[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 78 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. CON. RES. 78

   Expressing the sense of the Congress that, the Government of the 
 People's Republic of China should immediately release from prison and 
drop all criminal charges against Yongyi Song, and should guarantee in 
their legal system fair and professional treatment of criminal defense 
               lawyers and conduct fair and open trials.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 26, 2000

  Mr. Specter (for himself, Mr. Biden, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Schumer, Mr. 
Baucus, Ms. Collins, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Kerry, and Mr. Wellstone) submitted 
    the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
   Expressing the sense of the Congress that, the Government of the 
 People's Republic of China should immediately release from prison and 
drop all criminal charges against Yongyi Song, and should guarantee in 
their legal system fair and professional treatment of criminal defense 
               lawyers and conduct fair and open trials.

Whereas Yongyi Song a researcher and librarian at Dickinson College in Carlisle, 
        Pennsylvania, was detained on August 7, 1999, in Beijing, China while 
        collecting historical documents on the Chinese cultural revolution of 
        1966-76;
Whereas Mr. Song has lived in the United States for the past ten years, has 
        passed his United States citizenship tests, and was scheduled to be 
        sworn in as a United States citizen in September of 1999;
Whereas after five months of detention, Mr. Song was formally ``arrested'' on 
        Christmas Eve in China on charges of ``the purchase and illegal 
        provision of intelligence to foreign institutions'';
Whereas the People's Republic of China claims that Mr. Song violated Chinese 
        criminal law by collecting historical documents, yet the documents in 
        Mr. Song's possession have reportedly been previously published in 
        newspapers, books, and other ``open'' sources;
Whereas the historical material Mr. Song was gathering in no way threatens the 
        security of the Chinese government or people;
Whereas steps that China has taken to institute true legal representation for 
        criminal defendants are important developments in China's internal 
        modernization and in its integration into the world community;
Whereas despite these developments criminal defense lawyers in China are subject 
        to harassment and interference and at times even arrest and imprisonment 
        by Chinese authorities while defending clients;
Whereas criminal defense lawyers in China are often subject to harassment from 
        police, prosecutors, and judges;
Whereas in July 1998 Liu Jian, a criminal defense lawyer from Nanjing, China, 
        was imprisoned, subjected to beatings and ``marathon'' interrogations 
        after he represented a local official accused of taking bribes;
Whereas the legal system in the People's Republic of China was greatly reformed 
        in 1997, yet Chinese officials often disregard the new laws; and
Whereas in many cases judicial proceedings are closed to the public: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That the Congress calls on the Government of the People's Republic of 
China to--
            (1) immediately release Yongyi Song from imprisonment and 
        drop all charges against him;
            (2) guarantee in the legal system in the People's Republic 
        of China fair and professional treatment for criminal defense 
        lawyers; and
            (3) open more criminal proceedings in the People's Republic 
        of China to the public.
                                 <all>