[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 6, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2-E3]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 6, 2009

  Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, I share with our colleagues moving remarks 
that 19-year-old Ti-Anna Wang, a U.S. citizen, delivered at a press 
conference on the occasion of International Human Rights Day.
  She had recently returned from China where she visited her father, 
Dr. Wang Bingzhang, who is serving a life-sentence in a Chinese prison 
for his pro-democracy activities. His ordeal bears the markings of so 
many Chinese dissidents who have been robbed of their freedom and 
endured severe hardship at the hands of their captors.
  One thing we learned from President Ronald Reagan in his dealings 
with the Soviet Union is that it both inspires hope in the oppressed 
and shames the oppressors when we raise the individual cases of 
political and religious prisoners, like Dr. Wang.

       I would like to start by thanking everyone here, on behalf 
     of my family, for taking the time to come to this event. 
     Since I started my work in DC, I've been lucky enough to be 
     surrounded by supportive, generous and kind people who are 
     genuinely concerned about my father's case. I want to take 
     this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved in 
     his fight for freedom. More specifically, I would like to 
     thank Dr. Yang, Congressman Wolf, Congressman Smith, 
     Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen and Senator

[[Page E3]]

     Feinstein for their recent work on my father's case. It is 
     the compassion of everyone here that gives my family hope and 
     reason to believe that the unlikely is possible.
       I'm here today to tell you about my recent visit with my 
     father just two weeks ago. To give a little background, my 
     father's sentence allows for only one visit a month. Each of 
     these visits last about 30 minutes. The standard procedure is 
     that my family receives a visitation notice in the mail that 
     lets us know the date of the visit. As my whole family lives 
     in North America, we usually have a very short amount of time 
     to make the necessary travel arrangements for a long trip to 
     China. Once there, we have to go through a lengthy 
     authorization process before we are allowed to see him. For 
     my latest visit, I had some difficulties getting my visa as 
     scheduled, and didn't have the proper paperwork, which added 
     a lot of additional stress to this already difficult process. 
     The visit takes place in a bare concrete building that 
     borders the gate of his remote prison, several miles away 
     from the closest city. It is so secluded that we have to be 
     driven there by the prison officials, as some of the terrain 
     in that area has yet to be paved. Right before we can meet, 
     the prison authorities reminds us of the rules and 
     regulations, which include only speaking in Chinese, and 
     staying away from topics that will cause my father anxiety. 
     These visits are conducted in visitation booths and are 
     monitored by four prison officials, two standing behind the 
     each of us. Separated by metal bars and two layers of plexi-
     glass, my father and I can only communicate using a 
     telephone.
       I was very nervous about seeing my father this time. It had 
     been over a year since my last visit, and my family had lost 
     contact with him for 2 months without any clear explanations 
     from the prison, so I was worried about the state that my 
     father was in. I was so relieved when I was finally able to 
     see him, cheerful enough to smile. My first concern was his 
     health. My father said that while he is stable, his chronic 
     allergies and sever phlebitis continues to plague him. We 
     talked mostly about my family, my educational future and the 
     work that we are doing on his behalf. As we spoke, it was 
     clear to me that my father's untreated depression and 
     psychological health continues to worsen. He had difficulty 
     making steady eye contact and sometimes repeated the same 
     sentences several times. The prison officials monitoring our 
     conversation were kind enough to allot us an extra 10 
     minutes.
       My father wanted me to let everyone know that he is 
     eternally grateful for all the work that has been done on his 
     behalf and that he remains hopeful that justice will prevail. 
     As our conversation came to an end, my father began to cry. 
     He said the thought of never seeing his ailing 87-year-old 
     mother again often brings him to tears and that his only wish 
     is that they will be reunited before it's too late.
       It has now been over 6 years that my father, now almost 62 
     years old, lingers alone in prison. I come here today in 
     hopes of conveying the message that my father's situation has 
     become evermore critical and his time is running out. This is 
     my third time I've visited my father, and it is obvious that 
     both his physical and mental health is deteriorating. He has 
     aged so much in the last few years, and his depression is 
     becoming dangerously severe. The prison authorities have told 
     my family that my father's only chance of receiving medical 
     parole is if he admit guilt to the charges of ``terrorism'' 
     and ``espionage''. . .but I know that my father would never, 
     nor does my family want him to confess to claims that are not 
     only false, but that will comprise his dignity and values.
       As we commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Universal 
     Declaration of Human Rights, I just want to remind everyone 
     that it is because of my father's unwavering commitment to 
     this cause that he is being so unjustly punished today. As 
     the founder of the Chinese overseas pro-democracy movement, 
     there was nothing harder that my father fought for than the 
     values of human rights, freedom and democracy for the people 
     of his homeland. His contribution to his beliefs has now cost 
     him 6 years of solitary confinement, and possibly his life if 
     we do not continue to fight for his freedom.
       So I would like to close today by asking the present and 
     new administration to call for my father's immediate release 
     on medical and humanitarian grounds.
       I also invite everyone here, along with your friends and 
     family to visit www.initiativesforchina.org to sign an online 
     petition addressed to President Hu Jintao, also calling for 
     my father's release. Lastly, I would like to work with 
     congressional leaders toward the goal of obtaining honorary 
     U.S. citizenship for my father as recognition of his lifelong 
     service to democracy and as a statement of America's 
     recommitment to making human rights a priority in its agenda. 
     On behalf of my family, I would like to thank everyone here 
     for coming and for your sincere concern for my father.

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