(WiPC/IFEX) – The WiPC of International PEN has received reports that writer, poet and Independent Chinese PEN member, Shi Tao, was formally charged on 14 December 2004 with “illegally providing state secrets overseas”. He remains detained with limited access to his family. International PEN fears that Shi Tao is detained solely for the peaceful expression […]
(WiPC/IFEX) – The WiPC of International PEN has received reports that writer, poet and Independent Chinese PEN member, Shi Tao, was formally charged on 14 December 2004 with “illegally providing state secrets overseas”. He remains detained with limited access to his family. International PEN fears that Shi Tao is detained solely for the peaceful expression of his opinions, and therefore in contravention of Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Recent reports state that Shi Tao was formally charged on 14 December. The precise reasons for the charges remain unclear, but it is thought that they relate to an article he posted onto the Internet in May.
