Sample Letter to Media

Please cut and paste the text below into Word. Then personalize and send!
(Please include the Case Summary and Case Verification Report in any correspondence)

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Dear Media Person:

I am contacting you to see if I could interest you in the case of Jude Shao, an American who is unjustly imprisoned in China. I believe Jude's case will be of interest to your (readers, viewers or listeners) because it illustrates that the lack of rule of law in China is a danger to foreigners doing business in China.

Jude Shao is a naturalized American citizen who has been in jail in Shanghai for over 5 years after being convicted of tax evasion. In 1993, after graduating from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Jude formed an American-owned corporation, China Business Ventures (CBV), which exported American medical equipment to China.

In 1997, the Shanghai tax office wrongly accused Jude of tax evasion, and approached him and his family three times for a bribe to stop the investigation. Jude refused. He was arrested in 1998 and held incommunicado for the next 26 months. After a trial that violated Chinese due process laws, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Jude has evidence that exonerates him from the crimes alleged against him, but the Shanghai High Court is blocking his appeal.

Jude's family, friends and classmates are working together to help gain more visibility for his plight, and ultimately bring about his release through diplomatic, political, and legal channels. Attached are copies of the Case Summary, which provides the details of Jude's case, as well as the Case Verification Report produced by six Chinese Legal experts in Beijing who concluded there was insufficient evidence to convict Jude.

Finally, I believe Jude's case is really about ethics. Jude had an easy way out (pay a bribe), but he believed strongly in the ideals of his adopted country and he refused. I believe Kathy O'Toole, Editor of the Stanford Business Magazine, said it well in an editorial in the May edition:

"In an era when business executives are faulted for weak ethics, it seems especially important for all of us to consider any evidence that some have sacrificed their freedom for principles."

Thank you very much for your consideration and please feel free to contact me with any questions. I will call to follow up on your interest.

Sincerely,



Your Name

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