Urgent Action Update: NO ACCESS TO FAMILY AND PROPER MEDICAL CARE (China: 284.16)
April 29, 2022
Huang Qi, founder and director of Sichuan-based human rights website “64 Tianwang”, has had no access to his family since 2020, and his health has significantly deteriorated and is at risk of worsening further. It has been reported that Huang has not been able to access proper medical care recently especially during the period when the pandemic has intensified in China. He has also been unable to access the account where his friends and family deposited money for him to purchase additional supplies. Detained since 2016, Huang was able to see his mother only once on September 17, 2020 through a video call. The authorities must ensure that Huang has access to immediate and proper medical care and allow him to speak with his family and lawyers of his choice.
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Please take action as-soon-as possible. This Urgent Action expires on June 24, 2022.
Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
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CONTACT INFORMATION
Director Su Yuanliang
Sichuan Bazhong Prison
9, Xiangjiazhui, Bazhou,
Bazhong shi, Sichuan sheng, 636005
People’s Republic of China
Ambassador Qin Gang
Embassy of the People’s Republic of China
3505 International Place NW
Washington, DC 20008
Phone: 202 495 2266 / Fax: 202 495 2138
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @ChineseEmbinUS ; @AmbQinGang
Salutation: Dear Ambassador
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Director Su,
I am writing to express my grave concern for the health and wellbeing of Huang Qi (黄琦), a human rights defender who is currently serving a 12-year sentence in Sichuan Bazhong Prison for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression. It is distressing to learn that Huang Qi’s health has further deteriorated and is at risk of worsening further. The prison authorities must ensure that he has access to immediate and proper medical care.
For your information, Huang was known to suffer from chronic kidney disease and hydrocephalus, as well as other conditions affecting his heart and lungs, before being detained. It has been reported that Huang has not had access to proper medical care in prison. It is further worrying that Huang is not able to access the account where his friends and family members have deposited money for him to purchase additional supplies in the prison.
It is also distressing to learn that Huang’s mother Pu Wenqing is currently under heavy surveillance and cannot meet with her son. Pu, 89 years old, has repeatedly requested the authorities to allow her to visit Huang, but none of these requests have been granted. The last time she spoke with Huang was through a video call on September 17, 2020. Pu’s health has also been deteriorating rapidly, and she fears she might not be able to speak to Huang again.
Huang Qi should not have spent even a day in prison simply for exercising his rights to freedom of expression. He should be released immediately. Furthermore, there is an alarming pattern of deaths of imprisoned Chinese activists, either in detention or after being belatedly released on medical parole. Therefore, pending his release and also to ensure that no one else dies while in your detention facilities, I urge you to:
Ensure that Huang Qi receives urgent, regular, and adequate medical care,
Ensure that he has regular and unrestricted access to his family and to lawyers of his choice, and that he is not subjected to torture and other ill-treatment.
