• Press Release

USA: Jerry Yang is Being Urged by Amnesty International to Lobby China for Release of Jailed Journalist Shi Tao

March 27, 2011

As Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang cuts the ribbon on Wed., Nov. 12 opening a museum in Washington DC devoted to human rights in China, Amnesty International USA is urging Yang to take the responsible position by lobbying the Chinese government to release Chinese journalist Shi Tao, who has been wrongfully imprisoned because of email information supplied to Chinese authorities by Yahoo!

In a letter to Yang released publicly on Tues., Nov. 11, Amnesty International USA Executive Director Larry Cox wrote to urge Yang to take "committed, sustained efforts" toward the release of Shi Tao and other prisoners of conscience who have relied on Yahoo! in exercising their right to freedom of expression.

"That Shi Tao and others remain in prison after using Yahoo! services, as your company remains silent in China, hollows your human rights fund and scholarship into seeming public relations attempts," Cox wrote.

Amnesty International believes Yahoo! facilitated Tao's persecution by the Chinese government and therefore has a particular responsibility to publicly work toward his release. Yang has been invited to cut the ribbon at the Laogai museum on Nov. 12. The museum is devoted to addressing human rights in China.

The letter from Cox to Yang is below along with a link to background information on Shao Tao's case. Amnesty International experts on China and internet freedom cases are available Nov. 11 and 12 for interview.