Media Briefs
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IN response to China’s continued imprisonment of seriously ill journalist Gao Yu, Freedom House and fourteen other human rights and press freedom organisations are urging Chinese President Xi Jinping to release Gao and all those held for the peaceful expression of their political views and in need of medical attention:
“We are especially concerned about Gao in light of the deaths in detention of Beijing-based activist Cao Shunli and the respected Tibetan monk Tenzin Delek Rinpoche,” the 15 organisations said in a letter to President Xi. “Should Gao’s health significantly worsen because of the Chinese authorities’ failure to ensure proper medical treatment, Chinese government claims to respect human rights will be irreparably harmed.”
Gao, 71, has been incarcerated since her apprehension in April 2014 for allegedly leaking an internal Chinese Communist Party document disparaging human rights. In April 2015, she was convicted after an unfair trial and sentenced to seven years in prison. Gao suffers from chronic heart pain, high blood pressure, and other diseases. After her detention center allowed her a full checkup, a doctor found signs of blockages in her heart arteries and abnormal lymph node growth that could be malign.
Freedom House is an independent watchdog organization that supports democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world, and advocates for democracy and human rights.
— Aug 17, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT
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