Over 200 individuals and organizations signed an urgent appeal letter calling on China to release the Changsha Three: Cheng Yuan, Liu Yongze, and Xiao Wu of Chinese organization Changsha Funeng. The final letter with signatures is here: Changsha Three Open Letter 30 July 2019

The Chinese translation is here (中文版): 联名信中文版

The three activists have done important work to end discrimination against people living with HIV and to advance the right to health and rights of persons with disabilities in China. As chair of the Programme Coordinating Board (PCB), which has set a goal of zero HIV-related discrimination by 2030, the letter calls on the People’s Republic of China to release these three legal advocates. 

The 70+ organizational signatories include

• Alliance for Public Health Ukraine
• Asia-Pacific Council of AIDS Service Organizations (APCASO)
• Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
• Caribbean Vulnerable Communities (CVC)
• Global Action for Trans* Equality (GATE)
• Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+)
• HealthGap
• Housing Works
• Human Rights in China
• Human Rights Watch
• International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO)
• International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD)
• KELIN
• MPact
• Coalition PLUS
• PT Foundation
• Treatment Action Group
• TB People
• and dozens of other HIV, TB, human rights and key populations organizations from all over the world
• As well as 128 individuals from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Lawyers Collective has also recently been targeted for raids and political harassment in India, but they also signed the letter, as did Anand Grover, the former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health and director of Lawyers Collective.

Solidarity is beautiful. Background on the Changsha Three is here. Updates to follow.