On February 11, 2009, PEN issued the following letter to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton  in advance of her first official visit to China.

February 11, 2009

The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
US Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
Fax: (202) 261-8577

Dear Secretary Clinton:

We are writing on behalf of the 3,300 members of PEN American Center, an organization of writers dedicated to protecting freedom of expression wherever it is threatened, to urge you to raise the case of our PEN colleague Liu Xiaobo with Chinese authorities when you visit the country next Friday.

As we are sure you are aware, Liu Xiaobo, former President and current Board Member of the Independent Chinese PEN Center, was detained on December 8, 2008, on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power” after he co-authored Charter 08, a groundbreaking manifesto that outlines political reforms and calls for greater human rights and democracy in China. Liu Xiaobo was held incommunicado until December 31, when his wife, Liu Xia, was finally permitted to see him. According to our information, police are now holding him under “residential surveillance” at an undisclosed location in Beijing, despite the fact that his home is located within the city—an illegal maneuver which we believe is designed to keep him from communicating with the outside world during this year of sensitive anniversaries.

Though he has not been charged, our experience suggests that Liu Xiaobo will ultimately stand trial for “subversion,” a dubious charge regularly used to silence writers inside China and a violation of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. If convicted, Liu could face at least three years in prison.

Liu Xiaobo’s arrest comes on the heels of a disappointing year for freedom of expression in China.  Like many other human rights organizations, PEN members inside and outside of China were hopeful that the Chinese government would honor its pledges to improve its human rights record by the time the Beijing Olympics opened in August 2008. Instead, PEN documented a grinding and relentless campaign against freedom of expression in the run-up to the Games. There were  44_ writers in prison in China when the Olympics opened, six of them members of the Independent Chinese PEN Center. The subsequent arrest of Liu Xiaobo, one of China’s most recognized and celebrated dissident voices, suggests the disturbing possibility that now that the international spotlight has turned elsewhere, China will continue to expand its efforts to contain and suppress dissent.

Your visit the China, the first high-level diplomatic contact between our two countries under the new administration, will be crucial to setting the tone for relations going forward. By using to the opportunity to raise the case of Liu Xiaobo and urging his release, you will send a message to the Chinese government not only that the United States considers his detention a serious violation of a fundamental right, but that we stand with Liu Xiaobo and all those in China who ask only to participate in an open conversation about their country’s future.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,

Francine Prose
President

Larry Siems
Director, Freedom to Write and International Programs