{"article":{"id":29077,"heading":""Free Wang Bingzhang!" campaign warms up","author":"China Support Network","created":"2003-02-15 07:29:58","modified":"2003-02-15 07:29:58","last_modified":"Sat, 15 Feb 2003 14:29:58","article":"


\r\nBoosting freedom and democracy for China • Since 1989
\r\nwww.chinasupport.net<\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n \r\n
FOR IMMEDIATE\r\n RELEASE<\/b>
\r\n February 13, 2003<\/td>\r\n 		\r\n

Contact:
\r\n <\/b>John Kusumi,\r\n Executive Director
\r\n 203-640-2715
\r\n David Chu, Public Relations
\r\n 707-543-8103<\/i><\/p><\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n<\/table>\r\n

Wang Bingzhang,
\r\nnew cause celebre, is unifying
\r\nChina's pro-democracy movement<\/b><\/p>\r\n

Campaign begins to free Wang\r\nBingzhang
\r\namid heated reaction, rising clamor of outrage<\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n \r\n
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<\/p><\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n<\/table>\r\nOn Monday, China sentenced\r\nabducted Chinese dissident, Dr. Wang Bingzhang, to life in prison. Dr. Wang, 55,\r\nis credited as a founder of China's pro-democracy movement, and of the China\r\nDemocracy Party, a banned political party. He has been referred to as\r\n\"China's Nelson Mandela.\" <\/i>\r\n

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February 13, 2003 (CSN) --\r\nAn outpouring of response has continued to come from every corner of China's\r\nfar-flung democracy movement, reflecting its universal revulsion, outrage, and\r\ncondemnation of China for Monday's sentencing of Dr. Wang Bingzhang, one of the\r\ntallest, most senior figures among its leadership.<\/p>\r\n

Who is Wang Bingzhang?<\/b><\/p>\r\n

Dr. Wang's principled and\r\ncourageous politics began at the time of China's Cultural Revolution, a 1966 -\r\n1976 period of authorities going to excess, and of enormous misery, suffering,\r\nand death for millions of Chinese citizens. Dr. Wang, then a medical student,\r\nwas jailed twice for his political views, before making his way to Canada, where\r\nhe completed a doctorate in medical research. In 1982, he moved to New York,\r\nwhere he set up the Chinese Alliance for Democracy, and began publishing a\r\nperiodical, China Spring. That magazine became popular with pro-democracy\r\nintellectuals in China, and among people such as the students in Tiananmen\r\nSquare. At Tiananmen Square, Chinese college students led an uprising, calling\r\nfor democracy and freedom, and had a six-week stand off with authorities, before\r\nit ended in the Tiananmen Square massacre, seen on world television, on June 4,\r\n1989. In 1998, Dr. Wang snuck back into China to help form the China Democracy\r\nParty, also called the Chinese Democracy and Justice Party. He was caught by\r\nauthorities and expelled from China. No less, the occasion cemented his fame and\r\nheroism in this cause.<\/p>\r\n

What happened in the abduction of\r\nWang Bingzhang?<\/b><\/p>\r\n

John Kusumi muses, \"The\r\nmeeting may have been a set up.\" Wang Bingzhang, traveling with two other\r\nChinese dissidents, set out to meet leaders of China's fledgling labor movement.\r\nThe meeting was to take place in Vietnam, safely across the border from China.\r\nThe setup of the meeting may have included ruses and lures by hosts with bad\r\nintentions. Together, the dissidents visiting from the West (two, including\r\nWang, from the U.S., and one from France) became known as \"The Democracy\r\n3.\"<\/p>\r\n

On the night of June 26,\r\n2002, the Democracy 3 were abducted from their hotel, by men wearing Vietnamese\r\npolice uniforms, and who spoke Mandarin Chinese. They were taken the 12 miles to\r\nthe border with China, and placed on a boat which brought them into China. The\r\nabduction was well orchestrated, with cars waiting at the hotel and at the\r\nborder, as well as a waiting boat. These details come to us from Yue Wu, one of\r\nthe companions traveling with Wang in the Democracy 3.<\/p>\r\n

The Free China Movement, on\r\nJuly 25, accused the Chinese government of kidnapping them. China denied that it\r\nwas holding them. The Democracy 3 were held incommunicado for six months, until\r\na December 19 report by China's Xinhua news agency admitted that they had the\r\nthree in custody, \"since July 3.\" The dispute lingers about the June\r\n26 - July 3 period, with the Free China Movement insisting that the kidnappers\r\nwere Chinese government agents, and with China saying that it rescued the three\r\nfrom a kidnap gang, and found them tied up in a temple on July 3.<\/p>\r\n

China subsequently arrested\r\nWang Bingzhang, and cleared his two companions of any charges. Wang stood trial\r\nin China on January 22, for charges of espionage and terrorism. The charges have\r\nbeen termed \"ludicrous\" by the Free China Movement, and a\r\n\"yarn\" by the China Support Network. Other adjectives have come from\r\nmany quarters.<\/p>\r\n

What happened Monday?<\/b><\/p>\r\n

China announced a guilty\r\nverdict, and a sentence of life in prison for Wang Bingzhang.<\/p>\r\n

What happened since Monday?<\/b><\/p>\r\n

A rising international\r\nuproar is ready to pierce our eardrums. The CSN reported Tuesday about some\r\nreaction, and now there is more. The Free China Movement has released its\r\nintelligence that the trial's outcome and sentencing were ordained in advance by\r\na \"very important communist official in Beijing,\" who is quoted as\r\nsaying, \"Since he (Dr. Wang) is willing to spend his whole life in jail if that can end our Party's\r\nrule, in exchange then let him stay in jail for life!\"<\/p>\r\n

Wang Bingzhang himself has\r\nweighed in. A letter to his family, dated February 8, was published by a Hong\r\nKong newspaper. Here is what Dr. Wang had to say--<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Mom and Dad,<\/p>\r\n

Family members, Hope you\r\n are all well,<\/p>\r\n

I am writing this brief\r\n note to let you know I am alive and well. Since entering China, my basic\r\n living needs have been met, the food and drink have been not bad, with\r\n sufficient nutrition, and my health has not failed dramatically. The agencies\r\n and officials in charge of my care have been most courteous, so mom and dad,\r\n and family, please do not worry.<\/p>\r\n

Also, with regards to the\r\n matter of my legal counsel. Both Min Yang and Chao Wen are independent lawyers\r\n in Guangzhou in private practice. The head of the Guangdong Province Bar\r\n Association, Yunhua Ci, met with me in person, and presented a list of\r\n recommended counsel. From among those listed, I selected Min Yang and Chao Wen.\r\n They seem to be very responsible in exercising their duties as lawyers, and\r\n presented a defense of not guilty before the Court. Please repose your trust\r\n in their professionalism, and bring any matters under consideration to their\r\n attention for discussion. My legal fees should be paid according to the sums\r\n specified in the contract. As to my daily living routine, every day I pray to\r\n God. I trust, the Lord will protect us.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Most pro-Chinese\r\ndemocracy leaders in the U.S. have gone on record with responses.<\/p>\r\n

Wang Xizhe \/ FCM
\r\n<\/b>\"We are very angry. We lodge\r\na strong protest.\"<\/p>\r\n

Shengde Lian \/ FCM
\r\n<\/b>\"Dr. Wang's harsh sentence... has galvanized\r\nthe pro-democracy movement everywhere. Protests in Washington DC and in other cities around the world are in the planning stages. Dr. Wang's cause will not\r\ndie, even as he remains in prison. The peaceful struggle to end China's era of totalitarian rule is rising once again.\"<\/p>\r\n

Yongjun Zhou \/ FCM
\r\n<\/b>\"Dr. Wang's trial took place only after its verdict and sentence was pre-ordained.\r\nThe case of Dr. Wang was politically motivated. Its purpose was to link legitimate political dissent to terrorism. What we have here is not a case of\r\nDr. Wang committing terrorism acts, but of the Communist government engaging in terrorist acts against pro-democracy dissidents.\"<\/p>\r\n

Timothy Cooper \/ FCM
\r\n<\/b>\"What Beijing dreads most is waking up one day to find the head of the Chinese\r\npro-democracy movement fitted on the body of the country's fledgling labor movement.\r\n[Dr. Wang was] one of the few people who could accomplish this feat.\"<\/p>\r\n

Paul Risenhoover \/ FCM
\r\n<\/b>\"Whereas the Soviets had many\r\n'show' trials, the communist Chinese only have 'no trials' with no evidence, no witnesses, no\r\ndefense, no rights, and no due process.\"<\/p>\r\n

Dan Yi \/ IFCSS
\r\n<\/b>\"More than one generation of\r\nChinese students have benefited from Dr. Wang's efforts. The veterans of IFCSS\r\nwould like to take this opportunity to thank him for his leadership in the early\r\nyears. Let us carry on the cause for democracy and human rights.\"<\/p>\r\n

Wei Jingsheng \/ OCDC
\r\n<\/b>\"Once again, this is an indication that the policy of tolerance and\r\nappeasement that the international society and American government has adopted to the Chinese dictator government has permitted the\r\nChinese human rights condition to go backwards.<\/p>\r\n

\"According to Chinese law, if he did not enter\r\nChina and violated Chinese law there, the Chinese court does not have legal jurisdiction over him. Instead, it should be the jurisdiction\r\nof the courts in the USA and Canada.<\/p>\r\n

\"We appeal to the US government and the Canadian government to\r\ncome forward for fairness and justice, to request the jurisdiction rights of the American courts and the Canadian courts over the case of Dr.\r\nWang.\"<\/p>\r\n

Wang Dan
\r\n<\/b>\"There is no evidence to substantiate the charges\r\n[against Dr. Wang]. China should not see dissidents who have visited Taiwan as spies, and Chinese\r\npro-democracy activists have never resorted to violence or taken terrorist actions.\"<\/p>\r\n

Yan Jiaqi
\r\n<\/b>\"Mainland Chinese dissidents are peaceful and rational. The charges\r\nagainst Wang Bingzhang can hardly be true.\"<\/p>\r\n

Xue Wei \/ Beijing Spring
\r\n<\/b>\"[Urges] all human rights groups in the world to give\r\nWang Bingzhang a helping hand.\"<\/p>\r\n

John Kusumi \/ CSN
\r\n<\/b>\"This is unifying the cause,\r\nand bringing it back to world attention. Beijing's CCP will come to look back on\r\nthis move as a mistake. We add one more reason to justify the worldwide boycott\r\nof 'Made in China' goods.\"<\/p>\r\n

The U.S. State Department\r\nalso expressed its \"deep concerns\" about this case, with spokesman\r\nRichard Boucher saying, \"We have made it clear to China on numerous occasions and at very senior\r\nlevels that the war on terrorism must not be misused to repress legitimate political grievances or dissent.\"\r\nHowever, China publicly rejected the U.S. criticism.<\/p>\r\n

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs\r\nCouncil denied that Wang had been paid to gather intelligence for Taiwan. The council also criticized Beijing for ignoring human rights.\r\nIn their statement, \"China's ruling on this case demonstrates that China is still a country\r\nthat can't respect human rights -- the universal rights valued by most of the international\r\ncommunity.\" The council called on the international community to keep a close eye on developments.<\/p>\r\n

At the China Support\r\nNetwork, Executive Director John Kusumi notes, \"That man [Dr. Wang] has\r\nfollowers -- all pro-democracy Chinese, and all who pin their hopes on this\r\ncause. Nobody is letting go of this matter; we can expect to see an ongoing\r\ncampaign to free Wang Bingzhang.\"<\/p>\r\n

The demands of this case are\r\ncreating a fundraising emergency at the Free China Movement. In a statement, FCM\r\nappealed for contributions, saying, \"We hope that any donors interested in\r\ngiving to support the prisoners in China would email: lead@freechina.net\r\nto make arrangements to wire funds to Dr. Bingzhang Wang or Dr. Jianli\r\nYang.\" Kusumi pointed out, \"Private donations will be very much in\r\norder at this time. I know that funds are needed at FCM, OCDC, IFCSS, and CSN.\"<\/p>\r\n

Dispute over status of Wang\r\nBingzhang<\/b><\/p>\r\n

Natively a Chinese, Dr. Wang\r\nhas at different times lived in China, Canada, and the U.S. Did he achieve\r\nCanadian citizenship, and did he renounce his Chinese citizenship? Dissidents\r\nsay yes. In the United States, Dr. Wang achieved 'permanent resident' status,\r\nwhich is a step short of citizenship. That U.S. status is clear, as is the fact\r\nthat Dr. Wang is a U.S. based dissident.<\/p>\r\n

In announcements from the\r\ndemocracy movement, Dr. Wang has been termed a 'U.S. national.' That status\r\nentitles Dr. Wang to some further diplomatic protection, and jurisdiction of the\r\nU.S. legal system, than he might otherwise receive.<\/p>\r\n

\"The trouble now is\r\nthat he is not receiving that U.S. service,\" says Kusumi. Horrified\r\ndissidents are coming to be at odds with U.S. officials, and an entire sidebar\r\ndispute is flaring. A statement by the Free China Movement's board of directors\r\nsays,<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Americans should know that\r\nour State Department refused to assist an American national and deeply religious\r\nChristian brother, Dr. Bingzhang Wang, in his hour of need after having been\r\nillegally kidnapped.<\/p>\r\n

State Department officials\r\n in the Asia and Pacific Affairs bureau told US government journalists working\r\n for the Voice of America that Wang was not entitled to US diplomatic\r\n protection, and with reminiscences of the drama 'Red Corner' come to life, US\r\n Embassy officers in Beijing told the New York Times the same thing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Shengde Lian, the Executive\r\nDirector at the Free China Movement, said, \"It's wrong and irresponsible\r\nfor official to say Dr. Wang is not US National and there is no difference\r\nbetween US citizen and US national.\"<\/p>\r\n

\"This is a glib way for\r\nthe State Department to wriggle off the hook, at a time when the conscience of\r\nthe entire free world is being affronted -- at a time when the State Department\r\nshould respond vigorously to this international abduction,\" notes Kusumi.\r\n\"There is an immediate hole to be found in the State Department's line of\r\nthe day. Looking into U.S. law, we can find that, yes, Virginia, there is such a\r\nthing as a non-citizen U.S. national.\"<\/p>\r\n

Dissidents know that there\r\nis indeed a difference in the definitions of U.S. citizen, on the one hand, and\r\nU.S. national, on the other hand. They avow that Dr. Wang Bingzhang is a\r\nnon-citizen U.S. national.<\/p>\r\n

The U.S. government likely\r\nwill not hear the end of this dispute until they come around to side with the\r\nChinese dissidents. Kusumi quipped, \"The State Department couldn't take the\r\nheat, and they got out of the kitchen, dodging their responsibilities in a\r\ncowardly way. People for freedom and democracy have the kitchen left all to\r\nthemselves, alone.\"<\/p>\r\n

Noting that Dr. Wang and his\r\ncause are all about democracy, freedom, and justice, the board of directors\r\nconcluded in their statement,\r\n\"It behooves all who cherish those same core American ideals to extend\r\ntheir best efforts to secure his [Dr. Wang's] immediate release and\r\nreturn.\"<\/p>\r\n

This just in...<\/b><\/p>\r\n

OVERSEAS CHINESE DISSIDENTS TO\r\nSTAGE CROSS COUNTRY RALLIES TO CONDEMN CHINA'S BARBARIC LIFE SENTENCE OF DR.\r\nWANG BINGZHANG<\/b><\/p>\r\n

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  • \r\n

    Rallies to take place\r\n in New York City and Los Angeles<\/p><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

    Washington, DC--The Free\r\nChina Movement is announcing two major rallies to take place on opposite ends of\r\nthe country. The first is scheduled for Saturday, February 15, 2003 in New York\r\nCity at the Sheraton Hotel at 1:00 p.m. Please contact Yongjun Zhou at (202) 255\r\n6166 or Sun Yun at (718) 793-9638 for more information.<\/p>\r\n

    It will be sponsored by the\r\nCampaign to Free Dr. Wang Bingzhang. The speakers will include: Family members\r\nof Dr. Wang, Dr. Wang Bingwu of Toronto, Wang Yuhua from Canada, leaders of the\r\nFree China Movement, the editor of Huang Hua Gang Magazine, and representatives\r\nfrom various Chinese pro-democracy organizations.<\/p>\r\n

    The second rally is\r\nscheduled for Sunday, February 16 at the People's Republic of China Consulate in\r\nLos Angeles at 10:30 a.m.<\/p>\r\n

    It will be sponsored by\r\nChina Democracy Movement organizations and LA Association of Film and Movie\r\nArtists. Speakers will include: Dr. Wang's daughter, Wang Qingyan, and Dr.\r\nWang's sister, Julie Wang, of Los Angeles.<\/p>\r\n

    Dr. Wang Bingzhang was\r\nsentenced this week to life in prison on trumped up espionage and terrorism\r\ncharges. Dr. Wang  was kidnapped on the Vietnam\/China border last June by\r\nChinese agents, held incommunicado for six months by the Chinese government\r\nalthough denying that they held him, and then convicted in a one day trial, and\r\nshortly  thereafter sentenced to life in prison.<\/p>\r\n

    \r\n

    Published by the\r\nChina Support Network (CSN). Begun by grass roots Americans in 1989, CSN\r\nrepresents Americans who were \"on the side\" of the students in\r\nTiananmen Square -- standing for democratic reform, human rights, and freedom in\r\nChina. For dissident news; to support a stronger China policy; or get more\r\ninformation, see http:\/\/www.chinasupport.net.<\/i><\/p>\n","contact":"","link":"www.chinasupport.net","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/html","summary":"Abducted Chinese dissident Dr. Wang Bingzhang should not be in China in the first place. Monday, Beijing sentenced him to life in prison. Reaction follows--","numcomment":0,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2003\/02\/29077.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[]}