Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Gao Zhisheng in Danger of Torture - ASA 17/052/2009

All the details here: ASA 17/052/2009

Human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who has been missing since February, was seen late June or early July, looking thin and weak. In 2007, after publishing an open letter to the US congress, agents came to his home, stripped him and beat him unconscious, took him into illegal detention, during which he was beaten and received repeated electric shocks to his genitals. Lit cigarettes were held close to his eyes for several hours, leaving him partly blind for days afterwards.

He is in grave danger of torture.

Please write immediately, and before October 27, to:

Prime Minister of the People's Republic of China
WEN Jiabao Guojia Zongli
The State Council General Office
2 Fuyoujie, Xichengqu
Beijingshi 100017
People's Republic of China
Fax: +86 10 65961109 (c/o Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Salutation: Your Excellency

and

Director of the Beijing Public Security Bureau
MA Zhenchuan Juzhang
Beijingshi Gong'anju
9 Dongdajie, Qianmen
Dongchengqu
Beijingshi 100740
People's Republic of China
Fax: +86 10 65242927
Salutation: Dear Director

Both these fax number work.

Send copies to:
Director of the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Public Security
WANG Rui Tingzhang
Shaanxisheng Gong'anting
Xinchengdayuan Donglou
Xi'anshi 710006
Shaanxisheng
People's Republic of China
Email: info@shxga.gov.cn (this address has not worked for me)

Also send a copy to the Chinese foreign mission closest to you (follow the link and look for your country).

My letter is below:

Prime Minister of the People's Republic of China
WEN Jiabao Guojia Zongli
The State Council General Office
2 Fuyoujie, Xichengqu
Beijingshi 100017
People's Republic of China
Fax: +86 10 65961109

Ole Koksvik
Philosophy, RSSS
The Australian National University ACT 0200
AUSTRALIA 21/09/2009

RE: GAO ZHISHENG
Your Excellency,

My name is Ole Koksvik. I am a Norwegian citizen, an Australian Permanent Resident, a PhD Candidate at the Australian National University.

It has come to my attention that Human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng has been observed looking thin and weak, being accompanied by several officials. I am gravely concerned for his safety. I know that he has been subjected to prolonged illegal detention and torture at the hands of the government of the People’s Republic of China before, and I fear that this is happening again.

I call on you to ensure that Gao Zhisheng is released immediately and unconditionally.

I urge you to ensure that Gao Zhisheng has access to proper medical treatment while he remains in custody, and to guarantee that he is not tortured or ill-treated while he remains in custody.

I furthermore urge you to immediately provide information on his whereabouts, and the reasons and legal basis for his continued detention.



Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns.

Yours sincerely,

Ole Koksvik

Several Hundred Thousand Tamils Still Held in Prison-like Camps

[L]ess than 5% of the 300,000 Tamils [have been] released from what the United Nations describes as "internment camps". ...

The Sri Lankan authorities recently allowed humanitarian relief workers
into Manik Farm [which is one of the camps]. The immediate criticism was that there were persistent water shortages. Then heavy rains sent rivers of sewage cascading through tents and tin sheds.

Now there are growing fears that with monsoon rains due in October, the camps could become a sea of thick mud and slop.

Doctors in the main hospital in Vavuniya, the largest town near the camp, say that more 1,000 people have died since May, mainly due to "malnutrition-related complications", and warn of an impending disaster if conditions do not improve.

Read on in the Guardian here. The Sri Lankan governments excuse is that there may be LTTE rebel soldiers hiding among the civilians, but it is hard to see how that can justify bereaving so many of their human rights in this way.

Recall that Sri Lanka in May managed to manipulate the Human Rights Council of the UN to praise its victory over the LTTE and to and refuse to investigate allegations of war crimes on both sides of the conflict. They managed to get a resolution passed saying that the war was a "domestic matter that doesn't warrant outside interference".

Recall also the earlier action about five doctors being held by the Sri Lankan government, at risk of torture. Four of these have been released, but one is still being held.

On Faxing

I want to encourage all readers to use fax as much as possible when writing letters on behalf of Amnesty International. It is harder to dismiss a piece of paper than it is to dismiss an email; thus letters and faxes are better than emails, I think. But it is also important that the action reach quickly, and so faxes are the better choice of those two.

You may not be aware that you can fax without having a fax machine. There are many providers that let you send an email, with what you want faxed in an attachment, and they will send the fax for you. We use Ozefax, and this has proved a reliable and cheap service so far.

So, please consider sending faxes!