(RSF/IFEX) – On 21 September 1998, RSF and Human Rights Watch sent the following joint letter to French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin on the occasion of his official visit to China: **For background to Gao Yu’s detention, see IFEX alerts and press releases of 30, 22 June, 21, 6 April and 25 March 1998; 20 […]
(RSF/IFEX) – On 21 September 1998, RSF and Human Rights Watch sent the
following joint letter to French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin on the
occasion of his official visit to China:
**For background to Gao Yu’s detention, see IFEX alerts and press releases
of 30, 22 June, 21, 6 April and 25 March 1998; 20 January 1995; 14 November
and 18 October 1994; and others**
Mr Prime Minister,
On 23 September you go to China for a three-day official visit. As you know,
freedom of expression and its corollary, press freedom, are not respected in
that country. Most Chinese citizens will therefore know only what the censor
wants to tell them about your visit.
Some of them, the 13 journalists currently in jail for trying to do their
job unhindered, will hear absolutely nothing about your visit. One of them
is Gao Yu, whose state of health is giving great cause for concern.
Gao Yu, 54, who was arrested in October 1993 and sentenced to six years in
prison for “transmitting state secrets to a foreign country,” is very ill;
she frequently loses consciousness and her limbs, especially her hands, are
swollen due to severe cardiac and circulatory problems. She is still not
receiving appropriate medical treatment. What is more, the Chinese
authorities constantly subject her to an abhorrent form of blackmail: she
has to agree to a “self-criticism” session before they will let her be
hospitalized.
Gao Yu was sentenced under an emergency law on state security. This gives
the Chinese authorities great scope for jailing anyone who expresses an
opinion that differs from the Chinese Communist Party line or who reveals
information that is embarrassing for the regime.
Reporters Sans Frontières and Human Rights Watch know how attached you are
to respect for human rights. Our two organizations therefore urge you to
intervene with the Chinese authorities, and in particular with President
Jiang Zemin, to obtain the release of Gao Yu on humanitarian grounds so that
she can receive the medical treatment she needs. We hope that her situation
will receive your full attention. Our request is urgent, because Gao Yu’s
state of health demands swift action. The life of this 54-year-old mother is
in danger.
Thank you in advance for your support for our initiative.
Appeals To
Similar appeals can be sent to:
Lionel Jospin
Prime Minister
Paris, France
Fax: +33 1 42 75 71 42
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
