July 27, 2013
According to news reports, an indictment has been filed against Bo Xilai, the former Poliburo member and Party chief of Chongqing Municipality, for his corruption, embezzlement, and power abuse by the Jinan People’s Procuratorship in Shandong Province. He will soon be on trial at the Jinan Intermediate People’s Court. Initiatives for China/Citizen Power for China expresses its deep concerns over the political sensitivity in regard to the criminal indictment and its hidden complicated political agenda, because such a case will have far-reaching affects in China.
The Chinese judicial system has always been like a mistress serving the winners’ political will in power struggles ever since the Communist Party came to power. However, history lessons, positive and negative, indicate that no social justice can be secured unless an independent judiciary operates on the merits of the rule of law and is free of any political interference and control. Otherwise, no citizen’s rights can be protected under the law. Without this, a nation shall remain barbarian, far from a civil society.
Wherever the judiciary becomes a political tool for the winner of a power struggle, victims even include fallen politicians who may have received the nod or throttle.
In such a society, every individual faces an inescapable fate. Even senior Communist officials like Gao Gang, Rao Shushi, Peng Dehuai, Liu Shaoqi, Lin Biao, Jiang Qing, Zhao Ziyang and Bo Xilai, were deprived of basic human rights – not to mention the average person on the street in the Chinese society.
Initiatives for China/Citizen Power for China adheres to the principle of equality for each and every member of a society when it comes to the rule of law. We firmly oppose the notion that laws can be practiced in different ways for different groups of people.
Appropriate laws must be applied to senior officials like Bo Xilai, and layman Bo Xilai.
To achieve justice, Initiatives for China/Citizen Power for China calls for the Chinese judicial departments to follow their own laws in terms of the criminal indictment against Bo Xilai by allowing him his own choice of defense lawyers, and other relevant legal rights under Chinese law. Bo Xilai must be granted such rights to defend himself.
It is noteworthy that Bo Xilai was taken into secret custody on March 15, 2012, without any criminal charge against him. There was a nine-month period since a lawsuit against him was filed on October 26, 2012, before Bo Xilai was formally charged on July 25, 2013. The Chinese government owes the public an explanation regarding such a long time frame compared to the normal practice for other criminal investigations.
The Communist regime in China has notoriously been known for its mafia-style practice of the judicial control. Initiatives for China calls on the Chinese judiciary to allow both Chinese and international media to live broadcast its open trial of Bo Xilai in order to reach a fair sentence. Such a broadcast would be a sign of progress for the Chinese rule of laws, no matter how minimal.
Contact:
Jianli Yang
857-472-9039
yangjianli001@gmail.com
Lianchao Han
703-851-8334
lianchao@gmail.com
Jianying Wang
202-677-0209
josephdcwang@gmail.com