Comm. to Protect Journalists

ACT UP

Human Rights Watch in China

New York Times

Dr. Wan Yanhai is Released

CHINA: Committe to Protect Journalists welcomes release of Wan Yanhai	top

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New York, September 20, 2002--The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) welcomes the release today of the prominent AIDS activist and Web publisher Wan Yanhai, who was detained for nearly a month on suspicion of "leaking state secrets."

China's official news agency, Xinhua, as quoted by Agence France-Presse,said that Wan was released after "confessing to his crimes and agreeing to cooperate with police in the investigation." Xinhua stated that an official from the State Information Office "revealed that Wan had delivered some illegally acquired interior classified documents . . . to overseas individuals, media sources, and Web sites on August 17, 2002."

Wan, who went missing on August 24, appears to have been targeted for publishing online a government report documenting the spread of AIDS in Henan Province. Although public security agents eventually told Wan's colleagues in Beijing that he had been detained, the government never officially confirmed his arrest or informed his relatives about his whereabouts.

"We are relieved that Wan has been freed so that he can resume his important work," said CPJ executive director Ann Cooper. "However, there should be absolutely no conditions on his release. Wan's reporting was not a crime, but rather an important public service."

Wan was released after a vigorous campaign mounted by international organizations including CPJ. Despite his release, China remains the world's leading jailer of journalists with 35 imprisoned.

Wan today told journalists that he is in good health but did not discuss where he was detained or the terms of his release. "It's not too convenient for me to say right now," Wan told The Associated Press. "However, nothing that has happened will affect my work."

The Web site produced by Wan's Aizhi (AIDS) Action Project had become one of the best independent sources of information about the HIV-AIDS epidemic in China, publishing reports that could not appear in the tightly controlled domestic press. The site, www.aizhi.org , now hosted on a server outside of China, is still accessible.

Beijing's attempts to restrict information about the disease has contributed to the catastrophic spread of HIV, which, according to the government's own estimates, could infect as many as 10 million people in China by the end of the decade.

( CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information about press conditions in China, visit www.cpj.org. )

ACT UP Statement on Wan Yan Hai¹s Release by the Chinese Government	top

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ACT UP is pleased that the Chinese government has decided to free Dr. WanYan Hai, an AIDS expert and scholar who is leading the fight against AIDS in China. A global team of AIDS and human rights activists from New York to Johannesburg worked tirelessly to mobilize people with AIDS around the world to help free him. Many, many other NGOs and other entities worked behind the scenes on his behalf.

However, hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens still languish with AIDS.Their children are being orphaned every day. They are demanding AIDS treatment, and Dr. Wan¹s release reminds us that their voices must be heard.

So as US AIDS activists, in solidarity with people with AIDS in China, we call on the Chinese government:
1. To provide immediate, free AIDS medication for people with AIDS in China.One recent petition to the Chinese government reads, in part:
   
   “To provide free medicine, or medicine we can afford, and we demand the government produce copies of Western medicines as quickly as possible," signed by 30 patients from Sui County in Henan.
   
   
2. To allow the free flow of AIDS information in China on the Internet and in the press‹this information is the key to stopping the epidemic.
3. To manufacture generic versions of drugs off patent and issue compulsory licenses for drugs that have patents in effect in China.
4. To stop harassing and detaining Chinese AIDS activists who are trying to halt this epidemic and save lives.


We call on President Bush to advocate for these demands when he meets with President Jiang Zemin next month.

As US AIDS activists, we also stand in solidarity with the courageous activists in China who are risking their lives to help people with AIDS.

ACT UP is watching.

Human Rights in China Statement On Dr. Wan Yanhai's Release	top

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Human Rights in China welcomes the release of public health and AIDSactivist Dr. Wan Yanhai. This release following a relatively short period of detention is a victory for the international AIDS activist and human rights communities, Dr. Wan's friends, family, colleagues, and supporters. Dr. Wan through his courage, persistence, and commitment over the past decade, has made an invaluable contribution to putting the human face of AIDS in China on the international map. Human Rights in China urges ongoing monitoring to ensure that Dr. Wan and his colleagues are able to continue their important work inside and outside of China.

At the same time, Dr. Wan's detention and his release reflects the arbitrary power and unfettered discretion of the Chinese State Security apparatus. Dr. Wan's detention is not the first time the Chinese government has invoked the State Security or State Secrets Law to chill and suppress legitimate efforts by Chinese citizens to address the critical issues facing Chinese society, such as the current AIDS crisis. Many other Chinese citizens remain in detention for alleged violations of vague provisions of these laws. For example, Li Hai, a graduate of Beijing University Philosophy department, is still serving his nine-year sentence for his "crime" of collecting a post-1989 prisoner list of democracy advocates. Human Rights in China urges the release of all individuals detained for peacefully exercising their rights of freedom of expression and association.

( For more information about Human Rights Watch in China contact: Xiao Qiang or Sharon Hom (English) 212-239-4495 Liu Qing (Chinese) 212-239-4495 )

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