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Amnesty International call for immediate release of prisoner of conscience

By staff writers
May 21, 2009

Fujian-based legal activist Ji Sizun was originally detained in August 2008. He was handing in to a police station an application to protest at the Olympic games in Beijing.

The application, if pre-approved by the police, would have allowed Ji Sizun to protest in one of the designated protest zones. In the event, none of the applications were approved and the zones remained empty throughout the Olympics.

The Taijiang District People’s Court in Fuzhou, Fujian Province sentenced Ji Sizun to three years’ in prison for “forging official documents and faking official seals” in 2006. It is the longest possible sentence for an offence of this kind.

Amnesty International believes the ruling is politically motivated and designed to silence a critical voice at a time of intense international scrutiny. Ji Sizun was held for one month before any charges were made against him. The ruling was sustained on May 4 without an open court session.

Amnesty International is a global community of people that campaign for human rights all over the world. Their purpose is to protect anyone who has been denied justice, fairness, freedom and truth. It started in response to newspaper article in the Observer in 1961, and the response was such that it grew into the international movement that it is today.

If you would like to support the work of Amnesty International and their defence of human rights in the face of torture, click here.

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