On December 8th, 2008, famous Beijing dissidents Liu Xiaobo and Zhang Zuhua were placed under criminal detention by the Beijing Police Department. Both Liu and Zhang’s houses and properties were searched and confiscated with ruthless violence. This happened on the 60-year anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and 30-year anniversary of the China Reform and Opening. The arrest and violent search serves as a reckless trample on Chinese civilians’ human rights and defiance to the universal value. Gong-min-li-liang (Initiatives for China) hereby expresses our utmost indignation and denouncement.
Liu Xiaobo and Zhang Zuhua are very famous dissidents in China and steadfast disseminators of universal values in democracy, freedom, and human rights. They have worked on enlightenment thoughts of citizenship, and the improvement of human rights for a very long time. Because of their feats, they are widely respected and acknowledged by Chinese civilians as leaders of their voices and societal consciousness. Their morality, courage, personality, and rational attitudes toward a strong autarchy is a milestone of the maturity of China’s civilians’ society and a sign of significant hope to China’s non-violent reforms.
This year (2008) is the 60-year anniversary of the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, 30-year anniversary of the birth of the “Democracy Wall”, and 10-year anniversary of China’s government subscription of “International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights”. It is also the time when most political, economic, and social problems in China have come into embodiment. The voice from every level of China’s society is demanding that China reform its’ policies now more than ever before. Under unfortunate circumstances, Liu Xiaobo and Zhang Zuhua were able to take part in signing the “08 Charter” but were persecuted by Beijing Policy Department before the “08 Charter” could be released. This has clearly demonstrated that the Chinese government is still holding their stubborn and rigid political doctrines; and, instead of negotiating, the Chinese government is still implementing political persecution on civilians’ requests for reforms. This type of outrageous act is eroding the fundamentals of non-violent reforms in China’s society.
We hereby fully support the “08 Charter” that Liu Xioabo and Zhang Zuhua signed. We also admire their efforts and contributions to China’s democracy and human rights. We appeal to the Chinese government to release Mr. Liu Xiaobo, and guarantee Zhang Zuhua’s personal safety. At the same time, we do hope that the Chinese government will take the standpoints and requests in “08 Charter” seriously and make its’ response to the civilians in a positive manner.
Dr. Yang Jianli
Gong-min-li-liang (Initiatives for China)