16 February 1999
CHINESE JOURNALIST GAO YU FREED FOR MEDICAL REASONS
Prominent Chinese journalist Gao Yu, whose case sparked a massive international campaign against repression in China, was just released from prison, report the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and the World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC). Gao was arrested in October 1993 and sentenced a year later to six years imprisonment for "divulging state secrets" overseas in articles that she wrote for the "Mirror Monthly", a Hong Kong-based magazine. She was convicted for reporting on speeches by Communist Party leaders about China's structural reforms - information that was public knowledge and that she had received permission to copy and publicize. Her release was announced seven months before her sentence was due to run out next October. Gao had previously spent 14 months in prison after the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square. Gao, who has a heart problem, was released early on medical parole. She was the laureate of WAN's 1995 Golden Pen of Freedom and the winner of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's 1997 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. WAN welcomes Gao's release, but says it "does not solve the underlying problem of freedom of expression in China." Timothy Balding, Director General of WAN, says, "Gao should never have been imprisoned in the first place, and, in fact, went to jail merely for reporting information that was already part of the public record. It is an act that journalists elsewhere do every day without putting themselves in danger. China will never enter the modern age until it allows its people the basic human right of freedom of expression." However, Balding notes, "The Chinese government has rarely reacted positively to international campaigns, but the release of Gao Yu may be an indication that even the most repressive regimes can be influenced by international opinion. Her release before the completion of her sentence highlights the need to continue such campaigns."
In a letter to China's leaders, WPFC Executive Director Marilyn Greene writes, "Unfortunately, past experience suggests that this release of Gao Yu might be little more than a gesture designed to avert criticism by the UN Human Rights Commission and to head off embarrassing comments by U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright during her upcoming visit. We hope this is not the case." She continues, "Government efforts to control news suggest a fear of public opinion; yet governments need to foster open discussion of issues in order to make prudent decisions."
RSS