PUBLIC AI Index: ASA 17/073/2008

01 May 2008

UA 117/08 Enforced disappearance/ fear of torture or ill-treatment

CHINA Jamyang Kyi (f), aged 42, Tibetan musician and writer

Jamyang Kyi, well-known Tibetan musician and writer on women’s issues, is believed to be the victim of an enforced disappearance. She may be at risk of torture or other ill-treatment, and her life may be in danger.

Jamyang Kyi, who works as a TV producer for the Tibetan-language section of the state-owned Qinghai TV, was taken away by plainclothes state security officers from her office in Xining City, Qinghai Province, on 1 April. Jamyang Kyi was initially held at the Xining City Public Security Office, but on 4 or 5 April, she was taken to an undisclosed location. No formal charges against her have been made public.

Jamyang Kyi was able to keep in contact with her family via her mobile phone until 7 April. Since then her phone is said to have been turned off. During two searches of her home, police officers are reported to have confiscated her personal computer and other personal items.

She is well-known among Tibetans as a musician and writer on women’s issues. She has released four albums that mix modern “pop” and traditional Tibetan music, and toured the United States in 2006 to sing and lecture. Her blog - at www.tibetabc.cn/user1/jamyangkyi/index.html- is popular among young Tibetans, although it had not been updated for several months prior to her detention. This is thought to be the first time she has been detained by the authorities.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The Chinese authorities have detained thousands of Tibetans in recent weeks. Unrest in Tibet began with peaceful protests by monks in the capital, Lhasa, on 10 March, which then became violent on 14 March. On 29 April, 30 Tibetans were given prison sentences ranging from three years to life imprisonment, in trials which Amnesty International is concerned violated international standards of fair trial.

Amnesty International has previously documented a pattern of torture and other ill-treatment of detainees in Tibet by China’s security forces, especially against those accused by the Chinese authorities of ‘separatist’ activities. Global experience demonstrates that torture and other ill-treatment tend to flourish in an environment characterised by secrecy, lack of transparency, failure to respect fair trial rights and lack of accountability. China has long banned independent human rights monitors from Tibet, and the region is now virtually sealed from foreign journalists and other independent observers. For these reasons the organization fears for the safety and well-being of those now in detention.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English, Chinese, or your own language:

- urging the Chinese authorities to clarify the whereabouts of Jamyang Kyi;

- calling on them to provide immediate guarantees for her safety, if she is in their custody, and to give assurances that she will not be tortured or ill-treated in detention;

- urging the authorities to release her immediately and unconditionally unless she is charged with a recognisably criminal offence;

- calling for her to be given immediate access to a lawyer, to her relatives, and to any medical treatment she may need.

APPEALS TO:

Prime Minister of the People's Republic of China

WEN Jiabao Guojia Zongli

The State Council General Office

2 Fuyoujie

Xichengqu

Beijingshi 100017

People's Republic of China

Fax: +86 10 65961109 (c/o Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Salutation: Your Excellency

Governor of the Qinghai Provincial People's Government

SONG Xiuyan Shengzhang

Qinghaisheng Renmin Zhengfu

12 Xidajie

Xiningshi 810000

Qinghaisheng

People's Republic of China

Fax: +86 971 8239540

Email: webmaster@qhinfo.com

Salutation: Dear Governor

Director of the Qinghai Provincial Department of Public Security

HE Zaigui Tingzhang

Qinghaisheng Gong'anting

1001 Fang, 10 Ceng

Gong’antingdalou

Xiningshi 810000

Qinghaisheng

People's Republic of China

Fax: +86 971 8293220

Salutation: Dear Director

COPIES TO: diplomatic representatives of China accredited to your country.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 12 June 2008.