One of the 45 writers and journalists currently in prison in China, Hu Shigen is a university lecturer, political activist and dissident writer.
He was arrested September 27, 1992 and charged with “counterrevolutionary crimes” for planning June 4 memorial activities in many of China’s cities. Hu was a founding member of the China Freedom and Democracy Party and China Free Trade Union and has campaigned for government accountability for the violent suppression of the Democracy Movement in June 1989. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and five years’ deprivation of political rights and is currently being held in Beijing No. 2 Prison. His sentence has recently been reduced by a total of two years. His health is deteriorating but he is reportedly being denied medical care for a number of conditions. He wrote “How Big a Character Is Xin” in prison at the end of 1995 or the beginning of 1996.
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