Write a letter to the Chinese government, urging them to release Yang Tongyan, who has been imprisoned in violation of his right to freedom of expression . 

[Date]

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

Mr. Wang Shengjun
President of the Supreme People’s Court
No.27 Dongjiaominxiang
Dongcheng District, Beijing 100745
People’s Republic of China

Your Excellencies:

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the suppression of the right to freedom of expression in China and to appeal for the release of writer Yang Tongyan.

I understand that Mr. Yang, an Internet writer and member of the Independent Chinese PEN Center, was detained without a warrant in Nanjing on December 23, 2005 and held incommunicado at Dantu District Detention Centre in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province until January 27, 2006. After a three-hour trial that was closed to the public, Mr. Yang was convicted on charges of subversion for posting anti-government articles on the Internet and organizing branches of the China Democracy Party (CDP), and sentenced to 12 years in prison and four years’ deprivation of political rights. He has since submitted a petition to challenge the court verdict.  Mr. Yang is currently being held in Nanjing Prison in Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, where his diabetes and arthritis are reportedly worsening.

Yang Tongyan has been imprisoned for non-violent activities that are protected under Chinese law, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which China is a signatory. I therefore urge you to facilitate his immediate and unconditional release.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

[Your Name and Signature]