Dear colleague letter from Congressmen Chris Cox and Barney Frank
re. U.S. Congress letter to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao

Chris Cox and Barney Frank

Dear Colleague,

We write to invite you to sign the enclosed letter to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao concerning the case of Dr. Yang Jianli, the pro-democracy scholar and activist who has been detained in China since April 2002. It has been four months since the trial of Dr. Yang in Beijing, and a verdict has yet to be rendered. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will visit the United States in early December, and this will be a good opportunity to continue to press the People's Republic of China with regard to Dr. Yang's case.

If you have any questions, or would like to sign this letter, please contact Daniel McGlinchey (x 53548, Rep. Frank) or Paul Wilkinson (x 56168, Rep. Cox) by Wednesday, December 3. Thank you.

        REP. CHRISTOPHER COX                            REP. BARNEY FRANK

December 5, 2003

Premier Wen Jiabao
c/o Embassy of the People's Republic of China
2300 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20008

Dear Premier Wen:

As you prepare for your visit to the United States, we write to share with you the high importance the U.S. Congress places on the case of Dr. Yang Jianli, a legal permanent resident of the United States who has been detained in China since April 26, 2002.

The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives both unanimously passed resolutions in recent months calling for Dr. Yang's release, and on behalf of Dr. Yang's wife and children, who are U.S. citizens, we would greatly appreciate your assistance in helping to bring about a resolution to Dr. Yang's case that would allow him to return to his family in the United States.

We recognize your country's rising reputation as a responsible regional power with regard, for example, to your government's vigorous push for a diplomatic solution to the nuclear standoff on the Korean Peninsula, and your recent signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

As you know, the circumstances of Dr. Yang's arrest and his recent trial have drawn a great deal of attention internationally. In June, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, consisting of representatives from Algeria, France, Hungary, Iran, and Paraguay, found your government's detention of Dr. Yang to be in violation of international law.

Although Dr. Yang was put on trial in Beijing over four months ago, no verdict has yet been rendered, and he remains in custody. We believe Dr. Yang's continued detention -- as well as the fact that he was held in solitary confinement, without access to his family or legal council, and without access even to reading materials, for over a year -- has been sufficient punishment.

We urge your government to allow Dr. Yang to return to his family in the United States as soon as possible. Such a humanitarian gesture would greatly enhance your country's standing internationally, and it would also be very welcomed by those of us who care about strengthening the bilateral relationship between our two countries.

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Source: "yangjianli.com".