Human Rights in China (HRIC) has learned that Three Gorges
activist Fu Xiancai, who is currently paralyzed from the shoulders down,
has not received urgent and essential surgery, apparently due to lack of funds.
This delay comes despite promises from Chinese officials that Fu would receive
all necessary medical treatment for his injuries, and after strong expressions
of concern and support from the international community.

HRIC calls on
the Chinese authorities and the international community to put pressure on the
Yichang No. 1 Hospital, where Fu is a patient, to provide him with all necessary
treatment, procedures and medication without further
delay.

Background
An active campaigner for the rights of
people displaced by the Three Gorges Dam project, Fu Xiancai was attacked by an
unknown person on June 8 shortly after the Zigui Public Security Bureau
questioned him about an interview with Fu broadcasted on Germany's ARD
television station. The attack followed a pattern of harassment and threats
against Fu over the course of more than a year, sometimes involving individual
Public Security Bureau officials.

Fu was admitted to Yichang No. 1
Hospital on June 8, and on June 14, a doctor surnamed Du reportedly told Fu that
he could receive the surgery he required on June 16. Dr. Du reportedly said,
"The faster you have your surgery, the better the chances of success. We
sympathize with your situation, but ultimately we have little choice – the
surgery will cost a minimum of 60,000 yuan, and you must pay 30,000
yuan before we can undertake the surgery."

Fu Xiancai is the sole
breadwinner in his family, which includes two sons, the elder about to enter
college. The family has only managed to collect at total of 20,000 yuan
from friends and relatives.

Recent developments
China's
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman on June 15 asserted that Fu Xiancai would
receive all necessary medical treatment. However, according to HRIC's sources,
Fu did not receive the promised surgery on June 16.

Around 8:00 p.m. on
June 15, three officials from Germany's Beijing Embassy visited Fu Xiancai at
Yichang No. 1 Hospital. However, after a few minutes of conversation they were
required to leave by police officers who have been keeping 24-hour surveillance
on Fu's hospital ward. Police also refused to allow the German diplomats to
leave their name cards with Fu. Before leaving, the diplomats promised Fu that
they would return.

Around 9:00 the next morning, the three German
diplomats returned to the hospital in the company of a Hubei Province foreign
affairs official, and after consultation with hospital administrators, they were
allowed to visit Fu Xiancai. According to HRIC's sources, one of the German
diplomats told Fu that they were visiting on behalf of the German government,
and that they had already expressed to hospital officials their hopes for Fu's
fast recovery. The diplomats promised to continue to follow Fu's case, because
he was injured after accepting an interview for German television. The diplomats
said the Chinese government had promised to regard Fu's case as an important
matter, and to arrest his assailant as soon as possible.

Fu Xiancai asked
HRIC to express his deep gratitude to the German government and to Germany's ARD
Television for their concern. "I have no regrets for giving the interview to the
German television station. This case only goes to show that China still has no
genuine rule of law, and the public has no means of expressing its views through
normal channels." Fu also expressed his thanks to all of the other international
organizations and media that have taken an interest in his case. He said that
without this concern and advocacy on his behalf, he would have no hope of future
redress.

Open letters sent by HRIC
Meanwhile, on June 15,
HRIC sent open letters to Chinese and German authorities requesting that they
intervene as necessary into Fu Xiancai's case.

In its letter to Liu
Xianzhe, the Director of the Yichang No. 1 Hospital, HRIC urges hospital
officials to ensure that Fu Xiancai is given all operations, procedures and
medicine necessary to address his serious injuries without delay.

HRIC's letter to Luo Qingquan, the Governor of Hubei Province, calls for the provincial
government to supervise Fu's treatment and make public the results of the
promised investigation into his attack.

In its letter to the
Administrator of the German district of Ludwigsburg, which has a sister
relationship with Yichang, HRIC urges Ludwigsburg to monitor Fu's case as part
its commitment to the health and welfare of the citizens of Yichang.

The
letters are attached to this press release.

Further action on Fu
Xiancai
HRIC appeals to the international community to use all available
means to pressure the Chinese authorities to ensure that Fu is promptly provided
with all necessary medical care to address his injuries.

How you
can help:

• Write letters to your country's Chinese embassy expressing your concern
  over Fu Xiancai's welfare.
• Write letters to the director of the Yichang No. 1 Hospital and the
  Provincial Governor urging them to closely monitor Fu's case.
• Contact information is included in the attached open letters.

For further details on Fu Xiancai's case, access HRIC's Web
site at http://www.hrichina.org.