呼籲中國釋放譚作人

tan_zuoren國際特赦組織新聞稿|2010年2月9日

 

國際特赦組織呼籲中國當局釋放維權人士譚作人。他被法院認定撰寫多篇有關1989年「六四」顛壓事件的文章與網路日誌,在國外網站上批評中國共產黨和中國政府,而以「煽動顛覆國家政權罪」判處徒刑五年。

 

國際特赦組織亞太研究部副主任阮柔安(Roseann Rife)指出:「從譚作人被捕、審判不公到判刑的過程,再次讓世人見證中國當局如何利用含糊籠統的法律條文來壓制和懲罰異議人士。

 

「中國當局不能再這樣嘴裡說要依法對待人權捍衛者,實際上卻像本案一樣毫不遵守自己制訂的法律程序。」

 

中國成都市中級人民法院是在今天上午宣佈了這項判決。

 

譚作人的妻子王慶華對這項判決表示抗議,她告訴國際特赦組織:「判他一天都是太重。他只不過是行使他的言論自由、憑著良心去揭發腐敗。」

 

譚作人案在去年8月12日一審開庭,過程嚴重不公且違反中國的刑事訴訟法。根據他的兩位律師表示,法院不讓他們傳喚證人出庭,也不准播放錄影帶,使他們根本無法進行辯護。

 

辯方證人之一,國際知名藝術家艾未未,遭到身著制服的警員毆打及非法拘留數小時,直到開庭結束後才被釋放。

 

兩位香港記者也被當地警察以搜索毒品為由,拘留在下榻的飯店房間,藉以阻止他們到法院採訪開庭。警方不准譚作人的支持者們進入法庭旁聽,只讓他的太太和女兒進去。旁聽席上其它的座位全被法院官員佔滿。今天試圖去採訪宣判的記者也同樣遭到騷擾。

 

法院拖延四個月才做出判決,沒有向譚作人的律師說明原因,這也違反了刑事訴訟法的規定。

阮柔安說:「中國當局顛壓人權捍衛者的做法,使社會無法就公共事務進行公開、透明的辯論,否定了問責(accountability)的概念。但把更多維權人士投入牢獄,只會讓要求正義的呼聲愈來愈強烈。」

 

更多有關譚作人的資訊請見:

Amnesty International’s press release “China: Free Sichuan earthquake activists”, 11 August 2009;
Web feature “China Sichuan earthquake activists to be tried”, 4 August 2009;
Urgent action “Fear of Torture and Other Ill-Treatment: Tan Zuoren (m)”, 2 April 2009.

 

[ENGLISH]

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release, 9 February 2010

 

China: Free human rights activist jailed after unfair trial

 

Amnesty International called on the Chinese authorities to release human rights activist Tan Zuoren, who was sentenced to 5 years in prison today for “inciting subversion of state power.”

Tan Zuoren was convicted for criticizing the Chinese Communist Party and the government through his articles and diaries posted on-line and on overseas websites concerning the authorities' handling of the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989 .

 

“His arrest, unfair trial and now the guilty verdict are further disturbing examples of how the Chinese authorities use vague and over broad laws to silence and punish dissenting voices,” said Roseann Rife, Asia-Pacific Deputy Director at Amnesty International.

 

“The Chinese authorities cannot continue to claim that they are dealing with human rights defenders according to the law when they violate so many of their own legal procedures in cases like this.”

 

The verdict was announced this morning by the Chengdu City Intermediate People’s Court in China.

 

Tan Zuoren’s wife, Wang Qinghua, protested the conviction and told Amnesty International that “even one day of imprisonment is too much. He only exercised his freedom of expression and addressed corruption from his own conscience.”

 

Tan Zuoren’s trial on 12 August was grossly unfair and disregarded China’s criminal procedure law. His lawyers reported they were unable to call their witnesses to testify in court or show the video footage they prepared, and they were unable to present their defence.

One of the defense witnesses, internationally acclaimed artist Ai Weiwei, was beaten and illegally detained by individuals in uniform claiming to be police for hours until after the trial ended.

Two Hong Kong journalists were prevented from covering his trial when local police detained them in their hotel room under the guise of searching for drugs. Police barred supporters of Tan Zuoren from the courtroom, allowing only his wife and one of his daughters, from attending the trial. Court officials filled the rest of the seats. Journalists were again harassed today trying to cover the story at the court.

 

The Court also violated criminal procedure law by delaying the verdict for four months with no explanation to Tan Zuoren’s lawyers.

 

“By silencing human rights defenders the Chinese authorities are denying society an open and transparent debate and rejecting the concept of accountability. The calls for justice will only become louder as more human rights activists are sentenced,” said Roseann Rife.

 

For more information on Tan Zuoren, see:

Amnesty International’s press release “China: Free Sichuan earthquake activists”, 11 August 2009;
Web feature “China Sichuan earthquake activists to be tried”, 4 August 2009;
Urgent action “Fear of Torture and Other Ill-Treatment: Tan Zuoren (m)”, 2 April 2009.

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