Amnesty International is seriously concerned for the safety of Dr. Wan Yanhai, a Chinese HIV/AIDS activist, who reportedly went missing on or around 24 August 2002, and is feared to have been detained by the Chinese police.

According to reports, Dr Wan was last seen on 24 August 2002 in Beijing at a gay and lesbian film screening. All attempts by his family to contact him have failed and the Chinese authorities have so far failed to respond to requests about his whereabouts. Unconfirmed reports suggest that he was under surveillance by the police, apparently in connection with his HIV/AIDS activism and support for health issues concerning lesbians and gay men and sex workers in China.

Wan Yanhai is the founder of the Aizhi (AIDS) Action Project, a group which focuses on the promotion of HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention in China, and the advocacy of the rights of people with AIDS.

Other members of the Aizhi Action Project have reportedly been subjected to surveillance and have been questioned since the group started organizing petitions to the government for better treatment.

A former health official in Beijing, Wan Yanhai was expelled from his post in 1994 after receiving criticism from the Ministry of Health in connection with his involvement in HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns and support for lesbian and gay rights.

Since founding the Aizhi Action Project in 1994, Wan Yanhai has played a prominent role in publicising the extent of the spread of AIDS, including by highlighting the connection between blood transfusions and HIV/AIDS in Henan province. He has published on the Aizhi Action Project's website, www.aizhi.org, lists of people who apparently died in Henan province of HIV/AIDS related illnesses after selling blood between late 1980s and mid 1990s to government-sanctioned blood collectors.

In July 2002 the Aizhi Action Project was forced to move out of their office when its partner institute allegedly received orders from the authorities to stop cooperating with the group.

According to Xinhua, the state-run news agency, the government is stepping up measures to keep the number of Chinese HIV/AIDS patients below 1.5 million by 2010. However, a UN report published in June 2002 estimates that by 2010 the number of HIV infected people in China could rise to 10 million if effective measures are not taken.

• expressing concerns at reports that Wan Yanhai went missing on or around 24 August and urging the Chinese authorities to immediately investigate and clarify his whereabouts;
• if he is in custody, urging the authorities to release him immediately if he is not to be charged with a recognisably criminal offence;
• urging the authorities to ensure that Wan Yanhai receives full access to his family, lawyers and medical treatment if he is in custody;
• calling on the authorities to ensure that all human rights defenders in China can carry out their work without fear of arbitrary detention or other human rights violations.