On June 16, 2009, PEN issued the following letter to President Hu Jintao and Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu of China calling for the release of Liu Xiaobo one week after he should have been released from detention under Chinese law.

June 16, 2009

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

Mr. Meng Jianzhu
Minister of the Public Security
East Chang’an Avenue 14
Beijing 100741
P.R. China


Your Excellencies,

On behalf of the 3,300 members of PEN American Center, an international organization of writers dedicated to protecting freedom of expression wherever it is threatened, we are writing to express our extreme concern regarding the continuing detention of prominent writer and former president of the Independent Chinese PEN Center Liu Xiaobo. As you know, as of June 8, 2009, Mr. Liu had been held the maximum six months under “residential surveillance,” and he therefore should have been freed under Chinese law.

We are particularly troubled by information suggesting that rather than release Mr. Liu,  officials at the Haidian District Branch of the Beijing Public Security Bureau informed Ms. Liu Xia, Liu Xiaobo’s wife, that Liu Xiaobo was not to be released from the undisclosed location where he is being held as the investigation continues beyond the allowed six-month period. We have received reports that guards were later posted outside of her Beijing home, as well as the homes of writer Jiang Qisheng and scholar Zhang Zuhua, both of whom are colleagues of Dr. Liu and friends of the family. The guards have remained there since Thursday, June 11. We understand that neither Liu Xia nor Mo Shaoping, Mr. Liu’s lawyer, have been permitted to visit Liu Xiaobo in over two months.

Liu Xiaobo is a respected colleague and an internationally-recognized advocate for the rights Chinese citizens are guaranteed under both international law and China’s own constitution. PEN American Center is seriously concerned that he is being arbitrarily detained in violation of those guarantees.  We therefore call for Dr. Liu’s immediate and unconditional release.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Sincerely,

Anthony Appiah
President

Larry Siems
Director, Freedom to Write and International Programs


CC: H. E. Mr. Zhou Wenzhong
Ambassador of the PRC to the U.S.
Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the U.S.
2201 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
Washington D.C. 20007
Fax: (202) 588-9760