President Hu Jintao
People's Republic of China
Zhongnanhai, Xichengqu, Beijing City
People's Republic of China
Re: Health Status of Hu Jia
Dear President Hu:
Human Rights Watch and Physician's for Human Rights are writing to express concern about the health status of imprisoned Chinese human rights activist Hu Jia.
Mr Hu was diagnosed with acute liver cirrhosis linked to chronic hepatitis B infection in 2006 in Beijing's Ditan Hospital. While advanced cirrhosis is generally considered to be irreversible, close monitoring and prompt treatment may halt regression in the condition's early onset phase.
Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights are extremely concerned about allegations that Beijing prison authorities are withholding from Mr.Hu proper and timely medical care related to his liver condition. Proper care should include regular liver function tests and monitoring of HBV viral loads, assessment of liver damage and the effectiveness of anti-viral medication, as well as surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma.
HRW and PHR have learned that prison authorities have not released the results of routine laboratory tests taken in October 2008 and on November 12, 2008. The failure to release these results to Mr. Hu and his family prevents them from having an adequate knowledge of Mr. Hu's health situation and could be impeding medical treatment essential to the maintenance of Mr. Hu's liver function. In addition, we are concerned that Mr. Hu is not being properly monitored for lamivudine resistance. Hepatic decompensation and deaths have been described in patients who develop lamivudine resistance, and hepatic flares have been documented in individuals who continue on lamivudine after developing resistance.
Chinese prison authorities have since April 2008 rejected the application of Hu's wife, Zeng Jinyan, for his medical parole on the grounds that Hu is not "critically ill" and that any such applications can only be filed after he has served one-third of his sentence. A police officer told Zeng on September 16, 2008 that medical parole for Hu Jia was impossible because he had violated prison rules through "disobedience" and for refusing to be "quiet." Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights believe that the failure of the Chinese prison authorities to provide adequate medical attention to Mr. Hu constitutes potentially life-threatening neglect and may be exacerbating his already serious health status. We call on the Chinese government to allow an independent and qualified physician to carry out relevant medical tests on Mr. Hu to ascertain his condition and, so long as he remains in prison, to allow Mr. Hu access to all necessary medical treatment on an ongoing basis. We note that Mr. Hu has been imprisoned for exercising his internationally protected right to freedom of expression and should be released forthwith.
We thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Joe Amon
Director, HIV/AIDS Program
Human Rights Watch
Susannah Sirkin
Deputy Director
Physicians for Human Rights
Cc: Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in New York, the embassy of the People's Republic of China in Washington DC
