Dr. Xu Zerong, (anglicized name, Dr David Tsui) an associate research professor at the Provincial Academy of Social Sciences and an affiliated professor at Zhongshan University, Xu wrote several freelance articles for Hong Kong publications and co-founded a Hong Kong-based journal, China Social Sciences Quarterly. He was detained in 2000 and was arrested in 2002 after using historical materials for his academic research on the Korean War. He was sentenced to a total of 13 years in prison: 10 years for revealing state secrets by sending allegedly classified documents overseas, and an additional 3 years in prison for economic crimes, on charges of bringing banned books into the mainland. Little is known about the conditions under which Xu is being held other than that officials say he is in good health, and he has reportedly been able to receive visitors. More information about is case is available at human rights watch. Send appeals for his release to:

Address

His Excellency Jiang Zemin
President of the People’s Republic
of China
Zhong Naihai, Beijingshi 100032
People’s Republic of China

Sample Letter

Your Excellency:

I am writing to you about the imprisonment of Dr Xu Zerong in relation to his peaceful practice of academic research and publication.

Dr Xu is a respected scholar of Chinese foreign relations who, at the time of his detention on 24th June 2000, worked at Zhongshan University and the Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences. He was tried in Shenzhen in January 2002 and sentenced to three years in respect of charges of economic crimes and ten years on charges of leaking state secrets. It appears that the first set of charges related to the allegedly illegal publication of books and periodicals, and the second set of charges related to his use of information gathered in the course of his research into the Korean War (1950-1953), including Chinese analysis of American and South Korean capabilities, and documents explaining the Chinese People's Volunteers' involvement in that conflict.

If Dr Xu's use of historical data was the main basis for finding him guilty of leaking state secrets, this would amount to violation of a scholar's right to receive and impart information regardless of frontiers and of the right to freedom of research. These rights are guaranteed in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and in Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

I am also deeply concerned about the conditions under which Dr Xu has been held since June 2000. During the eighteen months before he was brought to trial, he was apparently allowed no visitors or correspondence. This raises the questions of whether Dr Xu's human rights have been respected and whether his detention and trial have been in conformity with those human rights covenants that China has signed or ratified.

I respectfully seek assurances that all prisoners are treated humanely while in detention. I would like to remind the Chinese government of its commitment to freedom of expression as guaranteed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which China is a signatory. I therefore respectfully request that you intervene on behalf of Xu Zerong and to bring about his early release.

Yours faithfully,