Transmenu powered by JoomlArt.com - Mambo Joomla Professional Templates Club

H.E. Hu Jintao
President
Office of the President
Zhonganahai
Beijing 100017
People’s Republic of China
Fax: (011.86.10.6) 512.5810

Your Excellency:

We write to add our voice to those of Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Committee to Protect Journalist (CPJ) in protesting China's continuing abuses of press freedom and freedom of expression, in direct violation of your government's many promises and of your own Constitution. In particular, despite your pledge that international journalists will be allowed to cover the Olympic Games in Beijing freely and fully, we hear continuing reports from journalists on the scene that their activities are being hampered, and protests from others who have been denied visas. Both CPJ and HRW have issued lengthy reports documenting China's unkept promises.

While this is happening, what has become the routine harassment of journalists and bloggers in China continues. According to CPJ's records, at least twenty six journalists are now in Chinese prisons on charges connected with their professional activities, making China the world's largest jailer of journalists. Journalists attempting to cover protests by bereaved parents after the recent Sichuan earthquake have been harassed and deterred. And according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), on July 11, Chen Yang, a reporter for Ming Pao of Hong Kong, was intercepted by four police officers while taking photos of hundreds of disgruntled investors protesting the alleged embezzlement of 170 million Chinese yuan by the president of the China Commodity Spot Exchange, Guo Yuanfeng. The police confiscated Chen's camera and memory card.

Your Excellency, the Overseas Press Club of America, an organization of independent journalists, has been defending press freedom around the world for nearly seventy years. We read daily reports of your government's efforts to impress the world as you host the Olympic Games. A million cars are reported to be banned from Beijing's roads and thousands of factories have been ordered to close, to reduce air pollution. Thousands of your hapless citizens have been evicted from their homes to permit building of parks and modern buildings. We have even read that Beijing restaurants have been ordered to remove dog meat from their menus to avoid offending Western sensibilities. Frankly, your priorities are seriously misguided. What will offend Western sensibilities most of all is the continuing repression of the fundamental democratic right of freedom of speech and expression. As long as it is stifled, no amount of clean air or high-rise buildings -- and no absence of dog meat in Beijing restaurants -- will satisfy your visitors. We urge you to reverse your policies and end the harassment of journalists, bloggers and human rights advocates, not just for the duration of the Games, but permanently. We would appreciate a reply.

Respectfully yours,
Larry Martz
Co-chairman, Freedom of the Press Commitee

cc:

H.E. Wen Jiabao
Prime Minister
Office of the Premier
Zhonganahai
Beijing 100077
People’s Republic of China
Fax: (011.86.10.6) 512.5810

H.E. Zhou Wenzhong
Ambassador of P.R.O.C. to the U.S.A.
Embassy of the People’s Republic of China
2300 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
Fax: (202) 588.0032

Ambassador Wang Guangya
Permanent Representative
Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations
350 East 35th Street
New York, NY 10016
Fax: (212) 634.7626

H.E. Clark T. Randt, Jr.
U.S. Ambassador to P.R.O.C.
Embassy of the United States of America
No. 3 Xiu Shui Bei Jie
100600 Beijing
China
Fax: (011.86.10.6) 532.6929

Comments (2)