Dear Jim,

Imagine being accused of espionage and jailed for something as simple as sending an email message. For many journalists in Vietnam and China, this nightmare scenario has become reality.

Nguyen Vu Binh was jailed in Vietnam in 2002 for writing and posting articles about democracy on the Internet and campaigning for human rights. But thanks to tireless work by Amnesty supporters like you, Vietnamese authorities freed Nguyen Vu Binh in June after serving over two-thirds of his seven-year prison term on baseless espionage charges. He has since been reunited with his wife and two daughters in Hanoi.

By joining Amnesty International today, you'll be supporting hundreds of people like journalist Nguyen Vu Binh, who just want to express their opinions freely online.

Nguyen Vu Binh's release is a great relief to all who campaigned for his freedom - but it's still too early to celebrate. Vietnamese authorities continue to punish citizens who dare to freely express their opinions online. Today, Vietnam is second only to China for the number of cyber-dissidents it has thrown behind bars for nothing more than peaceful self-expression.

In China, journalist Shi Tao remains in prison for sharing information with a U.S.-based website using his Yahoo! email account. With information supplied to government authorities by Yahoo!, Shi Tao was convicted and received a ten-year sentence.

Please stand with us to stop the human rights abuses in Vietnam, China and in so many other countries by making a tax deductible membership gift to Amnesty International today. Courageous individuals like Nguyen Vu Binh and Shi Tao risk their lives each and every day to defend the principles of free speech and free association that you and I believe in. But they need our help right now!

Thank you for being a part of our vibrant global community. I look forward to welcoming you as our newest member of Amnesty International today.

Sincerely,

Larry Cox
Executive Director
Amnesty International USA

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