 Shi Tao: Imprisoned for sending an email
Posted on: 15/01/08
Updated: 25/07/08
"Facing such tremendous adversities, I feel no shame, and I have not lost confidence in my future."
Shi Tao.
Profile
Shi Tao is a journalist, writer and poet from Taiyuan, Shanxi Province in China. In April 2004, while working as a reporter, he received instructions from the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese government about the correct political response journalists should take for covering the 15th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Shi Tao summarized the official communiqué and emailed it to a pro-democracy contact in the United States, where it was published to the internet.
Because of that email, police detained Shi Tao on 24 November 2004. He says they had no warrant for his arrest or to search his home, computer and notebooks. Three weeks later he was charged with “illegally providing state secrets to foreign entities” and on 30 April 2005, after a two-hour secret trial, he was sentenced to ten years in prison. His conviction was based in part on information provided by Yahoo!. Yahoo! later settled a lawsuit brought on behalf of Shi Tao in 2007.
Nearly four years after his initial detention, Shi Tao continues to serve a ten-year sentence for sending an email. During this time, his family has been under surveillance and harassed both at work and at home. His mother is also reportedly being monitored and harassed as she petitions for his release. Her appeal in to the Supreme People’s Court in May 2008 for a review of his case was rejected.
Shi Tao’s brother was able to visit him in prison in May 2008 and stated that his conditions in detention have improved. He is now allowed to listen to the radio and read the newspapers. While Amnesty International welcomes these improvements, true freedom of the press requires that Shi Tao is released immediately. Amnesty International recognizes Shi Tao as a prisoner of conscience, jailed solely for exercising his fundamental freedom of expression, and is calling for his immediate and unconditional release.
1. Sign Amnesty's e-appeal calling on the Chinese authorities to immediately release Shi Tao and ensure complete media and internet freedom.
Amnesty International’s Concerns in China
Stop using the death penalty.
Significantly reduce the use of the death penalty, as a step towards full abolition.
Ensure fair trials.
Ensure that trial and detention take place within international law, and stop the use of torture.
Respect the rights of human rights activists.
Ensure that human rights activists are free to carry out their peaceful activities – without harassment, intimidation or imprisonment.
Ensure internet freedom.
Ensure unrestricted, legitimate access to the internet across China, in accordance with international standards
Amnesty’s Involvement in Shi Tao’s case and Internet Censorship in China
Amnesty International continues to be deeply concerned about media and internet freedom in China, particularly in the lead-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Amnesty International has been appealing for Shi Tao’s release since his arrest in 2004, and Amnesty International members and supporters have sent solidarity messages to Shi Tao in prison.
The Chinese authorities have intensified their controls over media outlets, including newspapers, magazines and websites. This intensification casts doubts on China’s commitment to ensure ‘complete media freedom’ during the Beijing Olympics in August 2008. Those reporting on sensitive issues or who challenge the status quo, including human rights defenders, are at risk of dismissal, arbitrary detention or imprisonment.
In China hundreds of thousands of people are detained in violation of their fundamental rights. Many of these people fall into the category of 'cyber-dissident'. Dozens of such people are known to be in detention for web-related offences, such as posting calls in chat rooms for the release of dissidents; disseminating information about the spread of AIDS, or other diseases; or for critically discussing the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
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