China: Prominent writer Zhang Jianhong released; grave health concerns

English PEN welcomes the release on medical parole on 5 June 2010 of prominent writer and member of the Independent Chinese PEN Centre, Zhang Jianhong. However, we are deeply troubled by reports that he is now in a critical condition in hospital, requiring intensive care and dependent on a ventilator. English PEN considers Zhang Jianhong to be convicted in violation of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which China is a signatory. We therefore continue to call for all charges against Zhang Jianhong to be dropped, and pending this, appeal to the Chinese government to abide by its obligations to provide Zhang Jianhong with all necessary medical care immediately. 

According to our information, Zhang Jianhong has been diagnosed with muscle atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive degenerative disease of the central nervous system, and his condition has rapidly deteriorated in prison. Since October 2007 he has been held in Zhejiang Provincial Prison Hospital, Hangzhou, eastern China, but he is now dependant on a life support machine and requires intensive care. Zhang is unable to speak or write. Independent Chinese PEN Centre (ICPC) reports that, according to Zhang’s doctors, he is likely to remain dependent on the ventilator for the rest of his life, but that he might regain the use of his hands with rehabilitation treatment. The cost for keeping Zhang in intensive care is about 500 to 600 US$ a day, money that his family does not have.

Background   

A prominent poet, playwright and author, Zhang Jianhong (aka Li Hong) was arrested in September 2006 and sentenced in March 2007 to six years in prison for writing articles critical of the government. Zhang started publishing his poems in the 1980s, and was previously imprisoned from 1989-1991 for his pro-democracy activities. In August 2005 he founded the literary website Aiqinhai http://www.aiqinhai.org/), of which he was editor-in-chief, which was banned by the authorities in 2006. Before his 2006 incarceration, he was a regular contributor to the overseas Chinese sites Boxun (http://www.boxun.com) and The Epoch Times (http://www.dajiyuan.com).

Zhang Jianhong was released by the Chinese authorities on medical parole on 5 June 2010, after spending almost four years in prison. Repeated requests for medical parole had previously been denied, and his health is now critical.

Recommended Action
 
Please send appeals:

- Welcoming the release on medical parole of prominent writer Zhang Jianghong, but expressing grave concerns that he is said to be in a critical condition in hospital and dependent on a ventilator;
- Calling for all charges against Zhang Jianhong to be dropped, in accordance with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which China is a signatory, and pending this, to provide Zhang Jianhong with all necessary medical care immediately.  

Appeals to:

His Excellency Hu Jintao
President of the People’s Republic of China
State Council
Beijing 100032
P.R. China

Please note that fax numbers are no longer available for the Chinese authorities, so you may wish to ask the diplomatic representative for China in your country to forward your appeals:

His Excellency Liu Xiaoming
Embassy of the People’s Republic of China
49 Portland Place
London
W1B 1JL