Please write a polite letter on your personal or institutional letterhead requesting that Tohti Tunyaz be released--or copy the one below--and mail to President Hu Jintao (postage 90¢).

[Date]

His Excellency Hu Jintao
State President
State Council
Beijing 100032
People's Republic of China

Your Excellency,

I am writing to express my serious and urgent concern about the continued imprisonment of Tohti Tunyaz. As you may know, in February 2000 Mr. Tunyaz was sentenced to 11 years in prison plus two years' deprivation of political rights solely for his legitimate work as a historian and writer. I was shocked to learn that his only proven "crime" appears to be that of obtaining and copying part of a 50-year-old document for his research with the help of an official librarian, which the authorities claimed was "theft of classified information." Please reconsider Mr. Tunyaz's case and in a spirit of humanity order his immediate and unconditional release.

Sincerely,