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Letter of Appeal from the AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility

15 November 2000


His Excellency Jiang Zemin
President, People's Republic of China
Zhong Naihai
Beijingshi
People's Republic of China


Your Excellency:

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the largest organization of natural and social scientists in the United States, and the world's largest federation of scientific organizations, with 145,000 individual members and 300 affiliated groups. Our AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility was formed in 1976 to protect the human rights of scientists and to deal with issues relating to scientific freedom worldwide.

On behalf of the committee, I am writing to express my concern about the death in custody of Zou Songtao on 4 November 2000. It is my understanding that Zou Songtao, who was a biology professor at Qingdao Maritime University in eastern Shandong, was arrested on 18 July 2000 and sentenced to three years' detention for protesting in Beijing against the ban on the Falun Gong spiritual movement.

I am also writing to expressing concern for all my colleagues in the sciences, as well as other practitioners of Falun Gong, who are being punished for their attempts to peacefully exercise their internationally recognized rights to freedom of belief, expression and association. The right to freedom of religion is protected by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted without opposition by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948. The right is specifically protected by Article 18, which states, "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his [or her] religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his [or her] religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance."

Freedom of religion is also protected by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which China signed on 5 October 1998. Specifically, Article 18(2) states, "No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his [or her] freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his [or her] choice."

We urge you to bring to an end the repression of the Falun Gong spiritual movement within all levels of government, and in accordance with international standards to promote respect for freedom of belief, expression and association for all of China's citizens.


Sincerely,
Irving Lerch
Chair, AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility

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