ICPC Statement on Detention of Zhu Yufu and Mo Jiangang
March 7, 2011
The Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) strongly protests against the detention of its members, Zhu Yufu in Zhejiang Provice and Mo Jiangang in Guizhou Provice.
According to ICPC’s information, Zhu Yufu was formally arrested for “inciting subversion of state power” by Zhejiang police on March 5. Police searched his home and confiscated two computers and others. At the same day Wei Shuishan, member of Democracy Party in Zhejiang was also formally arrested. About one dozen other members of ICPC and CDP in Zhejiang Provice have been put under house arrest. On March 6, ICPC member Mo Jiangang in Guizhou Provice, who was disappeared for several days, called to a friend and said he was formally arrested. The phone call was cut then. We can not contact with his family for more information now. Other dozen human rights activists in Guizhou provice including Li Renke and Chen Xi have been kidnapped or put under house arrest. ICPC Honorary Board Member and Professor of Shandong University Sun Wenguang, Shanghai activist Feng Zhenghu have also been kidnapped by police and lost contact until now. ICPC member Li Hai has lost contact for more than two weeks.
Zhu Yufu, founder and editor of the China Democracy Party’s magazine, has served seven years in prison for “subversion of state power” until 2006. He was arrested again in April, 2007 and sentenced two years for “interference to public affairs”. He was released in 2009 and then became member of ICPC.
Mo Jiangang has taken part in the democracy movement in 1989 and was arrested for some days. He has been involved in a series human rights activities in Guizhou provice since 2001.
The Chinese government has launched a large-scale crackdown since mid February, the Chinese “Jasmine Revolution” was initiated in websites.Dozens of writers, including Ran Yunfei, Chen Wei, Hua Chunhui, Zhu Yufu, Mo Jiangang were formally arrested in the last two weeks. Dozens were arrested or kidnapped and their whereabouts are unknown. More than one hundred other dissident writers, lawyers, and activists have been harassed, summoned, forced to “travel” or put under house arrest.
ICPC believes that all citizens have the right to freedom of expression, including expression on the Internet, freedom of demonstration, and freedom of assembly. These rights are guaranteed in the Chinese Constitution. The suppression of all these rights has violated Article 35 of Chinese Constitution and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which China has signed. ICPC strongly protests the recent arrests, harassment, and crackdown. We urge Chinese authorities to end the crackdown and release our colleagues, including Ran Yunfei, Chen Wei, Hua Chunhui, Liang Haiyi, Ye Du, Teng Biao, Zhu Yufu, Mo jiangang, Li Hai and all others immediately. We urge the authorities to end the inhumane treatment of Liu Xia, release her from isolation, allow her to visit her husband in jail and allow her to have contact with the outside world.
PEN International is the oldest human rights organization and international literary organization. The Independent Chinese PEN Center is among its 145 member centers and aims to protect Chinese writers’ freedom of expression and freedom to write worldwide and advocates for the rights of Chinese writers and journalists who are imprisoned, threatened, persecuted or harassed.
For more information, contact
Tienchi M.-Liao, President of the Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC), +49-221-8015 8705 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Dr. Yu Zhang, Executive Secretary and WiPC Coordinator(ICPC), +46-8-50022792 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
Websites: http://www.chinesepen.org