(WiPC/IFEX) – WiPC has received confirmation that Guizhou poet Xue Deyun has been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment. He was convicted at Guiyang Municipal People’s Court in November 1998 of “engaging in subversive activities,” violating “article 105.2 of the Chinese Penal Code,” and attempting to overthrow “the socialist system by rumour-mongering [or] slander.” It is […]
(WiPC/IFEX) – WiPC has received confirmation that Guizhou poet Xue Deyun has
been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment. He was convicted at Guiyang
Municipal People’s Court in November 1998 of “engaging in subversive
activities,” violating “article 105.2 of the Chinese Penal Code,” and
attempting to overthrow “the socialist system by rumour-mongering [or]
slander.” It is believed that the charges relate to his involvement with a
Guizhou cultural revival movement.
**Updates IFEX alerts of 9 February 1999 and 10 July 1998**
Xue Deyun was arrested on 26 January 1998 with three other poets, Ma Qiang,
Wu Ruohai and Xiong Jinren (also known as Xiong Xiang), as they were
preparing to launch an unofficial literary journal supporting literary
freedoms entitled China Cultural Renaissance. The police reportedly raided
the homes of the four men without a warrant and confiscated draft copies of
their work as well as address books. Ma Qiang and Wu Ruohai were released on
20 March 1998. Xiong Jinren was also released in 1998 (exact date not
known).
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his right to freedom of expression and association as guaranteed by Article
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His Excellency Jiang Zemin
President
State Council
Beijing 100032
P.R.China.
Fax: +86 10 512 5810
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