Press Release
January 15, 2010
Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) condemns the continuing detention of Mr. Zhao Shiying, its Baord member and Secretary-general, without any legal document since 4 days ago, which has obviously violated Chinas laws, and so call on the Chinese authorities to release him immediately.
According to ICPC’s information, at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, January 11, over ten police officers raided Zhaos home with a search warrant and separated Zhao, his wife and his son for respective questioning. Following the search over seven hours, the police took away Zhao, and confiscated two computers with the prints got from them, books, notes, and other personal belongs. His wife and son were released around 9:00 p.m. that same night, but Zhao has been held incommunicado until today. This afternoon, his wife got a few words by telephone from Zhao that he was OK without any explanation on his situation nor his whereabouts. No cause for the search and detention has been given, either.
Zhao Shiying, pen-named Zhao Dagong, is a well-known dissident writer and human rights defender in Shenzhen. He is one of 303original signatories of Charter 08, a declaration calling for constitutional reform in China that has been so far cosigned by over 10,000 Chinese citizen. For participating in drafting this document and publishing his six articles, Dr. Liu Xiaobo, ICPC’s former President, was sentenced by a Beijing Court to 11 years imprisonment on December 25, 2009, on inciting subversion of state power . Since Liu’s arrest on December 8, 2008, Zhao has been questioned about his involvement in Liu’s activities several times and his answers were included in the Court Verdict against Liu (1). On December 27, 2009, Zhao published on internet an essay, entitled as Liu Xiaobo’s Banner ! – Wishes to Liu Xiaobo Birthday, to pay his tribute and reaffirmed his willingness to share responsibilities with Liu
(2).
ICPC fears that Zhao Daogong is held only for his writings in the same way as the sentencing of Dr. Liu Xiaobo, particularly for his constant support for Dr. Liu. Therefore, ICPC call on all the communities, institutions and individuals to pay attention to Zhaos continuing detention and press the Chinese authorities for his immediate release.
The Independent Chinese PEN Center is among 145 member centers of the International PEN, the oldest human rights organization and international literary organization. It aims to protect Chinese writers’ freedom of speech 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 on ICPC’s work, please visit https://www.chinesepen.org/old-posts,
or contact:
Dr. Yu Zhang
Executive Secretary and WiPC Coordinator
Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC)
Tel: +46-8-50022792
Email: [email protected],
References:
1) The relevant content in the Court Verdict of Liu Xiaobo’s case
6. The testimony of the witness Zhao Shiying has proven: in October 2008,
Liu Xiaobo sent him Charter 08 through Internet, asked for his advice on
revising it, let him find others to sign it. At a gathering, Zhao showed
Charter 08 to more than dozens of individuals among whom four agreed to sign
it. Liu Xiabo also asked him through Internet to go to Guangzhou for
signature collection In Guangzhou, he collected five signatories.
2) A translation of Zhaos essay
Liu Xiaobo’s Banner! – Wishes to Liu Xiaobo Birthday
By ZHAO Daogong
December 28 is Liu Xiaobos birthday. Liu Xiaobo is my mentor even though I am a few months elder than he, of course at the same age. At our age, the memories of childhood, teenage and youth can be said as “growing up by drinking wolf’s milk”. What is the wolf’s milk? It is the propaganda indoctrination by the Communist Party of China (CPC), which has been a political movement after another. According to CPCs claim, both of us are “root red sprout” — “born under the red flag, and grew up under the red flag”, and so should be “descendants of the (Communist) Revolution”. However, both of us are rebels, except that my consciousness came much later than Xiaobo did. In 1999, due to the Windows and Internet, I started using the pseudonym of Zhao Dagong to publish my political views, while Xiaobo had already been a person of consciousness and lofty ideas long before the student movement in 1989. What a shame! The detoxification of “wolf’s milk” that I got was too slow!
Now I may make it known to the public that from the beginning to draft Charter 08 to its final version, I had been involved until the moment of Xiaobos arrest. I am proud that I could be listed as a witness in Liu Xiaobos Verdict. Charter 08 is an honorable feat. What I participated in is to aim at the political progress in China, and the pursuit of democracy and freedom. if Liu Xiaobo was guilty, ZHAO Dagong would also be in the same guilt! I would like to give myself up as the Stainless Steel Mouse Liu Di did, to accompany Xiaobo in prison. To get what I want, nothing to fear!
It has been the norm that the CPC authorities have kept watch over me for several years. They have warned me not to leave Shenzhen, not even for Guangzhou or Dongguan. I can certainly ignore them, but I have got my weakness. I have parents of 80-90 years old, my wife and son who have loved me so much. To involve my family in trouble has been the pain in my heart!
However, what a person’s fear would count for? ! 1.3 billion people are living in fear, which is the most awful. The entire Chinese nation is enveloped in the shadow of absolute tyranny. The people do not know what is the freedom, forget the past under the despotic power, and carelessly drag on. This kind of sufferings is the largest pain that Chinese nation has got, and the largest shame as well!
Liu Xiaobo is sitting in jail. He is a sacrifice, for China, for our nation, and for the universal values of human society. He deserves it as China’s democratic cause needs sacrifices, the road to Chinas democracy needs the paving stones. Although sad and moving, the sadness make it moving, which gets us have it unforgettable, which makes our backs straight, and which strengthens our confidence!
Liu Xiaobo is innocent, while guilty is the CPC regime. Eleven years (in jail), Ah, is too severe, even one day is too much. “I feel that one day is too severe for him, said Liu Xia, Xiaobo’s wife. let alone eleven years. This is because of complete lack of reason.” CPC certainly does not stick to the reason. Has CPC ever been reasonable ? However, the CPC has itself helped the people find China’s Mandela, or China’s Aung San Suu Kyi.
Xiaobo is not lonely, the people worldwide who love freedom and democracy are watching you — you are a banner in China, and you are a beacon of China! Under the flag of Charter 08, more and more of Chinese people become conscious, and more and more of Chinese people take concrete action to put into practice the social progress in China.
December 27, 2009
(translated by Yu Zhang)