Mr. Ambassador, tear down this wall…

Chinese Ambassador and Staff MIA

8/17/08 – 9:30 AM Update:  I called the Embassy this morning to verify that the Ambassador had received our letter and to press for a meeting to protest his governments censorship policies.  Straight to voicemail!  I called on several different phones and used block caller ID–nothing.

 I got off the phone and went back to my daily routine of catching up on the news.  Went to Drudge Report and right below the link on Russia and China holding joint military activities, this headline popped off the page at me:   Chinese cyber-dissident jailed for four years…

“A Chinese rights activist has been sentenced to four years in jail for subversion after posting politically sensitive essays on the Internet, his lawyer said Friday. A court in China’s eastern province of Zhejiang on Thursday convicted Chen Shuqing of inciting subversion, lawyer Li Jianqiang said, emphasising that his client had always maintained his innocence.“We think the sentence is totally unreasonable. He was only expressing his opinion and that is within his rights under the constitution,” Li told AFP.Chen, 43, was arrested in September last year and has been detained ever since.

Chen wrote many articles critical of the Chinese government on overseas websites, including essays that advocated democracy and constitutional rule, Li said. “

I guess that the Ambassador and his staff are reallllly busy these days protecting their homeland from dangerous cyber-criminals.  We’ll keep you posted on the progress with the Embassy.  My fearless staff is really pushing me for a Field Trip to the Embassy District in D.C. 

Can you picture this:  Megaphone in hand outside the Chinese Embassy.  Mr Ambassador, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL OF CENSORSHIP…