Letter from All Saints Parish to Condoleeza RiceAll Saints Parish All Saints Parish 1773 Beacon Street Brookline, Massachusetts 02445-4299 December 18, 2004
Condoleeza Rice Dear Ms. Rice: Update on Dr. Yang Jianli, imprisoned in China Our fellow parishioner, Christina Fu, at All Saints Parish, Brookline, Massachusetts was in touch with you nearly two years ago when you wrote to her (your letter of March 6, 2003) on behalf of President Bush regarding her husband, Dr. Yang Jianli, who had been held prisoner in China since April of 2002, and still remains detained today. Despite the efforts of the U.S. Congress, the Administration, and the action of numerous highly respected institutions including the United Nations, Amnesty International and Harvard University, the very strong advocacy launched in the hopes of securing his release has yet to produce a positive outcome. Serious Medical Concerns Very recently we have learned that Yang Jianli was given the first opportunity to have family visitors at the prison in China. There was an emotional reunion with his brother, sister, and one of his nephews. Although this was very welcome news, it also brought much more detailed information about his current medical condition. Jianli was able to give his family members further information regarding a mild stroke he suffered in July of this year and explained that he has continued to experience numbness on the left side of this body. He remains very concerned about his health and a lack of adequate medical care and told his family that he is going to be appealing for medical parole from within the prison. Despite learning of the stroke last summer, Christina has now received the first news of her husband's ongoing symptoms and has serious concerns about the impact of additional time in prison and how that may aggravate his compromised medical condition. She feels it now even more critical that he be released and permitted to return to the U.S. At this stage, many of those who have lobbied continuously for Jianli's release for more than two and a half years are now asking those in positions of influence with the Chinese government to once again make their voices heard. A letter written by Jared Genser, the attorney for Yang Jianli's family, was sent to Secretary Powell several days ago, and a news story regarding these latest developments was put out by Associated Press. Call for Support - Immediate Action Needed We are contacting member of the Administration and our representatives on Capitol Hill to discuss and promote some critical next steps that need to be taken at the soonest possible, and we urge you to bring this matter to the attention of President Bush immediately as we feel that intervention at the highest level is essential. We hope that you will stress the urgency of this matter to the President so that he may take the appropriate steps with Chinese President Hu Jintao and other appropriate Chinese officials by advocating for Dr. Yang Jianli's release on medical parole now. This is provided for under Chinese law as is provision that parole may be granted after half of a sentence is served. Having received a five-year sentence, his time in prison has now well exceeded the half-way point. Jianli's wife and children and those of us from his community of Brookline and all others throughout his country who have voiced concern regarding his detention and the human rights violations that surround his case are grateful for the much-needed support you and others in the Administration can collectively offer at this time. Many of our parishioners at All Saints in Brookline join me in this latest call for support by signing below. Sincerely,
David A. Killian -------------------------- |