I write out of concern for Dhondup Wangchen 当知项欠, a Tibetan filmmaker who was sentenced on December 28 in Qinghai Province to six years' imprisonment for "inciting separatism" after a secret trial by Xining City Intermediate Court. 当知项欠, along with a friend, had been producing a documentary on the opinions of Tibetans regarding the Beijing Olympics and the Dalai Lama.

The reasons for 当知项欠's arrest have been unclear. He was intially detained on suspicion of "illegal journalism," which is not an offense in Chinese law. The police then attempted to have him charged with "inciting subversion of state power," but the prosecutor returned the case to the police for lack of evidence. Amnesty International considers him a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression through his filmmaking work.

During his initial detention 当知项欠 was beaten, punched in the head, often deprived of food and sleep, and kept tied to a chair. Since then, he has experienced headaches and pain in his arms. 当知项欠 also suffers from Hepatitis B, for which he has not received any medical treatment. Although his family has attempted to visit him, they have not been allowed to see him. 当知项欠 was also forbidden from meeting with his lawyers on the grounds that his case involves "state secrets." This directly violates Article 33 of the Law on Lawyers of the People's Republic of China. On 13 July 2009, Beijing judicial authorities demanded that his lawyers drop the case altogether because of a new rule allowing only lawyers based in the province where a detainee has been charged to take up that case. It is unclear if 当知项欠 had any legal representation during his trial.

I urge you to consider 当知项欠 for an immediate sentence reduction and to ensure that he is not tortured or otherwise ill-treated while he remains in custody. I further call on you to allow 当知项欠 an independent medical assessment and any treatment that he requires. 当知项欠 should be permitted regular visits from his family and to write and receive letters from his wife and children.

I thank you for your attention to these concerns and look forward to your reply.