Hujia&jinyan’s spirit

Amnesty International UK

Chinese activist’s case to be highlighted at ‘Stand Up For Freedom’ comedy nights

Amnesty International is asking people in Scotland to send a birthday message of support for an imprisoned man in China who will be the focus of its campaigning at this year’s Edinburgh Festival.

Hu Jia, who will be 35 tomorrow (Friday 25 July), is a Chinese human rights activist jailed for three and half years in April after being convicted of ‘inciting subversion’. Hu’s offence had been to speak out about Chinese government failures over AIDS prevention.

Amnesty is extremely concerned at recent reports that Hu is suffering from a serious liver disease and may not be getting proper medical treatment. Relatives who have managed to visit him in a jail near Beijing also report that guards have appointed four other prisoners to monitor him and that he is undergoing forced ‘reform’, including being made to sing ‘reform songs’.[continues...]

AI Australia

Zeng Jinyan has received the letters that many supporters from around the world have written to her.

She and her husband, Hu Jia, are peaceful human rights activists in Beijing. Their activism included being advocates for human rights in China, blogging and making documentaries.

Following months of intimidation, Hu Jia was detained in December 2007 on suspicion of’inciting subversion of state power’. Zeng Jinyan has been under tight police surveillance since her husband’s arrest.

She has recently written to Amnesty International to thank all those who have sent letters encouraging her to remain hopeful, and informing her that international efforts continue to demand the release of her husband. [continues...]

China: Piling on the pressure

8 February 2008

Amnesty International is gravely concerned that the Chinese authorities are putting pressure on human rights activist Hu Jia to plead guilty to crimes against national security.

This comes on the eve of the six month countdown to the Beijing Olympics on 8 August 2008 and is the latest attempt by the authorities to silence domestic activists’ public criticism of China’s human rights record.

“The potential for a positive human rights legacy for the Beijing Olympics is swiftly being eroded by the Chinese authorities repression of dissenting voices, including the targeting of activists’ families and associates. This goes against the spirit of the Olympic Charter, which places the preservation of human dignity at the heart of the Olympic movement,” said Catherine Baber, Director of Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific programme.

After months under house arrest, Hu Jia was detained on 27 December 2007. He was formally charged with “inciting subversion” on 28 January 2008. There are fears that he may not be receiving his prescription medication for liver disease resulting from Hepatitis B infection.

Furthermore Hu Jia’s wife, Zeng Jinyan, is still under house arrest with their newborn baby. She is not permitted to leave their home, and her telephone line and internet connection have been cut.

For all you facebook users, the following add-on has been brought to our attention. In the “Causes” application there is the following cause to subscribe to:

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/58833?recruiter_id=2074037&m=4303549

Please support them and help spread the word!

A link to an online petition requesting the release of Hu Jia can be found on our petitions page.

In our Petitions section there a letter and email address of various sections of the Olympic Games Committee in china. Please feel free to copy and email to the address listed!

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