December 5th

5 December 2008

UA 332/08 Fear of torture or other ill-treatment/Prisoner of conscience

CHINA Ji Sizun (m) aged 59

Prisoner of conscience Ji Sizun, from Fujian Province, was detained on 11 August in Beijing when he went to a police station to hand in an application to hold a demonstration in one of the designated protest zones for the Beijing Olympics. Amnesty International believes he has been detained in violation of his rights to freedom of expression and assembly and that he is at risk of torture and ill-
treatment.

Ji Sizun is being held on suspicion of “forging an official seal”, and could face trial and sentencing at anytime. He is currently held at Fuzhou No.2 Detention Center. His family or his friends have not been allowed to meet with him but he has met twice with a lawyer.

On 9 August, Ji Sizun, accompanied by foreign journalists, applied for the first time at the Deshengmenwai Public Security Bureau for permission to hold a demonstration. The officials refused to process his application and asked him to come back later. On 11 August, Ji Sizun returned to the Public Security Bureau where, according to eye witnesses, the police summoned him to an unmarked police vehicle and drove off. No one knew of Ji Sizun’s whereabouts until the end of September when friends learned that he was held at the Fuzhou No.2 Detention Center. Ji Sizun has been communicating with his friends by sending them postcards, but it seems that he has not received the letters his friends have sent him in response.

Ji Sizun was planning to protest against corruption and to call for greater participation of the Chinese people in the political processes. A picture of Ji Sizun is available online at: http://www.canyu.org/n3498c6.aspx.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Human rights activists in China who attempt to report on human rights violations, challenge policies which are deemed politically sensitive, or try to rally others to their cause, face serious risk of abuse. Many are charged and imprisoned as prisoners of conscience after politically motivated trials, while growing numbers are being detained as prisoners in their own homes by the police conducting intrusive surveillance and standing guard outside.

On 23 July, the Chinese authorities announced the set up of Olympic protest zones in three Beijing parks where individuals would express their grievances. However, all applications required advance permission from the police. According to reports, some individuals who planned to apply for permission were verbally told that their applications would not be successful and were subsequently placed under surveillance or detention. There were also reports of potential protestors being prevented from traveling to Beijing to protest or being escorted back to their homes. The case of two elderly women, Wu Dianyuan, 79, and Wang Xiuying, 77, who had applied for a permission to hold a protest in one of the zones and were sentenced to Re-education through Labor was widely reported in the international media. Subsequently, their terms of Re-education through Labor were revoked.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- calling on the authorities to immediately and unconditionally release prisoner of conscience, Ji Sizun, who was detained solely for peacefully exercising his rights to freedom of expression and assembly;
- urging the authorities to guarantee that he is not tortured or ill-treated while he remains in custody;
- urging the authorities to ensure Ji Sizun has access to his family and lawyer of his choice and any necessary medical treatment.

APPEALS TO:

Chief Procurator of the Fujian Provincial People’s Procuratorate
NI Yingda Jianchazhang
Fujiansheng Renmin Jianchayuan
253 Hualinlu
Fuzhoushi 350003
Fujiansheng
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Fax: 011 86 591 87762163
Salutation: Dear Procurator

Director of the Fujian Provincial Department of Public Security
BAO Shaokun Tingzhang
Fujiansheng Gong’anting
12 Hualinlu
Fuzhoushi 350003
Fujiansheng
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Fax: 011 86 591 87093516
Salutation: Dear Director

Director of Fuzhou No. 2 Detention Center
Fuzhou di er kanshousuo
Xiadongzirancun, Zhanglancun
Chengmenzhen, Cangshanqu
Fuzhou 350011
Fujiansheng
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Salutation: Dear Director

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: 011 86 10 65961109 (c/o Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Salutation: Your Excellency

COPIES TO:

Governor of the Fujian Provincial People’s Government
HUANG Xiaojing Shengzhang
Fujiansheng Renmin Zhengfu
76 Hualinlu
Fuzhoushi 350003
Fujiansheng
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Fax: 011 86 591 87855770
Salutation: Dear Governor

Ambassador Wen Zhong Zhou
Embassy of the People’s Republic of China
2300 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington DC 20008

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 16 January 2009.

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Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566