PEN INTERNATIONAL WOMEN WRITERS’ COMMITTEE
Chair: Ekbal Baraka
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Human Rights: Lucina Kathmann
May 13, 2014
His Excellency Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China
Mr. Fu Zhenghua, Director, Beijing Public Security Bureau
re: Gao Yu
Your Excellency, Mr. Director,
The Women Writers Committee of PEN International, the largest worldwide association of writers, is concerned for our Chinese colleague, the veteran journalist Ms. Gao Yu, who has been detained since April 24 on the charge of “leaking state secrets abroad. “
Ms. Gao Yu has been jailed and otherwise targeted on various occasions on the past, always apparently for her expression of her critical opinions, which should be her right and her responsibility as a journalist.
Ms. Gao Yu was seen allegedly confessing on state television on May 8, 2014, which is in contravention of her right to a fair trial.
Article 35 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China provides for freedom of speech. Thus we call for the immediate release of Ms. Gao Yu.
Sincerely,
Lucina Kathmann
International Vice-President, PEN International