PERSPECTIVE ON CHINA : Era of Tian An Men Is Not Over : Instead of freeing Wei Jingsheng and other political prisoners, even more dissidents are being detained.

Release Wei Jingsheng! Release all political prisoners!

Six and a half years ago, Jan. 6, 1989, I sent a letter to Deng Xiaoping, then chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, to suggest that he release Democracy Wall leader Wei Jingsheng and other political prisoners. Later, many people joined this appeal. The government did not respond and finally used tanks and machine guns to kill students and people who peacefully demonstrated in Tian An Men Square to call for democratic reform.

Since the massacre, China seems to be changing. One may, indeed, be able to find a long list of the evidence of these changes. However, for me, one of the most important yardsticks to measure China’s changes is still the issue I raised in the letter. Wei Jingsheng is still in prison and most political prisoners have not been released.

Released briefly in September, 1993, after serving nearly all his 15-year sentence, Wei Jingsheng was detained again on April 1, 1994. He has not been heard from since.

According to confirmed information from Human Rights in China (located in New York) and other human rights organizations, there are at least 1,000 political prisoners remaining in labor camps, prisons and detention centers. Their “crimes” have included: membership in underground political organizations or independent trade unions; participating in strikes, demonstrations or independent study and discussion groups, and public expression of dissenting political opinions.

Despite the fact that China signed the U.N. Covenant Against Torture in 1988, torture and maltreatment of persons are extensively used in detention and imprisonment in China. This includes beatings, wearing leg shackles and/or handcuffs for prolonged periods, extended solitary confinement, inadequate food, extreme cold or heat and denial of medical treatment.

Contrary to the International Labor Organization’s Convention 105, which prohibits the use of forced labor for political coercion, there are more than 100 forced labor camps in China used to punish political prisoners.

In short, since the Tian An Men massacre, China has done nothing to essentially change its policy of harassing and detaining pro-democracy activists. Under strong international pressure, the government sometimes released a few political prisoners--even Wei Jingsheng was released for eight months. However, Deng Xiaoping and his associates did not alter their autocratic rule. Wei Jingsheng was immediately rearrested once international pressure decreased due to the delinkage between trade and human rights.

The era of the Tian An Men massacre has not ended. We should repeat again and again: Release Wei Jingsheng. Release all political prisoners in China.