7 March 2011
ICPC Statement on Detention of Zhu Yufu and
Mo Jiangang
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 and
activists, 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
Dr. Yu Zhang, Executive Secretary and WiPC
Coordinator(ICPC), +46-8-50022792
Email: secretariat@chinesepen.org, wipc@comhem.se
Websites: http://www.chinesepen.org and
http://www.liuxiaobo.eu/.
