Wo Weihan executed
1 December 2008, 08:59AM
In 2007 Wo Weihan was accused and found guilty of 'spying' for Taiwan.
Watch a video made by Wo Weihan's daughter appealing for her father not to be executed.
Knowing that his execution may be imminent Wo Weihan had attempted to divorce his wife - he thought that she would face hardship in the future being the widow of an executed prisoner.
One of Wo Weihan's daughter, Ran Chen lives abroad and had appealed for international condemnation of her father's treatment by Chinese authorities. Ran Chen called on world leaders to raise her father's case with Chinese leaders in the lead up to and during the Olympic Games. Heinz Fischer, the Austrian President, and Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, had appealed to Beijing not to kill Wo Weihan who had previously lived in Austria.
Wo Weihan's execution took place on the day of the European Union / China dialogue on human rights. Of this timing, Austria’s Foreign Minister, Ursula Plassnik, said "...shows the lack of consideration and the harshness with which this case has been handled. This [must] be considered as a premeditated affront by the entire EU.”
Ran Chen met her father on 27 November and said that her father had not been told of his impending execution and that she never received written confirmation from the Supreme People's Court that her father had lost his final appeal. Weihan's family had been advised they would get to see him once more before the execution - this did not happen, the Washington Post has reported that the execution was by gunshot on 28 November.
Taiwanese media has been paying particular attention to the case as Wo Weihan was accused of "spying" for Taiwan, he was convicted in May of passing military documents and classified information about an unnamed Chinese leader to Taiwan. Wo's family said he initially confessed to the crimes but later recanted, saying the confession had been coerced. The evidence against him was deemed a state secret, and even his attorney was not allowed to discuss it with his family.
Features and analysis
Healthy homelands
An Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory is showing the government how to close the health gap.
Childbirth in Sierra Leone
Many women in Sierra Leone spend the final months of pregnancy and agonising hours of childbirth fearing for their lives.
Harming Children
Professor Louise Newman explains how detaining children on Christmas Island is likely to affect their mental health.
These features are taken from our Human Rights Defender magazine - subscribe free now
Stay Informed
Get Involved
After long-term imprisonment for speaking publicly about human rights issues, Wei Jingsheng was finally released with help from Amnesty International.
Your donation will be used to help individuals from around the world who are suffering from human rights violations.
Sitewide information
- Copyright © Amnesty International Australia
- ABN: 640 0280 6233
- Phone: 1300 300 920