The Frankfurt Book Fair is the world's largest, and this year has invited the Chinese as guest of honour. An interesting choice, as China regularly bans hundreds of books, jails and tortures writers, and is amongst the world's worst for human rights abuses. Given the use and power of the written word throughout history as a means of protest and a catalyst for change, and the book industry's defence of 'freedom of speech' via the written medium, it is equally interesting that just one lone protester got through the heavy police presence. He held up a single sheet of A4 paper asking in German and Chinese Where is Huang Jinqiu?
Huang Jinqiu is a writer, journalist, and internet essayist currently residing in one of China's prisons. He disappeared into the penal system for five months before his family were informed of his whereabouts. When the case finally came to court, it is reported that a verdict could not be reached for lack of evidence. Eventually Huang Jinqiu was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment and four years' deprivation of political rights for “organizing, planning and carrying out subversive activities” and for writing “reactionary” articles on the internet .
It is believed that Huang was transferred to Pukou Prison, near Nanjing City and that here he was routinely ill treated and abused, denied access to books, and housed with criminals who were encouraged to mistreat him. Allegedly the abuse was so severe that Huang was at risk of a mental breakdown.
Unlike their walk out in September, this time the Chinese delegation did not leave the building. A public symposium was held in the middle of the month by the Book Fair organisers, entitled "China and the World - Perceptions and Realities", also the theme for the fair. When dissident writers Dai Qing and Bei Ling took to the stage, the Chinese delegation walked out. General Secretary of PEN, Herbert Wiesner took to the stage, calling after the officials: "That is the wrong signal!"
The symposium was supposed to dismantle prejudices.
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