[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 24697-24698]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       AN APPEAL FROM A DAUGHTER

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 10, 2008

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, today Ti-Anna Wang spoke on 
Capitol Hill to a group of human rights advocates about her recent 
visit with her imprisoned father, the heroic Chinese democracy activist 
Wang Bingzhang. Dr. Wang is a founding father of the post-Mao Chinese 
democracy movement; he personally founded or co-founded a magazine, a 
movement, and a political party dedicated to promoting democracy.
  Dr. Wang is an incredibly brave man who is serving a life sentence in 
China for ``espionage'' and ``terrorism''--these are the Chinese 
Govermnent's words for promoting democracy. In fact ``espionage'' and 
``terrorism'' come close to describing the Chinese Government's own 
behavior in pursuing Dr. Wang, a permanent U.S. resident whom Chinese 
Government agents abducted from Vietnam in June 2002, smuggled back 
into China, and secretly held incommunicado for 6 months, before 
subjecting him to a ``star chamber'' trial in January 2003. The U.N. 
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has ruled that Dr. Wang's 
detention is arbitrary.
  Madam Speaker, any father would consider himself extremely blessed to 
have a daughter like Ti-Anna. When I first met with her, a few months 
ago, I was deeply moved by how determinedly she has been working for 
his release. I'm sure the love she is showing for her father is bearing 
fruit in his life, comforting him while he is in prison.
  Today, Madam Speaker, is the 60th anniversary of the Universal 
Declaration of Human Rights--an inspiring document, much of which 
remains a promissory note, unredeemed by so many governments of the 
world. It is our duty to continue pressing the governments of the 
world, including our own, to live up to this declaration. Let's keep 
working, and keep praying, in solidarity with Dr. Wang and Ti-Anna and 
all those denied the rights that the Universal Declaration promotes.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to introduce into the record Ti-Anna's 
report on her recent visit with her father and his condition.

       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

[[Page 24698]]

     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, Congressman Ros-Lehtinen, and 
     Senator Feinstein for their recent work on my father's case. 
     It is the compassion of every one 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 remind 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 Plexiglas, 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 two 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 severe 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 ever more critical and his time is running out. This 
     is the third time I've visited my father, and it is obvious 
     that both his physical and mental health are 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 admits 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.

                          ____________________