Yang Tongyan – pro-democracy activist and freelance writer

Yang Tongyan wrote web articles in support of democratic and political change in China. A court convicted him of 'subversion' and jailed him for 12 years.

In the closed court hearing, in May 2006, Yang Tongyan was also accused of receiving money from overseas to give to imprisoned critics of China and their families.

He has already served a decade in jail for criticising the brutal military crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square. That time he also allegedly tried to set up a branch of the banned China Democracy Party.

We consider him to be a prisoner of conscience and we are calling for his immediate release.

Subverting the state

The court said Yang Tongyan had posted, on overseas-hosted websites, numerous articles attacking the Chinese Communist Party and the socialist system and found "there is sufficient evidence that he conspired to subvert China's state power". During his closed-doors trial his supporters held a hunger strike outside.

Yang Tongyan, who writes under the pen name Yang Tianshui, is being held in Nanjing City prison. The 46-year-old suffers from arthritis and is reportedly not receiving adequate medical treatment.

Media under attack

Around 30 journalists and 50 Internet users are known to be behind bars in China. Media freedom organisations have labeled the country the world's leading jailer of journalists.

In the build up to the Olympics Chinese authorities are intensifying their already strict controls over media outlets, including newspapers, magazines and websites.

Journalists, activists and others reporting on so called 'sensitive' issues, or who challenge the status quo, risk being dismissed from their jobs, arbitrarily detained or imprisoned.

Quashing debate

China's criminal law makes it easy to detain or lock up political dissidents. The law continues to be used in 'sensitive' cases as a way to suppress opposition.

China suppresses the Internet and media in order to conceal a range of human rights abuses.

We are worried that the broad categories of crimes in the law continue to be used to detain and imprison people who take part in legitimate and peaceful human rights activities.

Silence over Tiananmen

China's government continues to stifle public debate about the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. School textbooks, newspapers, magazines and Internet sites in China are not allowed to mention the incident, in which thousands were killed or injured.

There are still people in jail in China in connection with the 4 June demonstrations. Authorities have never held an independent inquiry aimed at prosecuting those responsible for the crackdown, nor at providing compensation for the victims and their families.