[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 62 (Tuesday, May 13, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S4380]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             WEI JINGSHENG

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I rise today to call for the immediate 
release of Wei Jingsheng, China's most prominent political prisoner.
  Wei Jingsheng is no stranger to harsh unjust treatment. He has spent 
all but 6 months of the last 18 years in prisons or in labor camps, 
often in solitary confinement. Now serving his second sentence of 14 
years for the crime of peacefully advocating democracy and human 
rights, Wei Jingsheng is terribly ill. His expected release date is 12 
years from now--the year 2009--and that is assuming he lives that long.
  At 46 years of age, Wei suffers from life-threatening heart disease, 
he cannot lift his head, and he complains of severe back pain. His 
requests for medical attention have gone unfulfilled and all 
indications are that he has not seen a doctor in more than a year.
  A former electrician at the Beijing Zoo, Wei has been one of the 
strongest voices of China's democratic movement. In recognition of his 
efforts, Wei was named the 1994 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award 
laureate and, every year since 1995, Members of Congress have nominated 
him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
  While in prison serving his first sentence, Wei was allowed to write 
letters on certain topics to his family, prison authorities, and 
China's leaders. Because most of these letters urged democratic 
reforms, they were seized by authorities and never sent. Wei was later 
able to retrieve them and release them publicly, and they have now been 
translated and published as a book. Today, May 13, is the publication 
date of this book, ``The Courage To Stand Alone: Letters From Prison 
and Other Writings.'' This book states what is obvious to Wei and 
should be clear to Americans: China needs democratic freedoms. 
Unfortunately, China's leaders continue to show a flagrant disregard 
for human rights.
  In 1994, over the strenuous objections of those of us concerned over 
China's atrocious and repeated violations of international standards of 
human rights, the administration delinked granting of most-favored-
nation trade status to China to improvements in its human rights 
record. The administration argued then that through constructive 
engagement on economic matters, and dialog on other issues, including 
human rights, the United States could better influence Chinese 
behavior. That was a mistake.
  Let those who support constructive engagement visit the terribly ill 
Wei Jingsheng in his prison cell, and ask him if developing markets for 
toothpaste or breakfast cereal will help him win his freedom or save 
his life. I do not see how closer economic ties alone will somehow 
transform China's authoritarian system into a more democratic one. 
Unless we press the case for improvement in China's human rights 
record, using the leverage afforded us by the Chinese Government's 
desire to expand its economy and increase trade with us, I do not see 
how conditions will get much better.
  In fact, the harsh prison conditions and lack of medical attention 
provided to Mr. Wei demonstrate that, after nearly 4 years, dialog and 
constructive engagement have made no impact on Chinese behavior. We 
should make it clear that human rights are of real--as opposed to 
rhetorical--concern to this country. Until Wei Jingsheng and others 
committed to reform in China are allowed to speak their voices freely 
and work for change, American-Chinese relations should not be based on 
a business-as-usual basis. I hope the administration will do everything 
possible to demand the immediate release of Wei Jingsheng and urge 
Chinese authorities to provide him with access to medical care that he 
urgently requires.

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