Case Background
Xue Deyun, a poet and editor from Guizhou Province in Southwestern China, was a leader in the Guizhou cultural revival, which is a movement that calls for increased literary freedom in China. Xue had always been a strong advocate for free speech and democratic principles in China: he was jailed from 1987-1990 for his involvement in the December 1986 Beijing student protests.
On January 26, 1998, he was arrested along with three other poets, Ma Qiang, Wu Ruohai, and Xiong Jinren (also known as Xiong Xiang), as they were about to launch their unofficial literary journal supporting literary freedom entitled China Cultural Renaissance Bulletin. Chinese dissidents state that when Xue Deyun and his colleagues were arrested, the men’s homes were raided, and their writing and address books confiscated without a warrant. The other three poets were released later in 1998, however, Xue was tried and convicted of “engaging in subversive activities,” violating Article 105.2 of the Chinese Penal Code, and attempting to overthrow “the socialist system by rumor-mongering or slander.” He was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment by the Guiyang Municipal People’s Court. On July 25, 2001, he was released on appeal, having served three-and-a-half years of his sentence. He formally became a practicing Buddhist monk in 2005, dedicating his life to spiritual study and reflection.
In 2000, while still in prison, Xue Deyun was a recipient of the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. Xue is an honorary member of PEN America, as well as the Canadian, Ghanaian, and Norwegian PEN Centers.