Write a letter to the Chinese government, urging them to release Wang Xiaoning, Li Zhi, and Shi Tao, who have been imprisoned in violation of their 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 as it applies to the Internet and to appeal for the release of writers Wang Xiaoning, Li Zhi, and Shi Tao.

Wang Xiaoning, an Internet writer and dissident, was arrested on September 1, 2002 and charged with subversion for articles published online between 2000 and 2002. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and two years’ deprivation of political rights on July 25, 2003, and is currently being held in Beijing No. 2 Prison.

Li Zhi, an Internet writer and financial officer in the Dazhou municipal government in Sichuan Province, was arrested on August 11, 2003 after posting essays accusing Sichuan officials of corruption on an overseas website. On December 10, 2003, he was sentenced to eight years in prison and four years’ deprivation of political rights on charges of “subverting state power.” Mr. Li is currently being held in Sichuan No. 3 Prison in Dazhu County.

Shi Tao, a journalist, poet, and member of Independent Chinese PEN Center, was arrested on November 24, 2004 after he e-mailed the government’s plans for controlling media coverage during the 10th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. He was sentenced on April 30, 2005 to 10 years in prison and two years’ deprivation of political rights for “illegally divulging state secrets abroad.” Mr. Shi is currently being held in Deshan Prison, Changde City, Hunan Province.

I understand that corporate Internet giant Yahoo! assisted Chinese authorities by supplying user information used to convict each of these men. All three have 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 their immediate and unconditional release.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

[Your Name and Signature]