RESOLUTION ON THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. Assembly of Delegates of PEN International, meeting at its 80th World Congress in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan 29th September to 2nd October 2014 Welcomes the release of ICPC honorary member Xu Wanping due to the sentence reduction and releases on bail of ICPC members Liu Di, Hu Shigen, Luo Xi, and its honorary members Wang Gongquan, Xu Youyu and Hao Jian since the last PEN International Congress in September 2012. Also welcomes the abandonment of infamous “Re-education Through Labour” (RTL) system as decided by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of PRC in December 2013. Considers the continuous suppression of the right to freedom of expression throughout China, from its capital city of Beijing to the inland province of Anhui, Henan, Huibei, Hunan and Sichuan, to the coastal province of Liao Ning, Guangdong and Zhejiang, and to the Autonomous Regions of Tibet, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia. Alarmed by the relentless harassment of and attacks against Chinese intellectuals, particularly the arbitrary arrests of Internet writers and journalists, over 40 of whom are currently imprisoned, making China one of the largest jailers of writers and journalists in the world. Disturbed by the increasing misuse of China’s Criminal Law to arbitrarily charge dissident writers, outspoken journalists and independent publishers with criminal offences to suppress freedom of expression and the press, in particular “endangering the social/national security”, “(inciting) subversion of state power”, ““(inciting) split of the country”, “illegally holding/leaking/providing state secrets” and “illegal business practices”, or extensively abuse of the charges used to combat the gangsters such as "assembling a crowd to disrupt order in public places ", "creating disturbance " and various alleged “economic crimes” for the dissident writers, academics, journalists and publishers, including the sentence of ICPC honorary members LIU Benqi (three years), the charges and various economic offense including the sentencing of CAO HaXU Zhiyong and YAO Wentian (ten years), as well as the arbitrary detentions and illegal house-arrest of writers and human rights activists. Worried about the growing censorship of the Internet throughout the country, including blocking the popular social network websites Twitter and Facebook, closure of popular Chinese internet forums discussing sensitive issues, and harassment of online writers and journalists and imprisonment for their publication of critical reports and commentaries on overseas websites. Shocked by the increasing persecution of Independent Chinese PEN Centre (ICPC) members, including the on-going imprisonment of LIU Xiaobo (11 years), YANG Tongyan (12 years), ZHU Yufu (seven years), ZHAO Changqing (two years and half), ZHANG Lin ( sentenced to 3.5 years imprisonment on 29 August 2014), LI Huaping (detained since August 2013), GAO Yu (f, since April 2014), Lu Gongsong (detained on subversion charges since 8 July 2014) and Chen Shuqing (detained on subversion charges since 11 September 2014) ; the interrogation, harassment, threats, attacks, brief detentions, meeting and travel restrictions, passport rejections, and the work and life interruptions of more than 60 members, including all of the former and current directors and staff. PEN International therefore urges the government of the People’s Republic of China to: • Stop the harassment and persecution of ICPC members, and lift all restrictions on their freedom to exit and enter mainland China, particularly to attend PEN International conferences and to return home; • Cease its efforts to censor cyberspace and to immediately release all internet writers jailed for peacefully expressing their opinions; • Release all prisoners in the autonomous regions of Tibet, Xinjiang Uyghur and Inner Mongolia who have been detained in violation of their right to freedom of expression, including Tibetan writers and journalists Dolma Kyab, Kunchok Tsephel Gopey Tsang, Paljor Norbu, Gangkye Drubpa Kyab and Gartse Jigmey; Uighur writers Nijat Azat, Gheyret Niyaz, Memetjan Abdulla and Gulmira Imin (f) and ILHAM Tohti, and Mongolian writer Hada (still detained after having served a 15-year imprisonment term); • Release all imprisoned writers and journalists in China, including LIU Xiaobo, YANG Tongyan, ZHU Yufu, ZHAO Changqing, ZHANG Lin,LI Huaping, GAO Yu, LU Jianhua, QI Chonghai, LIU Xianbin, GUO Quan, LI Tie, CHEN Wei, CHEN Xi, LU Jiaping, JIN Andi, RAO Wenwei, LI Bifeng, CAO Haibo, LIU Benqi, XU Zhiyong, YAO Wentian, PU Zhiqiang, YANG Maodong and TANG Jingling. • Ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which was signed by the People’s Republic of China in October 1998; • Engage in a complete and meaningful reform of the Chinese legal system in accordance with international standards and its own Constitution to guarantee fair trials with full rights of defence and appeal, the legal practices of attorneys, and a prison system that ensures the health and safety of inmates; particularly to cease the practice of using the charge of “subversion”/ “Separatism” against writers, of “holding/leaking state secrets” against journalists, of “illegal business against publishers, and of “creating disturbance” against internet dissidents and rights defenders. .