Tan Zuoren - China
In February 2010 Chinese writer Tan Zuoren was sentenced to 5 years' imprisonment for "inciting subversion of state power".
The charges were ostensibly laid for the publication of an essay entitled, “1989: Witnessing the Final Beauty – A Eyewitness’s Diary on the Square”, on international Chinese websites in 2007. This essay of about 16,000 Chinese characters was published in three pieces as it was considered to be relatively long. Each piece resulted in 20 months in jail, the highest record among similar cases on the same charge (including that of Liu Xiaobo who received severe sentences of 11 years' imprisonment for seven publications — nearly 18 months per piece). The announcement of the verdict lasted five minutes, and was attended by two of Tan Zuoren’s lawyers. His wife and daughter were denied entry to the court.
In 2009, in the wake of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Tan Zuoren began an independent investigation into the quality of school building construction, and it was this investigation that lawyers and activists consider the main reason for his imprisonment. He was particularly interested in why so many schools collapsed during the earthquake while the buildings around them remained standing. He attempted to compile a record of the victims of the earthquake by asking parents to provide him with the names of children they had lost, as well as any evidence of poor building construction they were aware of. But in March 2009, before he was able to finish the report, he was arrested.
In June 2010, the European Union at the United Nations condemned the deprivation of Tan’s right to freedom of speech and a proper trial and called for the unconditional release of Mr Tan. “The verdict against Tan Zuoren is entirely incompatible with his right to freedom of expression and does not meet international standards of fairness,” High Representative Catherine Ashton said.
Sydney PEN is a signatory to the media statement on Tan Zuoren and Liu Xiaobo released by Independent Chinese PEN Centre in February 2010. Visit our Media Centre to read this statement.
Further information:
BBC NEWS – “Profile: Tan Zuoren” (last updated 9 Feb 2010)
THE GUARDIAN – “China jails investigator into Sichuan earthquake schools” (9 Feb 2010)
The European Union at the United Nations – “Declaration by the High Representative Catherine Ashton on behalf of the European Union on human rights in China” (11 Jun 2010)