（纽约/北京2010年7月30日）作家及长期活动家刘贤斌的案件于7月21日正式移交到遂宁市人民检察院，使人担忧他可能因写作而面临以 “煽动颠覆国家政权罪” 至少再次监禁十年。这一行动是美国笔会和独立中文笔会称之为“利用国家安全法使其公民噤声的沮丧模式” 的最近一例。

 

41岁的刘贤斌是四川省遂宁自由撰稿人， 6月28日在遭到拘传和抄家后被拘留。遂宁市公安局的14名警察没收了他几个电脑硬盘、U盘、银行卡及他在海外网站发表文章的稿费通知单。 7月5日，刘以涉嫌“煽动颠覆国家政权罪” 被正式逮捕。7月21日，他的案件随《起诉建议书》移送检察院。他正被关押在遂宁市看守所。

 

刘贤斌于1992年因参与“八九民运” 首次以“反革命宣传和煽动罪”被监禁，后来又因写作及参与被取缔的中国民主党以 “颠覆国家政权罪”被判刑13年。他于2008年11月6日被提前释放，但仍面临3年剥夺政治权利。正是在这期限内，刘贤斌积极在海外的电子刊物上发表文章。

 

美国笔会自由写作和国际项目主任拉里·赛姆斯说：“再一次，中国似乎执意起诉只是在网上发表自己观点的公民之一。刘受到以往判决剥夺其政治权利而约束，本来就被侵犯了言论自由权，似乎再次面临牢狱。我们强烈抗议对他的逮捕，并敦促中国政府放弃起诉，恢复他的一切政治权利。”

 

“刘贤斌案是中国主办奥运以来的自由写作发行状况持续恶化的进一步证据。”独立中文笔会执行秘书兼狱中作家委员会协调人张裕说： “现在担心的是，像中国有关当局积极奉行从快从重的‘严打’政策这样，刘晓波博士因“煽动颠覆国家政权”的同样罪名判11年徒刑的记录可能很快就会被打破。我们呼吁国际社会促使中国当局立即释放刘贤斌、刘晓波及其他狱中作家。”

 

美国笔会和独立中文笔会属于国际笔会在全世界的145个分会之列。国际笔会致力推进世界各地作家间的友谊和理性合作，为言论自由奋斗，代表世界文学的良知。更多信息请参阅：www.pen.org和www.chinesepen.org。

 

联系人：

美国笔会拉里·赛姆斯（Larry Siems），+1-212-334-1660 ext. 111， lsiems@pen.org

独立中文笔会张裕，+46-8-50022792， wipc@comhem.se

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information contact:

Larry Siems, PEN American Center, (212) 334-1660, ext. 105, lsiems@pen.org

Yu Zhang, Independent Chinese PEN Center, +46-8-50022792, wipc@comhem.se

Writers in U.S. and China Denounce Formal Arrest of Liu Xianbin

Police Wrap up Investigation, Case Moves Quickly to Prosecution

New York City, Beijing, July 30, 2010—Writer and longtime activist Liu Xianbin’s case was formally transferred to the Suining Municipal People\’s Procuratorate on July 21, 2010, invoking fears that he could face at least another decade in prison for “inciting subversion of state power” for his writings. The move is the latest in what PEN American Center and the Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) note is a “dispiriting pattern of utilizing nation security laws to silence its citizens.”

 

Liu Xianbin, a 41-year-old freelance writer based in Suining, Sichuan Province, was detained on June 28, 2010, after police interrogated him and searched his home. Fourteen police officers from the Suining City Public Security Bureau confiscated hard drives, USB devices, his bank card, and six notices from his editors regarding remuneration for several articles he published on overseas web sites. On July 5, Liu was formally arrested and charged with “inciting subversion of state power,” and his case was handed over to the Procuratorate with a recommendation for prosecution. He is being held at the Detention Center of Suining City.

 

Liu was first imprisoned in 1992 on charges of “counterrevolutionary propaganda and incitement” for his involvement in the 1989 pro-democracy movement, and was later sentenced to 13 years in prison for “subversion of state power” for his writing and his participation in the banned Chinese Democracy Party. He was released early, on November 6, 2008, but still faced three years’ deprivation of political rights. It was during this period that Liu was active in publishing articles on overseas electronic journals.

 

“Once again, China seems bent on prosecuting one of its citizens simply for expressing his views in online publications,” said Larry Siems, director of the Freedom to Write and International programs at PEN American Center. “Liu, who was already constrained by the previous judgment stripping of him of his political rights in violation of his right to freedom of expression, appears headed toward jail once again. We strongly protest his arrest and urge the government to abandon this prosecution and restore him his full political rights.”

 

“Liu Xianbin’s case is further evidence of the continuing deterioration of the climate for the freedom to write and publish in China since Beijing hosted the Olympic Games,” said Yu Zhang, ICPC’s executive secretary and Writers in Prison Committee coordinator. “There are now fears that the record 11-year sentence Dr. Liu Xiaobo received for the same offense of “inciting subversion of state power” may soon be broken as Chinese authorities pursue an aggressive ‘Strike-hard’ policy that includes faster trials and more severe sentences. We call on the world community to press Chinese authorities to release Liu Xianbin, Liu Xiaobo, and all other imprisoned writers immediately.”

 

PEN American Center and the Independent Chinese PEN Center are among the 145 worldwide centers of International PEN, an organization that works to promote friendship and intellectual cooperation among writers everywhere, to fight for freedom of expression, and represent the conscience of world literature. For more information on PEN’s work, please visit www.pen.org and www.chinesepen.org