19 January 2012 – Washington, DC – Yesterday, renowned Chinese dissident Yu Jie gave a press conference at The National Press Club in Washington, DC. Following a brief introduction by Laogai Research Foundation’s executive director Harry Wu, Yu Jie told of his harrowing experiences as a writer in China. Yu and his family arrived on US soil last week after being escorted to their flight by five state security officers. Yu announced that he had met with the State Department’s Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Michael Posner, as well as Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA) on the morning of the press conference, and has discussed the possibility of applying for political asylum with an attorney.
Although Yu Jie’s works have long been the target of government censorship, he noted that since Hu Jintao took power, he has not been able to legally publish any of his work inside China. When the Nobel Prize Committee announced in October 2010 that the Nobel Peace Prize would go to Liu Xiaobo, Yu Jie – a long-time friend of Liu – was placed under house arrest and 24-hour surveillance. By November, Yu Jie and his wife had all communication with the outside world cut off, including with their son who was living with grandparents. The night before the Nobel Prize ceremony, a swarm of plainclothes officers seized Yu. After removing his glasses and covering his head, they drove him to an undisclosed location where he was stripped naked, beaten, and verbally abused. He recalled that one officer told him:
“We can dig a pit to bury you alive in half an hour, and no one on earth would know. Right now, foreigners are awarding Liu Xiaobo the Nobel Peace Prize, humiliating our Party and government. We’ll pound you to death to avenge this.”
