Sakharov Network

Born on 25 July 1973, Beijing is an activist of Chinese origin modest, also known under the pseudonym of Freeborn. He graduated in economics and advocates for civil rights, environmental protection and defense of AIDS patients, militant His work is both politically and socially.

 

He began to campaign in 1996 as an ecologist. Starting from 2001, he began dealing with AIDS and orphans in particular from Henan Province, a region of China where poor farmers have been victims of blood contamination on a large scale in transfusion centers. Hu Jia is trying to disseminate information on what is really happening in Henan with the Chinese public and media. With other volunteers, they make the prevention, care for orphans and accompany people within terminally fase. Hu Jia said that the fight against AIDS is a priority because it is dramatic, both in non-compliance rights of people infected in the risk of spread.

 

He was also coordinator of the movement of "barefoot lawyers", which he is still party. It also fighting for revising the verdict on the massacre of Tian An Men Square on 4 June 1989. Hu Jia symbolizes a new generation of protesters in China. He always fought for human rights in his country and was visited by police on numerous occasions. But on 03 April 2008 was the first time he being arrested and his rights not respected. he also recognizes that there are progress, for example, at a working meeting on AIDS last April in Beijing, the government has publicly stated that China was in need of civilian organizations, whether local or international .

 

Distinctions

05 December 2007 while under house arrest, he received with his wife Zeng Jinyan a special award from Reporters Without Borders-Fondation of France, to continue to inform the world of consequences for the population of Chinese preparations OJ.

 

His nomination to the next Nobel Prize in 2008 for peace has been considered. Following the possibility of this nomination, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, treated Hu Jia of "criminal" and said that Beijing would be outraged by his nomination.

On 21 April 2008 on a proposal from the Greens, the Council of Paris has made Hu Jia a "Honorary Citizen" of the city, the same day as the 14th Dalai Lama.

On Thursday, 23 October 2008: the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought was awarded in spite of pressure from Beijing MEPs. Many personalities, organizations and countries around the world have welcomed the award of this prize to Hu Jia.

 

Until this date the detention of Hu Jia has been condemned by the UN, Britain and the United States. According to a source who met Hu Jia in detention, his health is deteriorating.