{"id":2064,"date":"2015-09-19T00:38:40","date_gmt":"2015-09-19T00:38:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iuhrdf.org\/en\/2015\/09\/19\/pen-appeals-xi-jinping-release-imprisoned-chinese\/"},"modified":"2015-09-19T00:38:40","modified_gmt":"2015-09-19T00:38:40","slug":"pen-appeals-xi-jinping-release-imprisoned-chinese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iuhrdf.org\/en\/pen-appeals-xi-jinping-release-imprisoned-chinese\/","title":{"rendered":"PEN Appeals to Xi Jinping for Release of Imprisoned Chinese"},"content":{"rendered":"

For them, pens and laptops are the tools of their trade and their megaphones to the world. <\/p>\n

By EDWARD WONG 
\u200bSEPTEMBER 18, 2015 5:04 AM<\/p>\n

For them, pens and laptops are the tools of their trade and their megaphones to the world. Among their ranks are some of the best-known chroniclers of American society and creators of fantasy worlds. Now, these 44 writers and public intellectuals have issued astrongly worded open letter<\/a> to President Xi Jinping<\/a> of China that calls on him to free all Chinese writers, scholars and intellectuals who have been imprisoned for their political views.<\/p>\n

The 44, most of whom live in the United States, have given their names to a letter that PEN American Center drafted and published online on Friday that asks for the prisoners\u2019 release as Mr. Xi prepares for his first state visit to the United States. The letter cites<\/span>Liu Xiaobo<\/a>, the imprisoned Nobel Peace laureate, and his wife, <\/span>Liu Xia<\/a>, who is under house arrest; <\/span>Ilham Tohti<\/a>, an ethnic Uighur and an economics professor; and <\/span>Gao Yu<\/a>, an ailing 71-year-old journalist.<\/span><\/div>\n

The signers of the letter tell Mr. Xi that they \u201cwrite to express our deepest concern about the deteriorating state of free expression in China.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many people, including Chinese readers, will recognize some of the names. They include the writers Neil Gaiman, Jennifer Egan, Jonathan Franzen, Susan Orlean, Ian McEwan, Paul Auster and Art Spiegelman. Chinese-born novelists are present, too \u2014 Ha Jin and Xiaolu Guo. There are also scholars of China and Tibet who have been outspoken in their defense of free speech, among them the professors Andrew Nathan and Elliot Sperling, both of whom have been banned<\/a> from entering China by the government.<\/p>\n

The letter says that the four incarcerated Chinese mentioned above and \u201ccountless others highlight the harsh punishments faced by writers who voice views that the government finds objectionable. The imprisonment of writers and journalists damages China\u2019s image abroad and undercuts its ambition to be a strong and respected partner on the world stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

In emailed comments, Suzanne Nossel, executive director of PEN American Center, which is based in New York, wrote: \u201cDuring a visit to the U.S. that is expected to be a star turn for Xi Jinping on the world stage with 21-gun salutes, toasts and photo ops, audiences need to be reminded to see this government for what it is \u2014 intolerant of dissent and cruel toward those who challenge the enforced ideology.\u201d<\/div>\n

\u201cWhile there was anticipation early on that Xi Jinping might be a reformer who would nudge China forward toward a more modern and open system, those hopes have been dashed with writers and journalists in China reporting that speaking your mind is more dangerous under Xi than at any point in recent memory,\u201d she added. \u201cWhile the world is wowed by Chinese costume exhibits and contemporary art, as a creative community we see a dark side watching our colleagues intimidated, silenced and jailed for saying and writing what they think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following is the text of the letter, with the names of the signatories:<\/p>\n

September 18, 2015<\/em><\/p>\n

His Excellency Mr. Xi Jinping
President of the People\u2019s Republic of China
Zhongnanhai, Xichengqu
Beijing
The People\u2019s Republic of China<\/p>\n

Your Excellency,<\/em><\/p>\n

As you undertake your first state visit to the United States, we the undersigned, as journalists, writers, and free expression advocates affiliated with PEN American Center, a leading cultural organization, write to express our deepest concern about the deteriorating state of free expression in China.<\/em><\/p>\n

We are particularly concerned about the plight of our colleagues, many of whom face severe consequences for exercising their right to express their opinions and pursue their creativity. We have documented cases of at least 47 writers and journalists currently imprisoned in China. The average sentence for a writer is eight years in prison, and some sentences are even harsher. Ilham Tohti, a Uighur scholar and blogger, was sentenced on September 23, 2014 to life in prison for voicing his views online about the treatment of Uighurs.<\/em><\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Gao Yu, an investigative journalist, was sentenced to seven years in prison. Ms. Gao, 71 years old, remains in ill health in prison, and is not receiving the medical care she needs. We urge China to adhere to international covenants to which it is a signatory that require state authorities to refrain from denying or limiting equal access to healthcare for all persons, including prisoners and detainees.<\/em><\/p>\n

As you know, former Independent Chinese PEN Center president Liu Xiaobo, a literary critic, writer, professor, and human rights activist, was sentenced to an 11-year prison term and two years\u2019 deprivation of political rights on December 25, 2009 for calling for political reforms. His wife, Liu Xia, who is a painter, poet, and photographer, has been under house arrest for nearly five years even though she has not been accused of a crime; your government has not even acknowledged her detention.<\/em><\/p>\n

These four cases and countless others highlight the harsh punishments faced by writers who voice views that the government finds objectionable. The imprisonment of writers and journalists damages China\u2019s image abroad and undercuts its ambition to be a strong and respected partner on the world stage. So too does broad official censorship of literature, the news media, and the internet and telecommunications technologies, as it prevents Chinese citizens from accessing accurate news and information that is in the public interest, and stifles the creativity and diversity of viewpoints that are essential to building a dynamic and competitive economy and culture.<\/em><\/p>\n

To that end, Mr. President, we urge you to release the Chinese writers and journalists who are languishing in jail for the crime of expressing their opinions, and to take immediate steps to defend and protect the rights of all Chinese citizens to communicate and access information freely.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sincerely,<\/em><\/p>\n

Paul Auster
Russell Banks
Louis Begley
Margaret Carson
Ron Chernow
Teju Cole
Martha Cooley
Molly Crabapple
Siddhartha Deb
Ariel Dorfman
Jennifer Egan
Jeffrey Eugenides
Jonathan Franzen
Neil Gaiman
Barbara Goldsmith
Xiaolu Guo
Ha Jin
Amy Hempel
Siri Hustvedt
Amitava Kumar
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman
Pablo Medina
Dinaw Mengestu
Ian McEwan
Jay McInerney
Azar Nafisi
Andrew Nathan
Suzanne Nossel
Susan Orlean
Katherine Paterson
Michael Pietsch
Francine Prose
Victoria Redel
Norman Rush
Douglas Rushkoff
Michael Scammell
Dava Sobel
Andrew Solomon
Elliot Sperling
Art Spiegelman
Rob Spillman
Fred Tomaselli
Jacob Weisberg
Alex Zucker<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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