Subject: HQ NR #7072: News & Public Response to Chinese Government's Trial & Conviction on Wei Jingsheng

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 14 Dec 1995 21:39:22 -0500

*  *  *    N E W S   R E L E A S E   7072   *  *  *
             _________   December 14, 1995   __________

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                  News & Public Response to Chinese 
            Government's Trial & Conviction on Wei Jingsheng

1. The Senate of the United States Adopted A Resolution Regarding Mr. 
   Wei Jingsheng

   The US Senate unanimously adopted  a resolution in the evening of
December 13 regarding Mr. Wei Jingsheng,   urging  the United States
government should  press for the immediate and unconditional release
of Wei Jingsheng  and other political prisoners in China and sponsor
and aggressively push  for the passage of a resoltuion regarding the 
human rights situation  in China at the annual meeting of the United 
Nations Human Rights Commission  in Geneva scheduled for March 1996.

   The resolution  also  urges  the US government to work  to ensure 
the safety of the new Panchen Lama Gedhun Chekyi Nyima,  selected by
His Holiness Dalai Lama, who is currently held by Chinese government
and whereabouts remains unknown.
                       ____    ____    ____

2. Public Responses to Chinese Government's Trial & Conviction on Mr.
   Wei Jingsheng

From: [email-masked] 

Dear IFCSS president,

I am shocked to learn about the outcome of the  Wei Jinsheng  trial.
It is an utter violation of his human right by  sentencing him  into 
prison for 14 years because he spoke out his mind.    It is a direct 
attack to the democracy movement in China and oversea by the Chinese 
regime.   It demonstrates once again that this regime, like all pre-
vious communist regimes, has no will of leading  China into a modern 
and democratic era.  Therefore, I request you,  the president of the 
only and popular independent  organization  of Chinese  students and 
scholars anywhere in the world,  launch a campaign to collect signa-
tures of oversea Chinese students and scholar,     to lodge a strong 
protest against the Chinese goverment of sentencing Wei for 14 years 
in prison.  IFCSS  represents the voice of 100,000  Chinese students 
and scholars in the U.S. in this regard.   It  is this organizaton's 
responsibility to speak for those who cannot.

                        *   *   *   *   *
From: <[email-masked]>
Subject:  My Feeling After Reading the News of Wei Jingshen Being
          Sentenced Again!

Dear fellow Chinese:

Like many of us who have left China for a while,    I always had the 
feeling that China is changing,     showing more and more respect to 
human rights, the basic rights to stay alive  -  the very meaning of 
human rights defined by the Chinese government. However, our experi-
ence again and again tells us:     The Chinese government are lying, 
they have not changed a bit in this aspect.  Many times we have been 
shocked by and then forgive the Chinese government- hoping that they 
are getting better. 

I was shocked on November 10,  1994 when the Chinese police brutally 
beat my brother,   Xiao Hong YANG,   to death, but I then wished the 
government would maintain justice.   Many of us have fought together 
with my family seeking justice for my brother, but the Chinese gove-
rnment did nothing. Instead the authority cremated my brother's body, 
without ever bothering to inform his wife. I was shocked again!

Today,  I  was shocked once more to learn that the Chinese authority 
sentenced Mr. Wei Jingsheng as they did 15 years ago,   accusing him 
of (i) illegal collection of fund,   (ii)  communication  with human 
rights organizations overseas,    (iii) contact with foreign leaders 
and journalists for anti-government activities, and (iv) support for 
Tibet independence, etc.  

After reading these charges,   I felt  a chill infiltrating my whole 
body. Don't many of us have done some of the accused activities?  We 
better recall carefully before we attempt going back to China.   For 
one thing for sure,    I promised myself,  I will never risk my life 
going back to China any more.    They may not want to get all of us. 
But if they happen to need somebody as a target,     they can arrest 
many of us for some of  the activities mentioned above.  We all know 
we are guilty by the Chinese goverments interpretation  of the laws.
(Such as this very letter--anti-government activities)

Too many times I have  been shocked by and have forgiven the Chinese 
government,    but I will not be shocked again, for I no longer have 
any hope for or any trust in the current Chinese government.    Wake 
up! I often tell myself. 

                       *   *   *   *   *
From: [email-masked]

Dear IFCSS President:   I have talk to my Friends About Wei's trial. 
All of them regret that Chinese governament officials  can  do  such 
dirty thing to Chinese citizens. We strongly  suggest  that  Chinese 
governament respect the diginity of common Chinese citizen. Somebody 
express the different oppions to the governament, should not be cha-
rged as "overthrowning the governament".     To all the students and 
scholars in this world, think about if your relatives or  yourselves
have the same fate as Wei's, and what do you want other people to do? 
Silence to save face of the governament? No, if anybody want to rea-
lly save the the face of the governament, the first thing is try  to 
aviod such thing happen! I  love my life, I hope somebody respect my 
right.   I know the Chinese government officials give me happy life. 
But I Also know that Chinese government  officials ruined the future 
of a lot of people they dislike. Not because they are criminals, but 
they expressed the different oppinons. Again, think   about if these 
people are your relatives or yourselves,   what do you expect  other 
people? Silent or stand up suppoting you? As we know,    to save the 
life of a U.S. pilot in Bosnia,  0.45  billion  dollars  were  used.
Think about these, our fellow chinese students and schlors.   Do you 
feel proud to be the citizen of China or not? What you feel we shou-
ld do? Let some innocent people go to jail  and save the face of the 
governament  who  just  wants  to get the power without thinking the 
life of the fellow citizens. It is obviously that Wei's  release and 
arrest were used as "chip" to  gamble  with  foreign  country by the
Chinese governament.  We regret that Wei is the citizens of chinese. 
He is proud to be a citizen of China, even if somebody want to throw 
him away out of China.   If the governament thinks one person who is 
"hot potato", then, throw him out to the foreign country or  crushed 
him in the homeland by making faked criminal charge  against him. Is 
that plausible? If anybody do not want to lose the face of the gove-
rnment, he should try to prevent such thing from happening.  If not, 
he is spoiling the government and let the citizen suffer. I am proud 
of the citizen of China, that's why I do care about the fate of oth-
er citizens, no matter who I know or not.
	
I strongly believe  that  IFCSS  has done a lot of positive progress
toward the bright future of China.  More and more students and scho-
lars understand what you do, which will be good for our country  and 
for the benefits of ourselves.

                      *   *   *   *   *

From: [email-masked] 

Hi HQ: This is time for you to play a role in leading the rally pro-
testing the charges against Wei Jingsheng.  You should not quit just 
because of a few people who claim representing several Chinese stud-
ents, nor should you use those opposition as an excuse  in order not 
to do anything.   Remember that you claimed as the largest organiza-
tion among Chinese community?  Let us have a vote if you really want 
to do something, otherwise go home!     

                      *   *   *   *   *

From: [email-masked] 

HQ guys:   I am fully support the protest,  I think the IFCSS hasn't 
done enough to improve the human right and democracy in China.    By 
the way, why not mobilize people to fax to china, like IFCSS did for 
CSPA.

                      *   *   *   *   *

From: [email-masked]>

Dear Sir: I support what IFCSS has done in calling support from  CSS 
community for Wei Jingsheng. This is not about politic stand,    not 
about nationalism, not about MFN, not about "national face".   It is 
about whether or not this government can arrest someone just because 
of his voice different from theirs. It is typical example  of  human 
right violation.  

                     *   *   *   *   *

From: [email-masked]>

I personally support the government action.    I can't trust you so-
called human right fighters or democratists. -- An Ordinary Chinese.

                     *   *   *   *   *

From: [email-masked]>

I support your action regarding Wei's trial.     Wei's work is very
different from what Wu Hongda has done,  and I believe Wei is  much 
more visionary in terms of democracy than most of us, he also loves 
China much more than Wu Hongda.
  
                     *   *   *   *   *
From: [email-masked] 

Dear Headquarter, after reading HQ7070  ("Updating information...") 
of the noisy protest on you from a John Hopkins guy  ("representing 
several"), I'd like to make some comments to you:

1. I believe  you will never be discouraged by such opposition from
this kind of ignorant guy. I believe this guy sounds honest, -  and 
with all blood in his body rushed to his head. I feel deep pity for 
him. And I think  this kind of reaction is really representative to 
some degree within Chinese students in the United States now.    So 
the task you are now striving to achieve is really valuble to China. 
And hard. Do not lose heart. Keep on going.

2. A suggestion:  you should have made the basis to summon the pro-
test  rally more broad and clearly stated,  so that the readers may  
find it more acceptable rather arguable. For example,   I can think 
of three points here:

       A. Tatal intolerance to dissidents of the Chinese government
is a clear sign that the Revolutionary Sucessesors   has  inherited 
the anti-democracy,   anti-people characteristics  from   the dying 
away old guards. It is dangerous beginning. Need to call the atten-
tion of all responsible countrymen.

       B. Chinese government,   standing   for 1.2 billion Chinese,
signed the Universal Human Rights Agreement. Yet it never keeps its 
promise and its record in human  rights is so bad that  it  has  to 
change the definition of "human rights" to "right of survival mate-
rially first, ...".    So it is all right that we stand up to force 
this big liar to keep its promise.   

       C. Secret imprisonment and prosecution of political  dissid-
ents make the subject's life miserable and their  personal safety a 
big problem.   We do not need to support Wei Jingshen's cause.  But 
any man with the minimum concience should raise his  concern on the
mistreatment Wei received. If we do not even give our vocal service 
to protest this, it'll be the worst  humiliation to  every  Chinese 
students abroad - we have no "face before the foreigners"(quotation 
from John Hopkins guy).

Well, after trying to make some points,I suddenly realized that you
have done good enough and do not need my unwarranted advice.    But 
the point here is that I want to express my support to you.   It is 
not a easy task for you but keep going. Best wishes.
        
PS. By the way,    I have made 5 calls back to China by the numbers 
you broadcasted. Guess what? All the answer I got can be summarized 
as:" it is irrelevant to call here....we do not know anything about 
this.....we can not  give you any suggestion of any where   else to 
call... Mei You Ban Fa....". 
      
                     *   *   *   *   *

From: [email-masked]>

It  is  a  tragedy  for all chinese that there are people who think 
their government represents their "faces". How sad!

                       *   *   *   *   *

From: [email-masked]

Dear Friends:     Your afforts on helping Wei Jingsheng are no doubt 
most appreciable for many many Chinese. I would like to give Mr. Wei 
and you my fully support for your striving after democricy.   I also 
appreciate foreign supports on this matter. However,  I do not quite 
understand why two US lawyers are chosen  to  defense  Mr. Wei.   Is 
there not any Chinese lawyer, inlands or abroad,  who  can  stand up 
for this task? Maybe you can send such a request on the internet (?). 
I personally dislike America involvement of Chinese matters.    They 
act like international police in too many places and that  is  their 
own commercial interest which counts.  It's to naive to belive their 
democrative motive. That is my personal opinion. Once again, I appl-
aud for your afforts.

(Headquarters' Note: Two former Attorney Generals [ Minister of Jus-
tice] voluntarily  joined a team of  International Defense Committee
for Wei Jingsheng,  which was not requested by either Wei Jingsheng,
his family or any Chinese Human Rights groups.    Chinese government
had denied  any legal offers from foreigners  who don't have licence
for practice in China. Sound logic, right? The drama is that Chinese
government only  gave  Wei's family five days over a weekend to find
a lawyer. When Attorney Zhang Sishi was found and willing to provide
legal defense,  he didn't get chance,   or allowed to meet Wei Jing-
sheng personally until the trial started  -  it means that Wei Jing-
sheng merely met his  defense lawyer at the court! Can we get better
sense  how the Chinese legal  system works after  16 years' develop-
ment? Wei had to defense himself but paused for several times due to
bad health condition resulting from heart disorder and hypertension.      
By   the  way ,  the  same  thing  happened  with  this    so-called 
"open trial":   all foreign reporters including those from Hong Kong
and Taiwan were kicked away from the trial,     and the audience was
also those  who were  working for the government  and  selected  for 
attendance, exactly the same as the government did 16 years ago. One 
friend of Wei Jingsheng applied for the permit to  enter the court. 
Guess what he got?     He was forced to leave home and detained just
several hours before the trial and released  several hours after the 
trial!  Chinese government has arguments for all the above including
illegal detention of Wei  for 20 months before the trial:  this case
is special! Will you agree, our fellow countrymen and women?)

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