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Groups call for activist's release

Civic and human rights groups yesterday urged Beijing to disclose information concerning to the whereabouts of exiled Chinese dissident Yang Jianli (楊建利), one year after the US educated democracy activist was detained in China's Yunnan province.

"The Chinese government has held him for a year without beginning to handle his case according to pertinent legal procedures. China, as a self-proclaimed responsible power, should speed up its handling of the case," said Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉), assistant research fellow at the Institute of International Relations at National Chengchi University.

Hsu made the statement during a press conference held jointly by Taiwan Association for Human Rights, the Chang Fo-chuan Center for the Study of Human Rights at Soochow University and the Peacetime Foundation of Taiwan, among others.

The petitions from scholars and activists at the press conference in downtown Taipei echoed candle-light vigils held in major cities across the US to mark the one-year anniversary of Yang's detention in China.

Yang was detained on April 27th of last year in Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan province in China, after he went there with a forged passport to observe the labor unrest that had erupted in northern China.

Yang ,who holds a Ph D in political economy from Harvard University and another Ph D in mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley, had been formerly affiliated with Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

A staunch critic of the Chinese regime, Yang has headed the US-based think tank Foundation for China in the 21st Century to advocate democracy and the rule of law in China.

Yang's wife, Xiang Fu (傅湘), has said that she has been denied information from the Chinese police regarding Yang's whereabouts and the right to see him in person.

"While the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has shattered the regime in Beijing, the Chinese authorities might as well close Yang's case as soon as possible as a way to ease the pressure on its shoulders," said John Wei (魏千峰), President of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights.

Petitioners in Taiwan and the US have also urged Beijing to respect Yang's right to return to his country. They called for China to release the activist in a timely manner, while providing him with a new, valid passport.
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