From: China News Digest, Tuesday, November 21, 1995

Reported by: Bo Xiong, Liedong ZHENG

[CND, 11/21/95]

According to a Reuter report from Beijing today, China's most prominent pro-democracy dissident WEI Jingsheng was formally arrested by the Beijing city police, on the capital charge of trying to overthrow the government. WEI Jingsheng, 44, has been held incommunicado since April 1, 1994 after he met with a visiting senior U.S. human rights official. No words about his whereabout was given to his family or the numerous foreign leaders who have inquired about his status since then.

Xinhua News Agency said in an official news release that "an investigation by Beijing's municipal public security departments showed WEI had conducted activities in (an) attempt to overthrow the government after his release on parole."This is the first official announcement about his status since 20 months ago. Some local law experts said that the conviction on the charge, which is virtually assured in China's justice system, could be punishable by death. Xinhua also said that the arrest of the former Beijing zoo electrician was approved by the Beijing Municipal People's Procuratorate after sufficient evidence had been obtained by Beijing's municipal public security departments.

WEI Jingsheng, nominated for the 1995 Nobel Peace Prize, served 14-1/2 years of a 15-year prison term on charges of selling military secrets and "counter -revolutionary" crimes, said in March 1994 he had no regrets about taking a public stand and frequently and openly criticized the government. In 1979, he advocated to add "fifth modernization" -- democracy to DENG Xiaoping's Four Modernizations drive.

WEI Jingsheng's family members dismissed the new charges as absurd, questioning how one man could overthrow the Communist Party while under constant police surveillance during his parole. "What evidence is there?" one relative who asked not to be identified said. "It's a frame-up." "Such a big country, such a big party and yet they cannot tolerate one or two words of criticism. They're too fragile," the relative said.

WEI's secretary Ms. TONG Yi, who was arrested in May 1994 after she confirmed WEI's secret arrest to foreign reporters, had been sentenced three years term in a labor camp near Wuhan city without a trial. She was one of the students who participated the dialogue with LI Peng during 1989 Tiananmen student movement.