Forwarded by: Fred Shepardson, the Committee of 100 for Tibet.

The U.S. State Department announced on June 26, 1995 that human rights activist Hongda Harry Wu has been detained by Chinese authorities, who are investigating the validity of travel documents and violations of Chinese law during a previous trip to China. After a recent visit, Wu reported evidence that the Chinese government regularly orders the removal of organs from executed prisoners for sale to officials and foreigners, a charge Beijing denies. Media services report that U.S. officials have no information about Wu condition or whereabouts.

Harry Wu, a member of the Committee of 100 for Tibet, is the Executive Director of the Laogai Research Foundation, dedicated to exposing human rights abuses of the laogai, China's forced labor prison camps. Wu spent 19years as a political prisoner in the laogai. The author of Bitter Winds and Laogai: The Chinese Gulag, and an internationally prominent human rights activist, Wu has testified frequently before U.S. Congressional committees, European Parliament committees, and the United Nations Human Rights Commission. He has published numerous articles on the laogai and human rights in China. Wu is 58 years old, and lives in California with his wife, who was not with him on this trip to China.

The Laogai Research Foundation has provided the following information:

Wu, whose legal name is Peter H. Wu, is a naturalized American citizen travelling on a United States passport. He was issued a visa by the Chinese government (No. 004131) on March 11, 1995, which is valid for two entries into China, and which expires on September 11, 1995.

Wu and a companion, also a U.S. citizen, were detained at the border crossing town of Horgas (Kazakhstan/China border) on Monday, June 19th. They were detained at a guest house nearby while the authorities investigated their travel documents. Their movements were restricted and they were under constant guard and not allowed to communicate with the U.S. embassy or anyone else.

Before dawn on Friday, June 23rd, officials of more senior rank arrived at the guest house. Shortly thereafter, Wu and his companion were separated and his companion was expelled. At approximately the same time, the Foreign Ministry notified the U.S. Embassy in Beijing of Wu's detention and the investigation into his travel documents. His current whereabouts are unknown.

Wu's documents are completely in order and he did not violate any Chinese laws or regulations. Furthermore, in his previous visits to China Wu has been extremely careful not to violate any Chinese laws.