Amnesty International to Hold Vigil for Chinese Journalist Shi Tao on Monday, May 3 at Yahoo! Headquarters

Human rights organization continues to urge Yahoo! to publicly call for Shi Tao release on World Press Freedom day

WASHINGTON, April 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Amnesty International USA members and other activists will hold a vigil at the Yahoo! headquarters demanding the release of Chinese journalist, Shi Tao. He was convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison for sending an e-mail to a U.S.-based pro democracy website. Yahoo! provided Chinese authorities with the information that led to Shi Tao's arrest.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081014/AILOGO)

The participants will be demanding that Yahoo publicly call for the release of Shi Tao. Yahoo! is obligated to resist censorship laws that infringe upon international human rights standards and must act now to challenge the Chinese government's efforts to restrict the right to freedom of expression.

Yahoo!'s role in Shi Tao's conviction is a direct contradiction as Yahoo claims to respect the privacy of its customers and encourage an open exchange of ideas and information. However, Yahoo! has chosen to align itself with the Chinese government in its failure to protect its users' rights to information, privacy and free speech.

Vigil details:

What: Vigil for Shi Tao with Amnesty International members and other activists

Date: Monday, May 3, 2010

Time: 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. (PDT)

Where: Yahoo! headquarters

701 1st Ave

Sunnyvale, CA

For more information, contact the Amnesty International USA Western Regional Office at 415-288-1800 or [email protected].

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.

For more information, please visit: www.amnestyusa.org.

Contact: AIUSA media office, 202-509-8194

SOURCE Amnesty International

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