Carter Disappointed by Chinese Response to Amnesty Appeal

Former President Jimmy Carter said Monday that Chinese officials were less than truthful in their response to his appeals for the freeing of some jailed dissidents.

At the end of his three-day visit, Carter said that in response to his amnesty appeal, Communist officials told him they wielded little influence on the judges who jailed pro-democracy activists.

“I don’t accept this statement as being completely true. But that’s their explanation to me,” he said.

In China, the judiciary, like other government institutions, takes direction from the Communist Party.

Asked if Chinese leaders might consider commuting sentences of people imprisoned in connection with the democracy movement, Carter said: “There were some remarks made that were encouraging, but I have to say the bottom line is no.”