AIDS ACTIVIST LI DAN RELEASED, WARNED AGAINST

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 004959

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP AND DRL
NSC FOR ABRAMS/WILDER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/30/2017
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV CH
SUBJECT: AIDS ACTIVIST LI DAN RELEASED, WARNED AGAINST
HARMING CHINA'S IMAGE

REF: BEIJING 4925

Classified By: Political Internal Unit Chief Dan Kritenbrink. Reasons 1
.4 (b/d).


1. (C) AIDS activist Li Dan was released late Friday,
July 27, after spending 24 hours in detention,
according to Meg Davis (protect),the American citizen
founder of the NGO Asia Catalyst. Per reftel, Davis
had reported on July 27 that Li Dan had gone missing
on July 26. Davis told Poloff she met Li Dan on July
28 and observed that he had a black eye and cuts and
scrapes on his chest, injuries Li reportedly sustained
in a scuffle with Ministry of State Security (MSS)
personnel as he was taken into custody on July 26.
The MSS warned Li against hosting a now-cancelled
August 2-3 conference in Guangzhou on AIDS litigation,
saying that such a meeting would "harm China's public
image" before the 2008 Olympic Games.


2. (C) Davis surmised that the conference proved too
sensitive for Chinese authorities both because of its
international nature as well as its focus on legal
challenges facing AIDS victims in China. The Chinese
guests, Davis said, including several AIDS activists
and lawyers, would have offered an unflattering
assessment of China's treatment of AIDS victims.
Despite the conference's cancellation, Davis and Li
hope to cultivate better relations with Chinese
authorities in order to revive the event at some
future date. According to Davis, Asia Catalyst also
plans to cooperate with Li Dan on the possible opening
of a legal aid center in Beijing to assist AIDS
patients.
RANDT