美国笔会和加拿大笔会抗议中国当局继续拘押刘晓波
（独立中文笔会2009年6月20日讯）美国笔会和加拿大笔会相继于6月16日和18日发表公开信，抗议中国当局继续拘押刘晓波博士。
美国笔会会长安东尼·阿皮亚（Anthony Appiah）与自由写作及国际项目主任拉里·赛姆斯（Larry Siems）、加拿大笔会会长爱伦.薩里格曼（Ellen Seligman），分别代表美国笔会3300名会员和加拿大笔会1200名会员，致信中国国家主席胡锦涛和公安部长孟建柱，对中国当局继续拘押独立中文笔会前会长刘晓波博士表示了极大的关注。
美国笔会和加拿大笔会在公开信中都指出：“到2009年6月8日为止，刘晓波博士已经被监视居住6个月，达到了‘监视居住’的最大期限；因而，根据中国法律，他应当在当日获得释放。”
在公开信中，美国笔会和加拿大笔会表达了他们的进一步忧虑：“中国当局非但没有释放刘晓波博士，北京市公安局海淀区分局官员反而通知刘晓波的妻子刘霞，对刘晓波的审查还没完，还要继续审查。”
美国笔会和加拿大笔会在公开信中指出：“我们获得的报告显示，警方随后在刘霞在京的住宅和作家江棋生、宪政学者张祖桦的住宅外增加了岗哨，这些岗哨从6月11日起至今一直没有撤销。据悉，刘霞和刘晓波的律师莫少平被拒与刘晓波见面已经超过两个月。”
美国笔会和加拿大笔会呼吁中国当局立即无条件释放刘晓波。
美国笔会和加拿大笔会相关信息，
请参见http://www.pen.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/3564/prmID/1331和http://www.pencanada.ca/
New York City, June 16, 2009—PEN American Center protested the continued detention of prominent writer Liu Xiaobo today with a letter to Chinese authorities, citing the clear violation of international and Chinese law. As of June 8, 2009, Liu had been held under “residential surveillance” for the maximum six months permitted under Chinese law and should have been released that day. Instead, police informed his wife, Liu Xia, that the former president of the Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) would continue to be held at an undisclosed location while the investigation against him continues.
PEN has received reports that since June 11, guards have been posted outside the Beijing home of Liu Xia, as well as the homes of ICPC Vice President Jiang Qisheng and constitutional scholar Zhang Zuhua, who was instrumental in the promulgation of Charter 08, the document for which it is believed Liu Xiaobo is being held on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power.” Neither Liu Xia nor his lawyer, Mo Shaoping, have seen Liu Xiaobo in over two months, and there are growing concerns for his well-being.
PEN American Center is among the 145 worldwide centers of International PEN, an organization that works to promote friendship and intellectual cooperation among writers everywhere, to fight for freedom of expression, and represent the conscience of world literature. It has been working together with the Independent Chinese PEN Center to protest China’s imprisonment, harassment, and surveillance of writers and journalists and to seek an end to Internet censorship and other restrictions on the freedom to write in that country. For more information, please visit www.pen.org/china.
June 16, 2009
His Excellency Hu Jintao
President of the People’s Republic of China
State Council
Beijing 100032
P.R. China
Mr. Meng Jianzhu
Minister of the Public Security
East Chang’an Avenue 14
Beijing 100741
P.R. China
Your Excellencies,
On behalf of the 3,300 members of PEN American Center, an international organization of writers dedicated to protecting freedom of expression wherever it is threatened, we are writing to express our extreme concern regarding the continuing detention of prominent writer and former president of the Independent Chinese PEN Center Liu Xiaobo. As you know, as of June 8, 2009, Mr. Liu had been held the maximum six months under “residential surveillance,” and he therefore should have been freed under Chinese law.
We are particularly troubled by information suggesting that rather than release Mr. Liu, officials at the Haidian District Branch of the Beijing Public Security Bureau informed Ms. Liu Xia, Liu Xiaobo’s wife, that Liu Xiaobo was not to be released from the undisclosed location where he is being held as the investigation continues beyond the allowed six-month period. We have received reports that guards were later posted outside of her Beijing home, as well as the homes of writer Jiang Qisheng and scholar Zhang Zuhua, both of whom are colleagues of Dr. Liu and friends of the family. The guards have remained there since Thursday, June 11. We understand that neither Liu Xia nor Mo Shaoping, Mr. Liu’s lawyer, have been permitted to visit Liu Xiaobo in over two months.
Liu Xiaobo is a respected colleague and an internationally-recognized advocate for the rights Chinese citizens are guaranteed under both international law and China’s own constitution. PEN American Center is seriously concerned that he is being arbitrarily detained in violation of those guarantees. We therefore call for Dr. Liu’s immediate and unconditional release.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
Anthony Appiah
President
Larry Siems
Director, Freedom to Write and International Programs
CC: H. E. Mr. Zhou Wenzhong
Ambassador of the PRC to the U.S.
Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the U.S.
2201 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
Washington D.C. 20007
Fax: (202) 588-9760
