On January 10, well-known Chinese rights activist Guo Feixiong issued an urgent open letter (see below) to Premier Li Keqiang and Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi, urging them to order Guangzhou authorities to return his passport so that he may come to the United States to take care of his wife, Zhang Qing, who is suffering from cancer. On January 9, Zhang, living in Maryland, underwent major surgery for colon cancer metastasized to the liver. (See below.)

For his rights defense activism, Guo Feixiong served two prison sentences totaling 11 years: a five-year term for "illegal business operation" that ended on September 12, 2011; and a six-year term for "gathering crowds to disrupt public places" and "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" that ended on August 7, 2019. His persecution greatly affected his family, causing interruption in his children’s education. In April 2009, Zhang left China with the two children for the United States. Over the past ten years, Guo’s passport has been held by the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau. In his letter, Guo calls on "the two public servants and all persons with conscience in the Chinese government to make a stronger push to promote proper procedures in China’s human rights cause in the New Year, so that all citizens’ freedom to travel abroad and other fundamental rights and freedoms can be effectively protected."

郭飞雄：致李克强总理、赵克志部长的紧急公开信

国务院总理李克强先生
公安部部长赵克志先生
二位公仆好！

我是中国公民杨茂东，笔名郭飞雄。

我因一件与二位公仆对口服务之重要事务，紧急给你们写公开信，请予帮助。

我的妻子张青居住在美国马里兰州，今天（美国时间1月9日）刚刚做完结肠癌伴肝转移开腹切除大手术。她因为两个孩子在国内无法正常读书，被迫于2009年迁移到美国，十几年来异域打拼，艰难辛苦把儿女拉扯大，又与身为良心犯两次坐牢的我长期分离，心理苦痛长期郁闷，故酿成重大疾病，令身为男子汉的我愧疚、哀伤之至。

现她一人在美，大手术之后急需调养呵护，却无人做饭、照顾、扶持，很不利于压住、根治恶疾，这令我忧心如焚、度日如年！

我必须立即赶赴美国，尽全力照顾我的妻子，帮她渡过人生最危险、最艰难的关口。

但是，我的出国护照被广东省广州市公安局一处扣押，而且据他们去年声称，我作为公民的出国旅行自由权利的履行，需要经由他们批准。

二位公仆亦为人丈夫，夫妻恩爱，必定亦有常人共情同理之心。同样重要的是，二位公仆和你们所代表的政府部门，有着为中国公民的重大合法需求提供服务的职责，有着对下属严重失职行为及时督改的义务。

在此，我恳请二位公仆拨冗履责，本乎天理、顺乎人道地运用执行力，帮我解决目前这一重大而急迫的困难，责令广东省广州市公安局一处最快时间返还我的出国护照，并且不可做出任何非法的阻碍。

果真如此，我将十分感激。

我们同为中国人，都是自然本分地爱亲人、爱国家、爱人类者。自由、民主、公平、正义、和平、发展是今天中国的全民共识。我真诚地希望看到，二位公仆以及中国政府所有有良心者，能够在新的一年对中国的人权事业做出更加有力的程序推动，令所有公民的出国旅行自由以及其他基本自由权利都能得到有效的保障。

敬请答复！

杨茂东（郭飞雄）
联系人与联系电话：杨茂平（我姐姐），13872829152

2021年1月10日