In a letter to Premier Wen Jiabao, the Paris-based WAN and WEF said: "We respectfully call on you to do everything possible to ensure that Mr Shi is immediately released from prison and that all charges against him are dropped. We urge you to take all necessary steps to ensure that in future your country fully respects international standards of freedom of expression."

Mr Shi is serving a 10-year sentence on charges of "leaking state secrets" for writing an e-mail about state-imposed media restrictions in the run-up to the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. The e-mail was picked up by several overseas internet portals -- and by Chinese authorities, after the American search engine company Yahoo! provided information that allowed them to trace the message.

The Golden Pen award, to be presented on 4 June, 2007, at the World Newspaper Congress and World Editors Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, recognises Mr Shi’s outstanding defence and promotion of press freedom. (More on the Golden Pen here. More on the Cape Town events here).

China released another imprisoned journalist, Gao Qinrong, on 7 December. Mr Gao, who was jailed in 1999 after exposing graft and corruption on a water project in Shanxi province, was released five years early for "good behaviour." He had been sentenced to 13 years in jail on false charges of corruption and pimping.

The letter to Premier Wen said:

"We are writing on behalf of the World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum, which represent 18,000 publications in 102 countries, to ask that you grant an early release from prison to journalist Shi Tao, winner of the 2007 WAN Golden Pen of Freedom, as you did to Gao Qinrong earlier this month.

"According to reports, Mr Gao, who worked for the official Xinhua news agency and was jailed in 1999 after exposing government corruption, was released from prison five years early for good behaviour on 7 December. He was sentenced to 13 years in jail on false charges of corruption and pimping after uncovering evidence of graft in an irrigation project in Shanxi province.

"Mr Shi is serving a 10-year sentence on charges of "leaking state secrets" for writing an e-mail about state-imposed media restrictions in the run-up to the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square events. The e-mail was picked up by several overseas internet portals -- and by Chinese authorities, after the American search engine company Yahoo! provided information that allowed them to trace the message to Mr Shi’s computer.

"Mr Shi’s email included information that had been sent to his newspaper by state authorities, warning journalists of the dangers of "social destabilisation" and risks linked to the return of certain dissidents to China for the commemoration of the events.

"The Golden Pen award, to be presented on 4 June, 2007, at the World Newspaper Congress and World Editors Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, recognises Mr Shi’s outstanding defence and promotion of press freedom.

"We respectfully call on you to do everything possible to ensure that Mr Shi is immediately released from prison and that all charges against him are dropped. We urge you to take all necessary steps to ensure that in future your country fully respects international standards of freedom of expression."

The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, defends and promotes press freedom world-wide. It represents 18,000 newspapers; its membership includes 76 national newspaper associations, newspaper companies and individual newspaper executives in 102 countries, 12 news agencies and 10 regional and world-wide press groups.

Inquiries to: Larry Kilman, Director of Communications, WAN, 7 rue Geoffroy St Hilaire, 75005 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 00. Fax: +33 1 47 42 49 48. Mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36. E-mail: lkilman@wan.asso.fr.