Du Daobin, a civil servant from HuBei, a central province of China, was taken into custody by plainclothes state security agents on Oct. 28, accused of "subverting state power."
Before his arrest, Du was a prolific writer who had published his essays online. He was deeply affected by the arrest of fellow Internet writer Liu Di, a 23-year-old college student, who was arrested in Beijing on November 7, 2002, and has been held incommunicado since then. She was an active contributor to several online forums, and frequently wrote articles that were critical of the Chinese government. She also expressed her support for imprisoned Web master Huang Qi, and called for freedom of expression.
After Liu Di's arrest, Du had actively called for her release and recently co-organized an online campaign to show solidarity by taking a series of actions, including spending one day in a darkened room to symbolically "accompanyiu Di in prison." He also wrote a number of essays supporting Liu Di and calling on authorities to release her.
"We pay homage to Du Daobin's courage and the impact of his symbolic protest in support of Liu Di. The simulated detention campaign was a model of peaceful protest and the arrest of its instigator is quite simply disgraceful," Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert M¨¦nard said.
Du's wife has not been allowed to visit or communicate with Du in detention. The request of Du's lawyer to meet him has also been denied.
Several dozen Chinese academics, reporters and scholars have written a petition letter addressed to Premier Wen Jiabao, which calls on Beijing to release Du and protect freedom of speech.
"We express our deep regret over the matter," the letter said. "We request that the highest executive authorities take lawful measures to instruct the relevant authorities to liberate Du Daobin."
"We hope more people show their concerns for Du and other conscience prisoners, and sign this letter." One of the authors, Mr. Liu Xiaobo, said.
click here to sign or send email
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