12/07/95; Subject: HQ NR #7066 The US Congress Concurrent Resolution on Mr. Wei Jingsheng
Passed in U.S. House Asia & The Pacific Subcommittee
A bill, designated as H.Con.Res 117 and regarding concerning writer, political philosopher, human rights advocate, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Wei Jingsheng, was introduced by Smith of New Jersey, co- sponsored by Gilman, Pelosi, Wolf, Solomon, Lantos, Cox, Berman, Rohrabacher, and Gejdenson), and adpoted in House Asia & Pacific Subcommittee this afternoon. It is widely estimated that the bill will pass the full Committee, reach the floor, and be finally appro- ved by both House and Senate quickly.
The IFCSS Headquarters fully supports the bill. And we hereby pre- sent you, the full content of the resolution for your reference.
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104th Congress 1st Session H. Con. Res. 117
Concurrent Resolution
December 6th, 1995
Whereas Wei Jingsheng is a writer, political philosopher, and human rights advocate who is widely known and respected in China and thro- ughout the world;
Whereas on November 21, 1995, the Government of the People's Repub- lic of China announced the arrest of Wei Jingsheng and its intention to try him for "attempting to overthrow the government";
Whereas prior to this announcement Wei had been detained since April 1994 without formal charges or the opportunity to communicate with his family or with legal counsel, in violation of Article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international stand- ards prohibiting arbitary arrest and detention;
Whereas the government had previously imprisoned Wei from 1979 until 1993 on a charge of "spreading counterrevolutionary propaganda" for his peaceful participation in the Democracy Wall movement;
Whereas Wei's analysis of democracy in 1979 as a necessary "fifth modernization" was an important theoretical and practical contribu- tion to the movement for freedom and democracy in China and also to modern political philosophy;
Whereas during his long imprisonment Wei was subjected to torture and other ill treatment which left him in extremely poor health;
Whereas after his release in 1993 Wei devoted his time to humanita- rian activities, including visiting and assisting the families of victims of the June 4, 1989, massacre at Tiananmen Square, as well as the surviving victims themselves, and assisting the civilian efforts to secure compensation for damages caused to the Chinese people by the Japanese Government during World War II;
Whereas, far from advocating an "overthrow" of the Government of China, Wei has been a strong advocate of non-violence and a peaceful transtion to democracy;
Whereas Wei was regarded as a leading contender for the 1995 Nobel Peace Prize, having been nominated by parliamentarians throughout the world, including 58 members of the United States Congress, and endorsed by hundreds of prominent human rights advocates including past Nobel Laureates Oscar Arias Sanchez, Elie Wiesel, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama;
Whereas Wei was also the recipient of the 1995 Olaf Palme Foundation Award, the 1994 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, and the 1993 Gleitsman Foundation International Activist Award; and Whereas because of his great courage, the force of his ideas, and his long unjust imprisonment Wei has come to embody the aspirations of the people of China for democracy and for the enjoyment of free speech and other universal and inalienable human rights, and his fate has come to symbolize their fate:
Now, therefore, be it
Reseloved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That the United States Congress --
(1). Urges the immediate and unconditional release of Wei Jingsheng and the dismissal of all charges against him;
(2). urges, in the event Wei Jingsheng is not immidiately released, that he be afforded all internationally recognized human rights, including the right to consult freely with counsel of his choice, to assist in the preparation of his defense, and to communicate with his family, and that his trial be open to the domestic and foreign press, to diplomatic observers, and to international human rights monitors;
(3). urges the United States Department of States to make the release of Wei Jingsheng and the protection of his internationally recognized human rights among its primary objectives in relations with the Government of China, and that it raise these issues forcefully and effectively in every available bilateral and multilateral forum, and
(4). recommends that Wei Jingsheng once again be nominated and carefully considered for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996.
