Sample Letter to the Peoples Republic of China Ambassador to the United States

Ambassador Zhang Yesui
Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China
3505 International Place, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008

 Your Excellency,

 I am writing to you to ask for your attention on a number of citizens of your country, artist Ai Weiwei, and his colleagues Wen Tao, Hu Mingfen, Liu Zhenggang and Zhang Jingsong.

 They have been detained by Beijing authorities since April 3, 2011 and have not been given access by any legal representations or given any reasons for their detentions by the government.

 Ai Weiwei has helped to release the names of 5000 of the estimated over 9000 school children who died as a result of poorly constructed school buildings during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.  Indeed, Premier Wen Jiabao himself  have promised an investigation into the collapsed schools although the parents of these children are still waiting for him to come through with his promise.

 Ai Weiwei has also supported  the efforts by Zhao Lianhai to advise parents whose babies suffered from kidney problems as a result of the melamine tainted baby milk power.  Zhao’s own son is also a victim of the poisonous milk powder.

Your country needs people like Ai Weiwei to protect the children of China from unscrupulous business people and building contractors who put these children in harm’s way in order for themselves to make more money.

 There is also the concern that Ai Weiwei and his colleagues may be tortured or ill-treated while they remain in custody.  In fact, Ai had been beaten severely in 2009 and had to have emergency brain surgery when he went to Germany.

 The immediate release of Ai Weiwei and his colleagues is most important in fostering a better image of the Peoples Republic of China to the world.

 Sincerely,

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