Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
U.S. Department of State
2201 C St. NW
Washington, DC 20502

Dear Secretary Albright:

We urge the Administration to request that the trials of recently arrested dissidents in China, beginning on December 17, be open to the public and to international observers, including diplomats and the foreign media. We respectfully suggest that you personally contact the Chinese foreign minister and justice minister to urge that U.S. diplomats be allowed to attend.

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On December 17, Mr. Wang Youcai is due to go on trial for subversion in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, solely due to his peaceful attempts to organize a political party. Others, including Xu Wenli and Qin Yongmin, also have been detained, but it is not yet clear whether both have formally charged. We are deeply concerned that they may also be indicted and put on trial, and we hope the U.S. will continue to press for their prompt and unconditional release.

Opening the trial of Mr. Wang to outside observers would be consistent with the Chinese constitution, which guarantees all Chinese citizens the right to a public trial. In addition, on December 2, Xiao Yang, the president of the Supreme Court, announced that judicial reform would be a high priority in the coming year, including opening court proceedings to the public in order to increase understanding of the judicial process.

As you know, China has signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, though it has not ratified the treaty. The ICCPR states, in Article 14, that "everyone shall be entitled to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal." The ICCPR also guarantees the right to freedom of association (Article 22).

We would appreciate your urgent attention to this matter, and look forward to your response.

I am taking the liberty of sending copies of this letter to other officials in the State Department and National Security Council.

Sincerely,

Sidney Jones
Executive Director of Asia Division
Human Rights Watch