“There are many, many people that we have an interest in and there are many names that we raised, but this particularcase is one that we have repeatedly raised at a number of senior levels,” he said. “So I think we’ve made clear to the Chinese our strong interest in this case.”

But administration officials will not comment on whether Yang’s case will be mentioned by name at the Bush-Jiang summit.

Even aside from international concerns, Feinerman said China’s treatment of Yang also runs counter to its domestic legal system.

“China is violating provisions of its own criminal law and a number of international treaties in the way that it is treating this case,” said Feinerman.

According to Chinese criminal law, suspects can only be detained for a limited period without being charged, the family must be informed of the detention and written notice must be given so that a lawyer can be retained.

“All of those things have been violated in this case,” he said.

Fu, a U.S. citizen, spoke at the press conference about her personal relationship with Yang.

“When I think of my husband, I have in my mind a little boy in a rural country of China,” she said. “It was during the Cultural Revolution, when he was about nine-years-old. As a little Red Guard, he was sent by his teacher to the street to capture farmers who were selling their produce, which was prohibited that time.

“When Jianli saw those vendors, he would quietly tell them to quickly run away before others catch them and beat them. From that young age, he could feel the pain and hardship people lived. I was very touched by his kind heart.”

She described how Yang, head of the Boston-based think tank Foundation for China in the 21st Century, travelled to 30 states and more than a dozen countries around the world to advocate for democracy in China.

“I’m very proud that my husband is such a peace-seeker,” she said.

But Yang’s detention has come at a bitter cost to his family.

After her husband was detained, Fu had difficulty working at HMS.

“I was so worried that I cried a lot and couldn’t sleep,” she said. “I basically couldn’t function at my job.”

Fu was given a two month disability leave for her depression.