How can we forget those scenes in Tian An Men Square?Wang Ce Ladies and gentlemen: At first, I'd like to take this opportunity to say thanks to Amnesty International; especial the Spanish blanch for their help in my case. Without their energetic work and sustained effort, along with the Spanish government, my early release from the prison in China is impossible. Just as Mr. Estaban Beltran has reported that the violation of human rights in China is still very serious. Thousands of people remained arbitrarily detained or imprisoned across the country for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association, or belief. According to incomplete records there are 4,015 death sentences and 2,468 executions in the year 2001. For my particular concern, I ask your consideration for the thousands of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience who are still suffering in the jails of the People's Republic of China. For example, Wang You Cai, the foundering member of Chinese Democratic Party, and other party leaders like Xu Wen Li, Qin Yong Min, Za Jian Guo, Wu yi Long, Mao Qi Xiang, Gao Hong Ming, Wang Wen Jiang and dozens more are just a few among them. Furthermore, I'll call your attention to a specific case just occurred last month in China. This case is very similar to what happened to me in 1998. The PRC authorities detained Dr. Yang Jian Li, a Chinese scholar, and prominent advocate for democracy residing in the United States, in April 27, 2002 during his trip back to China. The alleged charges against him are that he doesn't have a valid passport and commits illegal activities involving the recent workers' protestation in China. Dr. Yang was awarded his Ph.D. in mathematics at University of California, Berkeley and his second Ph.D. in political economy in Harvard University. He is the President of Foundation for China in 21st Century. And he also works as a member of the board of directors of the Alliance for a democratic China & Chinese Liberal Democratic Party, which is headed by me. For many times, Dr. Yang has planed to go back to China to conduct some social investigations for his academic researches. However, the Chinese authorities have been refusing to renew his passport on the motivation of his political ideas that differ from those of the Chinese Communist regime. This is why Dr. Yang has to uses his friend's passport to enter China. The PRC government arbitrarily uses the power of renewal of passport to control the overseas Chinese people. If the Chinese citizens residing in other countries do not cooperate with the Chinese government, they will be deprived the rights to return to China by suspending of their passports. This practice violates both Article 13 -Version 2 of the United Unions Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Article 12-Version 4 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The former version stipulates: ˇ°Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.ˇ± The latter one maintains: ˇ° No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of the right to enter his own country.ˇ± In my case as well as in Dr. Yang's case, we are arbitrarily deprived of our right to return to our motherland by denying our application for renewal of our passports. It has been one month since Dr. Yang was detained. The Chinese authorities have not revealed the whereabouts of Dr. Yang, nor have they allowed him to contact with his family members. Last Monday, Fu Xiang, his wife, came back to China in order to see her husband. Unfortunately, she was not allowed to enter China when she arrived at Beijing International Airport. She was detained at the airport for two hours and deported to the United States by the same airplane. What the Chinese government has been doing over this case is unreasonable and inhumane. Until now we don't know what has happened to Dr. Yang Jian Li. We are deeply concerned about his safety and medical condition. Well, you might have noticed that the coming Tuesday is the thirteenth anniversary of ˇ°June Fourth Massacre,ˇ± which occurred at Tian An Men Square, Beijing 1989. Dr. Yang Jian Li is also a Tian An Men Democracy Movement veteran. He had brought donations from the overseas Chinese to the students at Tian An Men Square to support their peaceful demonstrations. Since then, thirteen years has passed. The Chinese government wants people to forget what happened at that time. But how can we forget the bloodshed pictures those still remains vividly in our mind. A government that uses troops, tanks, and machine guns to kill its own innocent people is not a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Hereby, we appeal to the Chinese government to stop violating basic human rights and persecuting of political dissidents. We appeal to the Chinese government to give back Dr. Yang's freedom immediately and issue a valid passport to him as ordinary Chinese citizens should have the right to hold. We also appeal to the Chinese government to release Wang You Cai, Xu Wen Li, Qin Yong Ming and all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience thus to show its true willingness to improve the human rights situation in China. Thank you very much!
Delivered by Wang Ce Ph.D.
At the Press Conference held by Amnesty International
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