|
April 20, 2004
His Excellency Hu Jintao, President Dear President Hu, On this, the second anniversary of Dr. Yang Jianli's detention on April 26, 2002 in Kunming, China, I am writing again to reiterate my deep concern regarding his case. I want to thank your ambassador, Yang Jiechi, for his letter to me of January 28, 2004, containing some basic facts about this case. I too realize that the interactions between Chinese institutions and Harvard are mutually beneficial, and it is in this spirit that I am taking the liberty of writing to you again. Ambassador Yang's January 29, 2004 letter stressed that China is a country ruled by law and that Dr. Yang's case is being handled in accordance with law. While I am not an expert on Chinese law, I have been told that Article 168(1) of the Chinese Criminal Procedure Law requires that a verdict be issued within two-and-one-half months of a trial. However, Dr. Yang has been held now for almost eight months beyond the date of his trial, which was held on August 4, 2003. If he is being detained in violation of Chinese law, I would respectfully ask that he be immediately released to his family. I believe that Dr. Yang's continued detention - as well as the fact that he was held for over a year in solitary confinement, without access to his family or legal counsel and apparently without access to reading materials or exercise - has been more than sufficient punishment. Dr. Yang's wife, Christina Fu, who works at Harvard Medical School, is a valued member of our community. They have two young children, ages 8 and11, and, as you can imagine, Dr. Yang's detention is a cause of continual pain and suffering for his family. I fervently and respectfully hope that you will take the time to understand this petition, as well as the importance of Dr. Yang's immediate release not only for his family, not only for me, not only for the Harvard community, but also for reasons of justice. Thank you, Mr. President, for your consideration of this heartfelt appeal. Respectfully, Nicholas Christakis --
************************************************
Nicholas A. Christakis, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H. -------------------------- |