Yesterday, March 1st 2011, the attached memorandum was sent to the highest officials in the UN, UNAIDS, WHO and the Chinese government. It is signed by more than 120 organisations, from across the world, including many within China. It is signed by prominent individuals, human rights organisations and trade unions, including the powerful two million member COSATU. Such unity is unprecedented and shows that this issue, as well as the broader issues of freedom and respects for human rights organisations in China, will not go away. Previous letters about Tian Xi to Margaret Chan, the Director General of the WHO, have gone unanswered. We will not allow this one to.
The memorandum calls for the immediate release of HIV positive human rights and AIDS activist Tian Xi who has been sentenced to one year imprisonment in Henan, China.
It also calls for compensation for him and the thousands of other victims of the blood transfusion disaster of the 1990s.
Although, the memorandum has been sent, additional signatories are still being collected.
Send them to Kate Paterson at: paterson@section27.org.za
Memorandum to Margaret Chan calling for the release of Tian Xi (PDF 166KB)