Minister of Justice of the People's
Republic of
WU Aiying Buzhang
Sifabu
10 Chaoyangmen Nandajie
Chaoyangqu
Beijingshi 100020
People's Republic of
Dear Minister,
I am deeply concerned for the safety
of Bu Dongwei who was assigned to two-and-a-half years’ Reeducation Through Labour in June 2006 in connection with his
activities as a member of the Falun Gong movement.
Bu Dongwei was accused of “resisting
the implementation of national laws” and “disturbing social order” based on
evidence of a verbal confession he made to police and 80 copies of Falun Gong
literature discovered in his home. His family has disputed the evidence against
him, saying that the police discovered no more than eight Falun Gong books when
they detained him. He had previously served a term of Re-education Through Labor from August 2000 to May 2001 during which he
was reportedly subjected to torture and other ill-treatment aimed at forcing
him to renounce his belief in Falun Gong.
Bu Dongwei is a prisoner of
conscience, detained in violation of his human rights to freedom of
expression and religious belief. I urge you to
secure his immediate and unconditional release. Pending his release, I urge you
to ensure that Bu Dongwei is not subjected to torture or other ill-treatment
while in custody.
The ongoing incarceration of Bu
Dongwei and many others in Re-education Through Labor
or others forms of punitive detention imposed without charge, trial or judicial
review, runs counter to commitments made by numerous Chinese officials that
human rights would improve in the run-up to the Olympic Games in
I urge the authorities to address
such abuses with a view to ensuring a positive human rights legacy for the
Olympic Games.
Sincerely,