Please sign the petition letter requesting
release of Mr. Du Daobin

Du Daobin, a civil servant from HuBei, a central province of China, was taken into custody by plainclothes state security agents on Oct. 28, accused of "subverting state power."

Before his arrest, Du was a prolific writer who had published his essays online. He was deeply affected by the arrest of fellow Internet writer Liu Di, a 23-year-old college student, who was arrested in Beijing on November 7, 2002, and has been held incommunicado since then. She was an active contributor to several online forums, and frequently wrote articles that were critical of the Chinese government. She also expressed her support for imprisoned Web master Huang Qi, and called for freedom of expression.

After Liu Di's arrest, Du had actively called for her release and recently co-organized an online campaign to show solidarity by taking a series of actions, including spending one day in a darkened room to symbolically "accompany Liu Di in prison." He also wrote a number of essays supporting Liu Di and calling on authorities to release her.

"We pay homage to Du Daobin's courage and the impact of his symbolic protest in support of Liu Di. The simulated detention campaign was a model of peaceful protest and the arrest of its instigator is quite simply disgraceful," Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard said.

Du's wife has not been allowed to visit or communicate with Du in detention. The request of Du's lawyer to meet him has also been denied.

Several dozen Chinese academics, reporters and scholars have written a petition letter addressed to Premier Wen Jiabao, which calls on Beijing to release Du and protect freedom of speech.

"We express our deep regret over the matter," the letter said. "We request that the highest executive authorities take lawful measures to instruct the relevant authorities to liberate Du Daobin."

"We hope more people show their concerns for Du and other conscience prisoners, and sign this letter." One of the authors, Mr. Liu Xiaobo, said.

The letter is now open for public to sign. Anyone who would like to sign the letter may send an email to FreeDuDaobin@yahoo.com to give authorization to put his name at the end of the letter, or just sign here:

I would like to sign the petition letter below

An Open Letter to Premier Wen Jiabao

By Liu Xiaobo and others

People’s Republic of China State Council
Premier Wen Jiabao and Officials of Executive Authorities:

We express our deepest regret over the arrest of Internet essayist Mr. Du Daobin from Hubei Province on October 28, 2003 by the local police of Xiaogan District, Yingcheng City.

We request that the highest executive authorities take lawful measures and instruct the relevant authorities to liberate Mr. Du.

On October 30, 2003 the Yingcheng City police showed the “detention notice” to Du Daobin’s wife, which stated that Mr. Du was accused of “suspected subversion of state power.” From our understanding of Du Daobin and his literary works, we firmly believe this accusation lacks any merit and the law is being manipulated.

The detention of Mr. Du seriously violated a citizen’s freedom of speech; it has also laid aside a citizen’s rights as stated in the "People's Republic of China Constitution." It has gone on to violate international human rights treaties signed by China, including the “Rights of Citizens and Political Rights Convention." We therefore request that the Chinese State Council examine or correct, according to the law, this alleged “suspected violation of the law.”

In recent years, some local authorities in China have disregarded the laws that safeguard citizens’ rights. They have ignored the request for freedom of speech, at home and abroad, and the international opposition against the arrest of independent writers. We feel disconcerted by the abuse of police power and the imprisonment of people just because of their speeches or writing. In this act of terrorism those whose voices freely express dissent, including Huang Qi, Yang Zili, Liu Di, Li Yibin, Cai Lujun, and Luo Yongzhong, etc., were subjected to imprisonment; some of them with heavy terms. We protest against their arrest and request their immediate releases. We believe that promptly correcting this gross violation of human rights not only conforms to Chinese law and the United Nations' Declaration of Human Rights, but also complies with international progression of human rights and allows China to enter the mainstream of political acceptance.

Over the last 100 years, Chinese people have been making huge efforts to overcome an outdated political system that has wrecked much havoc in the lives of Chinese citizens.

The national government’s power is increasingly expanding and continually limiting basic human rights. The values and dignity of individuals are buried under the threat of state terrorism. Moreover, the lessons and experiences of today are serious and painful.

A national government that enforces terror can not obtain validity and maintain righteousness in society; the people who cannot be liberated to enjoy a life without fear will live in moral desolation. The poor human rights situation is the direct cause for the degeneration of human character, bringing humiliation to China and the Chinese people in the world arena. As a result of this, we appeal to every Chinese person, including you, the reader, to spare us from political terrorism, free us from political humiliation, and let us enter into a civilized society.

In developing civilizations there is a compromise between authority and freedom, which becomes the turning point of entering modern society. We believe that the hatred and unyielding selfishness (present in nowadays China) is a result of vested interests. The loss of citizens’ conscience is induced by state terrorism and is the main reason for China’s every social disaster. China’s reforms should abolish state terrorism and people should be free to speak without the fear of being charged with crime. Based on this, it is very crucial and urgent that the government respect and assure citizen’s freedom of speech.

We believe that personal freedom and the nation’s dignity will be awakened when every Chinese citizen takes responsibility. Therefore, let us unite together to defeat the power of politics and selfishness, and overcome timidity. Let us end the tradition of incriminating people for their speech.

We urge every citizen to make a valid effort to examine every human rights case.

Again, we call on the government to free Du Daobin and all the people who have been charged with violating China’s antiquated speech laws. Their basic human rights should be respected and protected by the nation and its judicial agencies. They should be rescued from the current legal disaster and be treated justly.

We are paying close attention to the case of Du Daobin and other related cases. Our freedom should be safeguarded based on legal rights embodied in the Constitution and what we believe is our birthright. Therefore, we sign our names solemnly below.

Sincerely

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