Call on Chinese Authorities to Ensure a Fair and Open Trial!

Five suspects, including a local businessman who owns several local factories, have been detained since January 2008. Contrary to the law, the trial was long delayed. On December 24, 2008 a hearing was finally scheduled at Longgang District Peoples’ Court. Some 60 supporters from Mainland China, Hong Kong and abroad came to the court to serve as observers in this critically important trial, but the room was too small to accommodate the supporters. Rather than risk that the trial begin without the observers present, Huang Qingnan accepted the court’s offer to delay the hearing which is now scheduled for January 16, 2009.
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Take action now! Please call on the Chinese authorities to ensure that a fair and open trial takes place and that justice is served. http://www.cleanclothes.org/urgent/09-01-15.htm#action
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If you would prefer to send your own letter, please write to the Chinese Embassy in your country or to the Chinese Mission to the European Union using this SAMPLE LETTER:

Mission of the People's Republic of China to the European Communities The Honourable H. E. Mr. Song Zhe Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Head of the Mission of the People's Republic of China to the European Communities
chinamission_eu@mfa.gov.cn

Mr. Xu Zhong Heng
Mayor of Shenzhen City
xuzh@sz.gov.cn

Mr. Liu Yu Pu
Secretary of the Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee liuyp@sz.gov.cn

Dear Sirs:

I am writing to express my grave concern about the case involving Huang Qingnan of the Dagongzhe (DGZ) Migrant Worker Centre in Shenzhen. In the fall of 2007, several attacks took place on the DGZ Centre and its staff and on November 20, 2007 staff member Huang Qingnan was seriously injured after being stabbed by two unidentified men. He suffered wounds – some more than 10 centimetres long – in his back, waist, and left leg.
The muscle, bones, blood vessels, and nerves in his leg were cut apart, resulting in a permanent handicapped on his left leg.

The Dagongzhe Migrant Worker Centre is a valuable resource, providing a free library, labour law education and free legal consultation to migrant workers. It has been involved in raising awareness of the new Labour Contract Law, which affords better employment protection for workers.

Five suspects, including a local businessman, Zhong Wei Qi, who owns several local factories, have been detained since January 2008.
Contrary to the law, the trial was long delayed. On December 24, 2008 a hearing was finally scheduled at Longgang District Peoples’ Court. Some 60 supporters from Mainland China, Hong Kong and abroad came to the court to serve as observers in this critically important trial, but the room was too small to accommodate the supporters and the hearing was postponed. The court has recently announced that the hearing will take
place on Friday, January 16, 2009.

I am writing to ask that you ensure that a fair and open trial takes place and that justice is served. The Chinese government must protect civil society organisations and staff members from violence. Fair resolution of this case is important to maintaining harmonious labour relations and to improving the protection of civil groups and their staff in order to prevent violence and maintain public security.

Sincerely,
Your Name

For more information: http://www.cleanclothes.org/urgent/09-01-15.htm