Write a letter to the Chinese government, urging them to release Chen Daojun, Zeng Hongling, and Huang Qi, 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 and to appeal for the release of writers Chen Daojun, Zeng Hongling, and Huang Qi.

I understand that Chen Daojun, a freelance writer and journalist, was detained May 9, 2008 by the Public Security Bureau of Jintang County, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province and charged with “inciting splittism” for an article defending the basic rights of the Tibetan people. Mr. Chen is currently being held at the Detention Center of the Public Security Bureau of Jintang County.

Zeng Hongling, a writer and retired worker from Mianyang, Sichuan Province, was detained June 9, 2008 by plainclothes police from the Public Security Bureau of Mianyang on suspicion of “illegally providing information overseas” for articles published on an overseas Chinese web site. Her articles, part of a series entitled “The Accounts of My Personal Experiences During the Earthquake,” were published along with her own photographs under a pen name, Shanshan. Ms. Zeng is currently being held incommunicado at the Detention Center of the Mianyang Public Security Bureau.

Huang Qi, a human rights activist, writer, and director and co-founder of the Tianwang Human Rights Center, was detained June 10, 2008 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Mr. Huang was last seen being forced into a car by three unidentified men, and was later confirmed to be held by the police at the Detention Center of the Public Security Bureau of Chengdu City on suspicion of “illegally holding state secrets.” His detention may stem from his criticism of the government’s handling of the May 12th earthquake.

All three of these writers 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]