Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07BEIJING860
2007-02-05 09:33:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Beijing
Cable title:  

HUMAN RIGHTS: GAO YAOJIE BLOCKED FROM TRAVELING TO

Tags:  PHUM PGOV PREL CH 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO7655
OO RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #0860 0360933
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 050933Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4502
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 000860 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR DRL, EAP/CM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/05/2032
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL CH
SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS: GAO YAOJIE BLOCKED FROM TRAVELING TO
BEIJING

Classified By: Political Section Acting Internal Unit Chief Daniel J. K
ritenbrink. Reasons 1.4 (b/d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 000860

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR DRL, EAP/CM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/05/2032
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL CH
SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS: GAO YAOJIE BLOCKED FROM TRAVELING TO
BEIJING

Classified By: Political Section Acting Internal Unit Chief Daniel J. K
ritenbrink. Reasons 1.4 (b/d).


1. (C) Local authorities have blocked Dr. Gao Yaojie,
a well-know AIDS advocate from Henan province, from
traveling to Beijing February 5 to complete visa
processing for an upcoming trip to the United States,
post has confirmed. Police continue toprevent Gao
from leaing her home, Guo Tufei protect),Gao's son,
told us by phone February5. Gao is scheduled to
receive an award for romoting gender equality in
China at the Vital Voices Annual Leadership Awards and
Beneft in Washington, D.C. March 14. The DCM
expressed deep concern about the case to MFA
Department of North America and Oceania Affairs
Director General Liu Jieyi February 5. In addition,
Poloff raised the issue the same day with MFA
International Organizations Department Human Rights
officer Xu Jing and MFA North American and Oceania
Affairs officer Ran Bo, underlining that the issue is
certain to attract foreign media and high-level United
States Government attention and urging China to take
steps to allow Gao to travel freely. The Chinese
officials had no immediate information and promised to
look into the matter.


2. (C) Gao is one of four women set to receive awards
for promoting gender equality in China from the Vital
Voices Global Partnership, a Washington-based non-
governmental organization. The others are Guo
Jianmei, Director of the Beijing University Women's
Law Center; Xie Lihua, Secretary-General of the
Cultural Development Center for Rural Women; and Wang
Xingjuan of the Maple Women Center. None has reported
any official harassment in connection with their
upcoming participation in the program. Wenchi Yu
Perkins (protect),a representative of Vital Voices,
told Poloff that she met with Deputy Chief of Mission
Zheng Zeguang of the Chinese Embassy in Washington to
discuss the awards prior to inviting the honorees in
fall of 2006. Perkins said Zheng told her the Chinese
Government had no problem with any of the four.
(Note: Vital Voices' honorary co-chairs are Senators
Hillary Rodham Clinton and Kay Bailey Hutchison and
the Chair of the Board of Directors is Melanne
Verveer. End note.)


3. (C) A retired gynecologist, Gao was instrumental
in helping to expose the spread of AIDS due to sales
of tainted blood supplies in Henan province in the
early 2000s. She has been a vocal advocate for
bolstering care for AIDS orphans in China. Gao's son
Guo and several of the doctor's other associates have
told us that Gao is healthy, that beyond the
restriction on her movement she has not been
mistreated, and that she currently has enough food and
supplies in her home.
RANDT