp, regularly subjected to harassment and surveillance, and repeatedly placed under house arrest. PEN honored him for his persistence in speaking out despite this persecution, as well as for adopting a leadership role among Chinese writers and intellectuals. As Hoffman puts it, until their movement for freedom of expression is ineradicable, “Xiaobo and his fellows have made it clear that they will keep rebuilding it” in the face of setbacks.

None of Xiaobo’s books are available in English, although readers can find his essay “Authoritarianism in the Light of the Olympic Flame,” in the English-language collection China’s Great Leap: The Beijing Games and Olympian Human Rights Challenges, published last year by Seven Stories Press.

Despite Xiaobo’s ongoing incarceration and governmental efforts to charge him with incitement to subversion, PEN hopes that pressure from the international community will lead to his release. Hoffman found Xiaobo to be a “conundrum” for the Chinese authorities: although too well-known to keep imprisoned indefinitely, Xiaobo has repeatedly demonstrated that if released he would not cease to speak out against the Chinese government. Hoffman and PEN remain optimistic: “We hope that the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award shines enough of a spotlight on Liu Xiaobo that the Chinese government can’t ignore the pressure from both the inside and the outside, and that they will free him immediately and unconditionally.”

—Scott Esposito

Five Questions with Sarah Hoffman

1. In Xiaobo’s wife’s remarks, she says that although the award isn’t directed at Xiaobo as a poet, she finds it hard to separate the poet from the activist. Could you elaborate on these remarks (e.g. is his poetry and criticism often political in nature)?

I’ve never read his poetry, but much of his criticism is political, due to the nature of the connection between modern Chinese literature and the state—primarily the effect that the political situation has had on literature, emerging writers, etc. I would say, though, that Liu Xia’s remarks that, to her, Xiaobo is primarily a poet, truly humanizes him. To many, he is a mythic figure: this acerbic, larger-than-life critic and dissident. But to her, he is the man she fell in love with; a man who trades verses with her in their everyday life. And in that sense, it is the power of the word that Xiaobo has used to criticize the government, to push forward democracy and human rights.

2. Why in particular did you want to honor Xiaobo?

Liu Xiaobo is not only a long-time, staunch defender of freedom of expression; he is also one of our own. He served as President of our sister organization, the Independent Chinese PEN Center , from 2003 to 2007, and currently serves on its Board of Directors. In doing so, and throughout his entire life, he has represented so fully what PEN is all about: freedom of expression, advancing literature, and promoting literary fellowship. And even beyond that, regardless of any of his political inclinations or desires, he has advocated non-violence—he has advocated words and dialogue. On Tiananmen Square in 1989, there’s this iconic image of Xiaobo trying to smash a rifle that he had taken from a worker who was there to defend the students on the steps of the Monument. He likely prevented even more bloodshed on the night of June 3-4 by calling on all students and workers to put down their weapons; to not give the military, which had already encircled the Square, any reason to open fire.

Despite being imprisoned after Tiananmen, Xiaobo never let up. In the face of harassment, surveillance, another round of imprisonment at a reeducation-through-labor camp, and sporadic house arrests, he continued to speak, and continued to press for free expression for all his fellow countrymen. By refusing to be silent, he has led a generation of Chinese writers and intellectuals into the open, creating this pillar of strength that hopefully will keep growing and growing until the government can no longer knock it down. Until then, Xiaobo and his fellows have made it clear that they will keep rebuilding it.

3. What kind of advocacy work did Xiaobo do as President of the ICPC?

The Independent Chinese PEN Center really does on-the-ground advocacy in a way that many other centers are unable to do. They are doing some of the most extensive information-gathering about imprisonment of writers and restrictions on free expression, including censorship of the Internet; they are providing a crucial sense of solidarity and support for dissident writers, journalists, and bloggers in China; and they are serving as a crucial bridge to the international literary and human rights communities.

4. Recently there have been a lot of Chinese novels translated into English that deal with the Cultural Revolution, some of them skirting the line of what’s permissible. What distinguishes Xiaobo from a writer like, for instance, Yu Hua, who also writes critically of the government?

I think it’s a different, more relaxed line that these novels are skirting—many aspects of the Cultural Revolution are now permitted to be discussed and dissected in China. It’s very different from discussing the Tiananmen crackdown, which Liu Xiaobo has discussed extensively and which remains a taboo subject in China. The government that initiated the Cultural Revolution of the ‘60s and ‘70s is not the same one that oversaw the crackdown on pro-democracy activists in 1989. That government is still in place, and that is the government that Liu Xiaobo is criticizing. While he may speak of the past, he is working in the present and towards the future.
5. Lastly, what does the future hold for Xiaobo? What does PEN hope to achieve by granting him this award?

Liu Xiaobo is being held under “residential surveillance,” a clause in Chinese law that allows authorities to hold a person in detention for six months. They have been interrogating Xiaobo’s colleagues who have signed Charter 08 in an effort to gather evidence on him and be able to press formal “incitement to subversion” charges. He’s a bit of a thorn in their sides, and a bit of a conundrum for them, I think. On the one hand, he’s a seemingly fearless critic who just won’t shut up, won’t shun the international media, won’t shun his fellow citizens, and so they really are making an effort to shut him up. But at the same time, he’s so well-known throughout China, and throughout the world, that imprisoning him for any length of time would be a danger for their image, which they are trying so hard to polish. We hope that the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award shines enough of a spotlight on Liu Xiaobo that the Chinese government can’t ignore the pressure from both the inside and the outside, and that they will free him immediately and unconditionally.

Liu Xiaobo

Liu Xiaobo

刘晓波

Born December 28, 1955 (1955-12-28) (age 53)
Changchun, Jilin, China
Nationality Chinese
Alma mater Jilin University
Beijing Normal University
Known for Writer, political commentator, human rights activist


Liu Xiaobo (simplified Chinese: 刘晓波; traditional Chinese: 劉曉波; pinyin: Liú Xiǎobō; born December 28, 1955) is a critical intellectual and human rights activist in reform-era China. Liu has served as President of Independent Chinese PEN Center since 2003. On December 8, 2008, Liu was detained in response to his participation with Charter 08. He was formally arrested on June 23, 2009, on suspicion of "inciting subversion of state power."


Early life and education

Liu was born in Changchun, Jilin in 1955. He received a B.A. in literature from Jilin University in 1982 and an M.A. from Beijing Normal University in 1984.

After graduation, Liu joined the faculty at Beijing Normal University, where he also received a Ph.D in 1988. He has been a visiting scholar at several universities outside of China, including the University of Oslo, University of Hawaii, and Columbia University.
[edit] Human rights activities

Liu Xiaobo is a human rights activist who has called on the Chinese government to be accountable for its actions. He has been detained, arrested, and sentenced repeatedly for his peaceful political activities, including participation in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

In October 1996, Liu Xiaobo was sentenced to three years in a re-education-through-labor camp on charges of "spreading rumors and libel" and "disturbing public order" for criticizing the Communist Party of China. In 2007, he was briefly detained and questioned about articles he wrote for Internet sites outside China in order to embarrass the Beijing Government.

Liu's human rights work has received international recognition. In 2004, Reporters Without Borders honored Liu's human rights work, awarding him the Fondation de France Prize as a defender of press freedom.

Charter 08 and arrest

Liu Xiaobo, along with more than three hundred Chinese citizens, signed Charter 08, a manifesto released on the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (December 10, 2009), written in the style of the Czechoslovakian Charter 77 calling for greater freedom of expression, human rights, and for free elections. As of May 2009, the Charter has collected over 8,600 signatures from Chinese of various walks of life.

Arrest

Late in the evening of December 8, 2008, two days before the official release of the Charter, Liu Xiaobo was taken away from his home by police. Another scholar and Charter 08 signatory, Zhang Zuhua, was also taken away by police at that time. According to Zhang, the two were detained on suspicion of gathering signatures to the Charter. While Liu was detained, he was not allowed to meet with his lawyer or family, though he was allowed to eat lunch with his wife, Liu Xia, and two policemen on New Years Day 2009. On June 23, 2009, the Beijing procuratorate approved Liu Xiaobo's arrest on charges of "suspicion of inciting subversion of state power," a crime under article 105 of China's Criminal Law. In a Xinhua news release announcing Liu's arrest, the Beijing Public Security Bureau alleged that Liu had incited the subversion of state power and the overturn of the socialist system through methods such as spreading rumors and slander, citing almost verbatim Article 105; the Beijing PSB also noted that Liu had "fully confessed."

International response

Following Liu's detention, a number of individuals, states, and organizations across the world called for his release. On December 11, 2008, the U.S. Department of State called for Liu's release; on December 22, 2008, a consortium of scholars, writers, lawyers, and human rights advocates called for Liu's release in an open letter; and on January 21, 2009, 300 international writers, including Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, Ha Jin, and June Chang, called for Liu's release in a statement put out through PEN. In March 2009 Liu Xiaobo was awarded with Homo Homini Award by One World Film Festival, organized by the People in Need foundation, for promoting freedom of speech, democratic principles and human rights.

Criticism

As a political commentator and activist, Liu has offended a number of people. An oft-mentioned quote is from a 1988 interview with Hong Kong's Liberation Monthly (now known as Open Magazine) in which Liu said in response to a question on what it would take for China to realize a true historical transformation, "[It would take] 300 years of colonialism. In 100 years of colonialism, Hong Kong has changed to what we see today. With China being so big, of course it would take 300 years of colonialism for it to be able to change to how Hong Kong is today. I have my doubts as to whether 300 years would be enough." Liu later admitted that the response was extemporaneous and used as evidence against him, commenting that, "even today [in 2006], patriotic 'angry youth' still frequently use these words to paint me with 'treason.'"

Arrested

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SluQaUNzCsc&feature=channel