[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 62 (Tuesday, May 13, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S4378]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             WEI JINGSHENG

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, there are some individuals whose personal 
courage is almost impossible to fathom, who will be long remembered for 
the example they set in standing up for what they believed for the sake 
of all of us. Wei Jingsheng, who is perhaps China's most famous 
political prisoner, is one such individual. Today I join Senators 
Moynihan, Helms, Wellstone and Kennedy in recognizing today's 
publication of Mr. Wei's collection of letters to Chinese leaders and 
members of his family, and essays about democracy, ``The Courage to 
Stand Alone: Letters from Prison and Other Writings.''
  Known as the intellectual leader of the Democracy Wall movement, 
China's first prodemocracy protest, Mr. Wei has spent nearly all of the 
last 18 years in prison for his outspoken, unrelenting criticism of 
China's political leaders and his thoughtful and inspiring writings 
about the need for democratic change and the rule of law in China. In 
one essay, Mr. Wei describes the law in China as, ``merely a `legal 
weapon' that anyone in power can wield against his enemies.''
  In an effort to convince the International Olympic Committee to award 
China the 2000 Olympic Games, the Chinese Government released Mr. Wei 
in late 1993. The cynicism of that decision was exposed just 6 months 
later, when he was rearrested and held incommunicado for 20 months, in 
part for meeting with Assistant Secretary of State John Shattuck. He is 
currently serving a 14-year sentence.
  In addition to the egregious violations of the rights to freedom of 
expression, due process, and freedom from arbitrary arrest and 
detention, I am very concerned about Mr. Wei's health. He is suffering 
from high blood pressure and a heart condition, and has not received 
the medical attention he needs. He is not permitted to go outside, nor 
is he allowed physical exercise. I am told that prison authorities have 
moved other prisoners into Mr. Wei's cell to monitor and limit his 
political writing. If Mr. Wei serves all of his current 14-year prison 
sentence, he will be 60 years old when he is released. His health is so 
fragile it is uncertain whether he will ever get out alive.
  Mr. President, Mr. Wei is one of thousands of courageous people who 
have been thrown in prison, tortured or otherwise silenced in order to 
squelch any expression for democratic change in China. Despite repeated 
attempts by our administration to discuss human rights with Chinese 
authorities, the Chinese Government has continued to insist that 
internationally recognized human rights are an internal matter. The 
situation has gotten worse, not better.
  I urge all Senators read ``The Courage to Stand Alone,'' and to 
remember Wei Jingsheng and the thousands of other Chinese citizens who 
have remained steadfast in support of democracy and human rights, in 
the face of repression.

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