APPENDIX A
LETTER SIGNED BY INTERNATIONAL LAWYERS ON
BEHALF OF GAO ZHISHENG
Wu Aiying
Ministry of Justice, People's Republic of China
10 Nan Da Jie, Chaoyang Men
Zip 100020
Dear Minister Wu Aiying:
A dark shadow hangs over the forthcoming Olympic
Games in Beijing for millions who believe passionately in freedom
of religion.
We the undersigned write as human rights advocates,
including law professors, attorneys and barristers. We do not
understand why GAO Zhisheng, a lawyer and defender of religious
freedom for the Falun Gong and for the Christian House Church
in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, has been arrested, charged
with "inciting subversion", and is being held at an
unknown location, possibly following a secret trial. We fear that
he may be in danger of being tortured.
The United States Commission on International
Religious Freedom's Report of 21 August 2006, states that the
arrest of Mr GAO appears to be an attempt to intimidate and silence
those who are using legal means to defend human rights protections
in China, and to deny legal representation to a citizen whose
views or actions are unacceptable to the Chinese government.
Amnesty International speculates that Mr GAO's
detention is linked to his publication of an open letter in October
2005 calling for religious freedom and an end to the "barbaric"
persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual movement.
We wish to remind your Government that GAO's
arrest and detention without trial constitute a violation of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which China
has signed and committed to ratify, particularly Article 9 which
prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention. We would also like to
remind your Government that under the United Nations Basic Principles
on the Role of Lawyers, governments have a duty to ensure that
lawyers can fulfill their functions without fear of harassment
and that any disciplinary proceedings against lawyers must be
conducted in a fair and impartial manner.
The United Nations through its Special Rapporteur
reports, the United States Department of State through its human
rights country reports and International Religious Freedom reports,
Amnesty International and several other NGOs have documented and
commented upon the Chinese government's abridgement of such civil
and human rights as the right to be free from arbitrary arrest
and detention and torture, the right to religious freedom and
freedom of conscience, the right to a legal remedy as well as
access to legal counsel. See for example, the Report of the Office
of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (General Assembly, 59th
Session, document number A/59/402, 1 October 2004), which references
many serious shortcomings in the Chinese legal system. See also,
the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom's
"Policy Focus on China", Delegation to China,
14-28 August 2005.
We believe that these principles mark the cornerstone
of an enlightened and democratic society.
For these reasons, the following lawyers, human
rights advocates, individuals, and groups interested in the protection
of these basic rights, state the following:
"We respectfully call on the Government
of the People's Republic of China to release GAO Zhisheng and
reinstate Mr GAO's law firm's license to practice law".
Sincerely,
Terri E Marsh
Executive Director
Human Rights Law Foundation
Theresa Chu, Esq
Director
Human Rights Law Foundation
Carlos Iglesias Jimeniz, Esq
Aboado De Deechos Humanos
WILLIAM ACEVES
Professor of Law
California Western School of Law
San Diego, California
USA
REGINE ADAMASZEK & NOOR PASHA
For and on behalf of NP Solicitors
171 Hanworth Road
Hounslow
Middlesex TW3 3TT
United Kingdom
FANCESCA ALBANESE
Lawyer
London
United Kingdom
ROY AMLOT QC.
Past Chairman of the Bar Council of England and Wales
6, Kings Bench Walk,
Temple, London EC4Y 7DR
United Kindgom
DAVID ANDERSON QC
Brick Court Chambers
7-8 Essex Street
London WC2R 3LD
United Kingdom
| CLIVE ANSLEY
Canadian Barrister & Solicitor
China Country Monitor,
Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada
211C—750 Comox Road
Courtenay, BC V9N 3P6
Canada
ALEX BAILIN
Barrister
Matrix
Griffin Building
Gray's Inn
London WC1R 5LN
United Kingdom
GEORGES HENRI BEAUTHIER
Barrister at the Brussels Bar Association
Belgium
ANTHONY BERRY QC
9 Bedford Row
London WC1R 4AZ
United Kingdom
BILL BOWRING
Barrister, Professor of Law
Birkbeck College, University of London
School of Law
Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX
United Kingdom
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DAVID BRADLEY
London School of Economics and Political Science
United Kingdom
JOHN BROMLEY-DAVENPORT QC
Dean's Court Chambers
24 St John Street
Manchester, M3 4DF
United Kingdom
JULIAN BURNSIDE QC
Latham Chambers, room 1004
500 Bourke St Melbourne 3000
Australia
LORD CARLILE OF BERRIEW QC
9-12 Bell Yard
London WC2A 2JR
United Kingdom
VIVIEN CHEN
Law Student
BPP, Waterloo
London
United Kingdom
KENNETH H C CHIU
Former Chair of Taiwan Association for Human Rights
Taipei
Taiwan
WILLIAM CLEGG QC
2, Bedford Row
London WC1R 4BU
United Kingdom
SARAH COOK
Law Clerk, Human Rights Law Foundation
School of Oriental and African Studies
Thornaugh Street, Russell Square
London WC1H 0XG
United Kingdom
PROFESSOR E J COOKE
School of Law
University of Reading
United Kingdom
IAN CRAM
Senior Lecturer and Director LLM in
International and European Human Rights Law
School of Law, Leeds University
United Kingdom
MARK CRAN QC
Brick Court Chambers
7-8 Essex Street
London WC2R 3LD
United Kingdom
DR HAZEL DAWE
Department of Law, Governance and
International Relations
London Metropolitan University
16 Goulston Street
London E1 7TP
United Kingdom
JOANNA DAWISKIBA
| BRIAN DOCTOR QC
Fountain Court Chambers
Temple
London EC4Y 9DH
United Kingdom
RACHEL EVANS
190 Tradewinds Court
Wards Wharf Approach
London E16 2EQ
TATIANA FLESSAS
Lecturer in Law
Law Department London School of Economics and Political Science
Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom
PROF JOHN FLOOD
Professor of Law and Sociology
School of Law
University of Westminster
4 Little Titchfield Street
London W1W 7UW
United Kingdom
REIDY FLYNN
100 Lansdowne Way
London W8 2EP
United Kingdom
MICHAEL FORDHAM QC
Blackstone Chambers
Blackstone HouseTemple
London EC4Y 9BW
United Kingdom
ALICE GARTLAND
132 St Josephs Vale
London SE3 OXQ
United Kingdom
PROF CONOR GEARTY
Rausing Director of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights
London School of Economics and Political Science
Houghton Street London WC2A 2AE UK
United Kingdom
PROF DAVID GRANT
Northumbria University
School of Law
Newcastle upon tyne NE1 8ST
United Kingdom
THOMAS GUOTING GUO
Attorney
Canada
ETHAN GUTMANN
Author, Losing the New China
1688 West Hill Road
Wallingford, VT 05773
USA
LANA S HAN
Executive Director International Advocates for Justice
95-60 Queens Boulevard, Unit 127
Rego Park, NY 11374
USA
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STEPHANIE HARPER
17 Woodside Road
St Albans
Herts, AL2 3QL
United Kingdom
ALBERT HO CHUN-YAN
Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, Practicing Solicitor
Hong Kong
NAOIMH HUGHES
On behalf of the BAR HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE
Garden Court Chambers
57-60 Lincoln's Inn Fields
London WC2A 3LS
United Kingdom
PROF JOHN JACKSON
Professor of Public Law
School of Law
Queen's University Belfast
Northern Ireland
United Kingdom
WOLFGANG KALECK
Lawyer
Immanuelkirchstrasse 3-4
D- 10405 Berlin
Germany
STEPHEN KAY QC
9 Bedford Row
London WC1R 4AZ
United Kingdom
DR NICO KRISCH
Law Department
London School of Economics and Political Science
Houghton St, London WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom
DR J KUPER
Research Fellow, Law Dept
London School of Economics and Political Science
Houghton St, London WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom
HELEN LAW
Barrister
Matrix, Griffin Building
Gray's Inn
London WC1R 5LN
United Kingdom
LORD LESTER OF HERNE HILL QC
Blackstone Chambers
Temple
London EC4Y 9BW
United Kingdom
MAYA LESTER
Barrister
Brick Court Chambers
7-8 Essex Street
London WC2R 3LD
United Kingdom
| FENG-JENG LIN
Former Chair of Taiwan Association for Human
Rights
Taipei
Taiwan
ANDREW LOCKLEY
Solicitor
Public Law Unit
Irwin Mitchell
2 Millsands
Sheffield S3 8DT
United Kingdom
TIM LOUIS
Tim Louis and Company
208—175 E Broadway
Vancouver, BC, V5T 1W2
Canada
JOHANNA LOWE
Financial Ombudsman
London SE22 8UN
United Kingdom
DAVID MATAS
602-225 Vaughan Street
Winnipeg, MB R3c1T7
Canada
AUSILIA MATRAXIA
LPC Student
149 Carterhatch Road Enfield EN3 5LY
United Kingdom
DI MIDDLETON
Barrister
Tooks Chambers
8 Warner Yard
London EC1R 5EY
United Kingdom
LAURA MILNE
LPC Law Student
Flat 7, 2a Garnham Street
Stoke Newington
London N16 7JB
United Kindgom
ZIBA MIR-HOSSEINI
Hauser Global Law Visiting Professor
Room 302B, Vanderbilt Hall
New York University School of Law
40 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012,
USA
CHRISTINE MOON
Law Clerk, Human Rights Law Foundation
717 D Street, NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20004
USA
PHILIP MOOR QC
Former Chairman, Family Law Bar Association of England & Wales
1 Hare Court, Temple, London
United Kingdom
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HELEN MOUNTFIELD
Barrister
Matrix
Griffin Building
Gray's InnLondon WC1R 5LN
United Kingdom
PETER E MUELLER
on behalf of IGFM
Internationale Gesellschaft fu[lcodot]r MenschenRechte—Deutsche Sektion e V
Borsigallee 9, D-60388 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
GILES NEWELL
Tooks Chambers
8 Warner Yard
London EC1R 5EY
United Kingdom
FERGUS RANDOLPH
Brick Court Chambers
7—8 Essex Street
London WC2R 3LD
United Kingdom
FREDRICK RHINE
Gessler, Hughes & Socol, Ltd
Three First National Plaza, 70 West Madison Street, Suite 2200
Chicago, IL 60602
USA
NAOMI ROHT-ARRIAZA
Professor of Law
University of California, Hastings College of the Law
USA
KATE RUSHWORTH
5 Stonefield St
Islington N1 0HP
United Kingdom
TIMOTHY SCOTT QC
29 Bedford RowLondon WC1R 4HE
United Kingdom
DR GERRY SIMPSON
Law Department
London School of Economics and Political Science
United Kingdom
MORTON SKLAR
Executive Director
World Organization for Human Rights USA
US Affiliate of the World Organization Against Torture International Network
1725 K Street, NW Suite 610
Washington, DC 20006
USA
| PAUL STAGG
Chambers of Edward Faulks QC
1 Chancery Lane
London, WC2A 1LF
United Kingdom
DR IGOR STRAMIGNONI
Department of Law
London School of Economics and Political Science
United Kingdom
DAVID STRANGER-JONES,
Law student (with Allen & Overy LLP)
4a Medway Buildings
Medway Road
London E3 5DR
United Kingdom
JIM STURMAN QC
2, Bedford Row
London WC1R 4BU
United Kingdom
DR LUCY VICKERS
Reader in Law
Oxford Brookes University,
Gipsy Lane, Headington
Oxford
United Kingdom
CHENG-FENG WEI
Former Chair of Taiwan Association for Human Rights,
Taipei
Taiwan
ALEXANDRA XANTHAKI
Lecturer in Law
Brunel University, West London
United Kingdom
ERPING ZHANG
Association for Asian Research 2753 Broadway, 144
NY, NY 10025 USA
USA
SHERRY ZHANG
Executive Director Committee to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong
530 Showers Dr STE 7-204 Mountain View, CA 94040
USA
LILLIAN ZHENG
The Falun Gong Human Rights Working Group 9974 Scripps Ranch Blvd. 228 San Diego, California, 92131 USA
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