Free Hao Wu

We, the undersigned concerned citizens of the world, protest the detention without charge of Chinese filmmaker and blogger Wu Hao and call on the Chinese government to release him immediately.

Mr. Wu, a Chinese citizen and U.S. permanent resident alien known in the United States as "Hao Wu", recently returned to live in China and produce independent documentaries. He was detained on February 22nd. Until now he has not been charged with any crime. Nor have police told his family the reason for his detention despite numerous inquiries. According to Chinas own Code of Criminal Procedure, a person cannot be held without charge or arrest for more than 37 days. His detention has substantially exceeded that period of time.

It is our understanding, based on speeches by China's own leaders, that China aims to be a country governed by the rule of law. The detention of Mr. Wu without charge, and without access to a lawyer, would appear to be highly inconsistent with that aim.

If Mr. Wu has indeed broken the law, a country that respects the rule of law - as opposed to the arbitrary rule of individual people with power - should uphold Mr. Wu's right to legal procedure. His continued unlawful detention is a clear violation of his universally recognized human rights. We ask for his immediate release.