Whilst world attention is focused on the political uprisings unfolding in the Middle East and Africa, the Chinese government has engaged in a widespread crackdown on political and social critics.
Ai Weiwei, the world famous artist, and a courageous advocate of human rights, the rule of law and individual freedoms, was detained by the Chinese authorities on 3rd April 2011 as he tried to board a flight to Hong Kong. He has not been heard from since. His wife, friends and staff were also detained and questioned over the weekend. His Beijing studio has been searched, and his computer hard-drives confiscated.
Ai Weiwei is perhaps best known for his collaboration with architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron on the design for the Olympic Bird's Nest stadium. His 100 million Sunflower Seeds exhibit, still showing at the Tate Modern in London has been a resounding success. Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota commented, "we are dismayed by developments that again threaten Ai's right to speak freely as an artist and hope that he will be released immediately."
Ai Weiwei has been an outspoken critic of the government. Last year he was placed under house arrest after resisting the demolition of his studio in Shanghai by the authorities. In 2009 he was hospitalised after being beaten by police for attending a fellow human rights campaigners trial. He is being considered for this years 2011 TIME 100 poll of the most influential people in the world. He is regarded as a political hero.
The state-sanctioned newspaper Global Times has written that Ai Weiwei "will pay a price for his special choice." This ominous message follows the increasing global pressure on China to release him. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle summoned Wu Hongbo, the Chinese ambassador, to discuss Ai Weiwei's detention.
Chinese authorities have today insisted on state-run Xinhua news site that he is being detained and investigated for unspecified economic crimes. But this statement was subsequently withdrawn.
The Chinese government fear a ricochet effect from the current revolutionary wave sweeping through the Middle East, which might spark similar protests in China. In February of this year an anonymous post on the US-based site Boxun.com called for a Middle East-style "Jasmine Revolution." Ai Weiwei has not been involved in this movement.
Since then the Chinese authorities have launched an unrelenting assault on human rights, civil liberties, curtailing freedom of speech, and stepping up censorship both on and offline. In the past month, dozens of Chinese lawyers, bloggers, and dissidents have been detained. In a statement by Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International's Director for the Asia-Pacific he said "China is abandoning the rule of law, The government is trying to systematically break the will of the country's lawyers. It is giving its security forces free rein to pervert the course of justice and deny activists and critics the right to a legal defence. The most disturbing thing is that there is no sign of the government relaxing its grip this time around. We fear that this is just a taste of things to come."
Since his detention authorities have begun deleting references to Ai Weiwei on Chinese speaking sites, forcing human rights campaigners to refer to him by code words such as "ai weilai" or "love the future" which sounds and looks similar to his name.
Ai Weiwei and his art could be a symbol of China's growing leadership in the world, but the Chinese authorities have chosen instead to try and erase him from the national and cultural memory.
The UK, Germany, France, Australia, US and the EU have all publicly called for Ai Weiwei's release as well as many leading figures in the art world.
We must now also stand with Ai Weiwei and with all those who have been unjustly detained. Please sign The Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation's petition urging the Chinese government to step up to its global leadership position and stop the persecution of political critics and attempts to erase them from the internet.
Please help us free Ai Weiwei by signing this petition. If enough of us take action now, we can make sure that Chinese voices of freedom are not silent forever.
Photo credit: Ai Weiwei with Sunflower seeds, installation at the Tate Modern.
Follow Bianca Jagger on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BiancaJagger
HERE ARE THE FACTS:
Ai Weiwei did not design Beijing’s Olympic stadium. In 2001, even before Beijing had been awarded the right to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, the city held a bidding process to select the best arena design.
Of the final thirteen evaluated designs, Li Xinggang of China Architecture Design and Research Group (CADG) exhibited a model of the bird’s nest, and this design became official in April of 2003 – fully five years before the Olympics began.
The innovative structure was designed by Herzog & De Meuron Architekten, Arup Sport and CADG, and was nicknamed the “bird’s nest” due to the web of twisting steel sections that form the roof.
Ai Weiwei was not involved in any way in the building’s design.
Ai Weiwei’s piece corroborates my statement that “Ai Weiwei is perhaps best known for his collaboration with architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron on the design for the Olympic Bird's Nest stadium.”
Furthermore, as of 12.51pm UCT/GMT, 11th April 2011 there were 83 articles which also confirm my statement. http://news.google.at/news/story?pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=ai+weiwei+olympic+birds+nest&ncl=dIXz714HXtzzsQMGeX3ke6eG1gbsM
Including The Wall Street Journal, The Independent, The Guardian and the New York Times who write “Ai Weiwei, one of China’s most prominent artists, a co-designer of the Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium and an outspoken critic of the government, was detained by authorities Sunday as he tried to board a plane for Hong Kong.” http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/weekinreview/10fight.html
Bianca Jagger
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7478923.stm
The main venue for Beijing's Olympic Games - the "Bird's Nest" stadium - is complete and fully operational.
The 91,000-seat stadium will host the Olympics' opening and closing ceremonies as well as athletics events.
A network of steel girders gives the stadium its nest-like appearance. All 37 venues for the Games are now ready.
The International Olympic Committee has praised Beijing's preparations, but said air quality was a concern.
The Bird's Nest - or National Stadium - was designed by award-winning Swiss firm Herzog and de Meuron and Chinese architect Li Xinggang.
The design beat dozens of other entries in a worldwide competition held in 2003.
"The Bird's Nest is the last completed Olympic venue but the best," said project manager Tan Xiaochun.
The project was completed at a cost of $500m (£250m).
"You can imagine yourself to be an athlete, standing at the centre of the venue attracting thousands of eyes," said Li Xinggang.
"You will be turned on by the audience's cheers, feeling at the centre of a stage. It will lead you to final success."
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Ask Ai these questions? Who did he work for, who paid him and how much was he paid? When exactly did he become involved with the Bird's nest and HOW did he become involved?
Yes, you can find plenty of false in fo in the MSM to corraborate your position, but did you vet them?
My guess is someone in China dropped a dime on him!
People who visit China have no idea about the real China. The Chinese Communist Party practices slavery, torture and even organ harvesting on its own people.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution Tuesday, Mar.16, 2010, urging the Chinese Communist Party to end its decade-long campaign against Falun Gong and expressing solidarity with victims of persecution in China.
House Resolution 605 recognizes, “the continued persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China on the 11th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party campaign to suppress the Falun Gong spiritual movement and calling for an immediate end to the campaign to persecute, intimidate, imprison, and torture Falun Gong practitioners.” “The Falun Gong spiritual discipline is based on truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance,” said Ros-Lehtinen. “Yet these innocents are brutally targeted by the Chinese regime. The stark reality which this resolution addresses gives new meaning to the phrase 'Butchers of Beijing.’”
The Governments of the World are aware of these atrocities and many more but continue to do business as usual because of corporate greed.
In China, Falun Gong bans it's followers from practicing Tai Chi and threatens them with life in He!! everlasting if they do not give up Tai Chi.
Isn’t the sunflower seed itself, emblematic of China’s predicament? Imprisoned inside, are all manner of wondrous surprises. Yet there is little visual evidence of that splendiferous potential, from an outside view of that desiccated husk.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/ai-wei-wei/
He is NOT the designer of the Birds Nest, nor did he participate in it's design.
Wake up!