Chinese Prisoner’s Wife Voices Appeal : Beijing: She urges the People’s Congress to affirm the patriotism of the pro-democracy protesters who were crushed at Tian An Men.

In a bold and dangerous challenge to Chinese authorities, the wife of a prominent political prisoner appealed Friday to the National People’s Congress to re-evaluate the bloodily suppressed Tian An Men Square pro-democracy protests.

“Not long ago (in the spring of 1989), the world’s largest and most just hunger strike occurred on the square outside your meeting place,” Hou Xiaotian, 28, wrote in an open letter to legislators.

After the June 4, 1989, military crackdown, “uncounted corpses . . . were strewn upon the streets you drive by each day,” she wrote. “This chapter of history has not yet ended, and the people will not forget this incident.”

In her three-page letter, a copy of which was obtained by United Press International, Hou called on legislators to affirm the patriotism of the protesters.

“Deputies, the people trust you,” she declared. “Won’t you realize that you can use your authority to correct mistakes?”

Hou--who herself was imprisoned without charge for five months after the 1989 massacre--is the wife of Wang Juntao, a journalist who was convicted in February of allegedly helping mastermind the massive pro-democracy protests. Wang, 32, and a co-defendant, social scientist Chen Ziming, 38, were both given 13-year sentences, the longest yet meted out to any protest leaders.

Hou also was detained for several days in January after calling a news conference at which she demanded a fair trial for her husband. After that incident, she released an open letter in which she said, “Sometimes I feel so helpless and frustrated, because I find myself alone facing an overwhelming and gigantic Chinese government.”

Chinese risk loss of their jobs, loss of housing and possible imprisonment for making public statements that challenge the authority of the Communist Party. Hou, who has been active but unsuccessful in trying to launch a legal defense for her husband, currently is virtually the only Chinese citizen in Beijing openly battling authorities on behalf of political prisoners.

Hou appealed Thursday to the Supreme People’s Court for a reversal of her husband’s conviction. Her letter to the National People’s Congress made no specific mention of her husband, but called instead for the general release of imprisoned democracy activists.

“There are uncounted people in Beijing who should not be held responsible for this incident, but who remain in prison,” she wrote. “In Beijing and other places, there are innumerable people who still suffer humiliation because of this incident, which has left many homeless and destitute. Please take the time to listen to these oppressed voices.”

The National People’s Congress, currently in its annual 16-day session, is widely viewed as a rubber-stamp parliament. Public activities in recent days have consisted almost entirely of group discussions at which delegates praise government decisions. It would require an extraordinary loss of control by top party leadership for the congress to even discuss Hou’s proposals.

Hou’s actions still present China’s leaders with a serious challenge. If they ignore her, they run the risk that others, emboldened by her example, will also speak out. If they arrest her, China’s democracy movement will have another martyr.

BACKGROUND

The 1989 massacre of demonstrators in Beijing after weeks of nonviolent protests shocked the world and made Tian An Men a synonym for brutal suppression of a popular uprising. Dissatisfaction with Communist Party policies burst into the open in mid-April. The movement for reforms grew quickly, spreading to Shanghai and other cities. Hundreds of thousands of students and their supporters marched in the streets, occupying Tian An Men Square, immobilizing the heart of the Chinese capital and capturing world attention. Hard-line party leaders sent troops and tanks to end the uprising on June 3-4, killing hundreds.