AN OPEN LETTER TO HU JINTAO
(Aug. 31, 2005)
In Regard to Imprisoned Members of the China Democracy Party
Tuesday, August 30, 2005 (boxun.com)
His Excellency Mr. HU Jintao, President of the People' s Republic of ChinaBeijing, China
Dear Mr. President,
We the undersigned are a group of Chinese citizens, who took part in the effort to legally register the China Democracy Party in China in 1998 and now living in North America, and individuals living in North America while concerned about China’s advancement in political civilization and social progress. Upon learning about your upcoming visit to the United States and Canada as well as attending the United Nations world summit soon, we are writing here to draw your attention to the case of the China Democracy Party (CDP hereafter). In accordance with China’s Constitution, the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, related international standards, and China’s existing laws, we urge you to release the imprisoned CDP members, who were jailed for legally exercising their rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of speech only.
We are very pleased that Sino-US relations are making progress in various fields, but at the same time also deeply ashamed and worried by the horrible development of China’s human rights record. On the one hand, we noticed that, while pushing for economic development, the Chinese government has not given up the goal to build a society with the rule of law. However, a legal system oriented towards power alone – instead of based on human rights protection and on the principle that public power must be limited, divided, balanced and legitimized by the public – can hardly be successful.
On the other hand, we also noticed that social conflicts in China have seen dramatic increases and growing scales in recent years. Yet, the existing legal system, severely corrupted, is unable to uphold justice and protect citizen’s rights. Instead, it has caused general worsening of human rights situation, casting a huge, dark shadow over the prospect to perfect the rule of law in China in the future. The situation is truly disturbing.
We believe, the CDP case of 1998 is an outstanding example of this unfortunate trend and must be corrected immediately, so that a constructive beginning towards the rule of law in China could be initiated with crystallizing vision of just in mind.
In case you are not familiar with the CDP case, we would like to remind you the following points. First, all the actions taken by those who were involved in the preparing stage of setting up the CDP were completely legal, strictly within the legal sphere permitted by China’s existing laws at the time. What these people did are no more than exercising their basic civic rights of free assembly that is formally endowed by China’s Constitution.
Second, their actions are precisely the kind of expression that a responsible citizen ought to have in regard to political life of the nation. They wished and pushed, in practice by attempting to legally register the CDP, for China’s political structure to undergo peaceful transition along a constitutional and democratic line. As well known, party politics is both the basic condition and intrinsic demand of modern democratic politi, which can secure an orderly and rational base for democracy to exist and further develop. Therefore, the members preparing for the establishment of the CDP throughout China are by no means criminals. On the contrary, they are among the most responsible citizens in contemporary China.
Last but not the least, during their trials and their prison time, concerned authorities in China did not give them due process even according to China’s own laws, have blocked normal visitation rights of their family members, and have abused their rights of access to medical care when suffering from illness. These are not only against the principle of the rule of law, but also extremely inhumane. Doubtlessly, the trial and imprisonment of CDP members have violated the Constitution and other related existing laws of China, seriously violated the basic human rights of these Chinese citizens, and violated modern society’s basic moral standard and been abuses against basic humanity. The violations and abuses must be stopped and the case must be reopened and corrected immediately.
Below is an incomplete list of prisoners of the CDP case:
KONG Youping, sentenced to 15-year imprisonment;LI Zuo, sentenced to 15-year imprisonment;LIU Yusheng, sentenced to 14-year imprisonment;Liu Xianbin, sentenced to 13-year imprisonment;QIN Yongmin, sentenced to 12-year imprisonment;SHE Wanbao, sentenced to 12-year imprisonment;NING Xianhua, sentenced to 12-year imprisonment;WU Yilong, sentenced to 11-year imprisonment;HU Mingjun, sentenced to 11-year imprisonment;LI Dawei, sentenced to 11-year imprisonment;ZHU Zhengming, sentenced to 10-year imprisonment;TONG Shidong, sentenced to 10-year imprisonment;CHEN Zhonghe, sentenced to 10-year imprisonment;WANG Sen, sentenced to 10-year imprisonment;ZHA Jianguo, sentenced to 9-year imprisonment;YANG Zili, sentenced to 8-year imprisonment;YUE Tianxiang, sentenced to 8-year imprisonment;MAO Qingxiang, sentenced to 8-year imprisonment;GAO Hongming, sentenced to 8-year imprisonment;HE Depu, sentenced to 8-year imprisonment;ZHU Yufu, sentenced to 7-year imprisonment;XIAO Shichang, sentenced to 7-year imprisonment;LIU Shizun, sentenced to 6-year imprisonment;GUO Chengming, measure of punishment unclear;GUO Xinmin, measure of punishment unclear;YU Feng, measure of punishment unclear;ZHANG Youju, measure of punishment unclear;LIU Jin, measure of punishment unclear;ZHANG Jian, measure of punishment unclear;
Et cetera, et cetera.
This list is China’s honor as well as China’s disgrace. To throw these people into prison is China’s disgrace, whereas being persecuted has brought them into the struggle of seeking justice in China and into the rank of humankind’s conscience, ultimately earning honor for themselves. As ordinary Chinese citizens and as Chinese people living in North America we are deeply concerned about China’s destiny in today’s world. Knowing clearly we have no right to share the glorious honor of these people, nonetheless we have been forced to shoulder the disgrace together with you and your colleagues, simply because of the dated political system in China – the current official policy seriously abusing basic human rights in political spheres in China makes every dignified Chinese ashamed in front of the whole world.
The individuals whose names appear in this list, seeking healthy and balanced development of Chinese society, all actively while openly participated according to law political activities aiming at social reform and national progress. Now they are suffering imprisonment due to their passionate political participation. In today’s China they ought to be the healthy cells indispensable to the society; In a China opening up to the world, their actions point to what the United Nations has attentively concerned as the shared direction for modern human societies, and so demonstrate to the whole world a China that is capable of true humility based on conscience. Even if they are no more than ordinary citizens, the mistreatments and abuses they have received in the hands of the Chinese law-enforcement and juridical system require urgent attention. Yet, these are the people who carry China’s honor in their suffering. Their imprisonment is China’s disgrace, discrediting all China’s talks of its current legal practices.
Therefore we are here writing to you, urging to take action about the CDP case. Please release from prison all the CDP members and all prisoners of conscience immediately. To release them will constitute a concrete step taken effectively on the road to improving the rule of law in China, a solid stone laid in paving the way for modern political culture to grow in China, and a fresh spring contributing to a new image of China with moral power to participate world affairs, which will ultimately change the current international image of China that is Sino-centric and concerned about interest of the domestic ruling class only. It will also become part of collective effort of the world in creating a common future for mankind.
We are looking forward to hearing from you soon your positive response with the basic spirit of law. We wish you a peaceful trip to North America!
Signed by:
Scholars and activists of democracy movement living in North America:
REN Bumei, ZHOU Fengsuo, CHEN Kuide, WANG Chaohua, XING Dakun, WANG Dan, XING Zheng, SHAO Jiang;
Activists who were involved in the CDP registering campaign in 1998:
YAO Zhenxian, ZHOU Jianhe, XU Shuiliang, TANG Yuanjun, CHEN Liqun, FANG Xiaofeng, CHEN Guangming, WANG Youcai, and XU Wenli.
(boxun.com)
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