Press Conference;
Zhang Yu, Coordinator, Writers in Prison Committee, Independent Chinese PEN Center;
Makoto Teranaka, Director, Amnesty International Japan

The speech and Q & A will be in English.

A Continuing Crackdown On Journalists And Activists In China?

As China deals with the aftermath of a massive earthquake, much of the international media's attention has shifted from the Olympic torch to the suffering of quake victims. But even as the Tibet issue takes a back-seat, civic groups are keeping a close eye on the human rights situation in China.

Amnesty International has a global campaign to raise international awareness of ongoing human rights violations in China, with the view to prompting reforms in the run-up to the Summer Olympic Games.

Amnesty International Japan has invited Dr. Zhang Yu to Japan to raise awareness of the human rights situation in China. He is the coordinator of the Writers in Prison Committee of the Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC), and also a representative of Shi Tao, a journalist who is currently serving a ten year sentence for "illegally providing state secrets to foreign entities" after sending an email containing information on the Chinese government's response to the 1989 military crackdown.

Zhang's FCCJ press conference will focus on press freedom and the human rights situation in China in the aftermath of Tibet unrest, as well as the devastating earthquake in Sichuan province. Makoto Teranaka, Director of Amnesty International Japan, will also speak and answer questions.

Zhang Yu

Makoto Teranaka