From: China-Net, December 19, 1995

IFCSS Foundation, Inc. 733 15th Street, NW Suite 440 Washington, D.C. 20005 Tel: (202) 347-0017 Fax: (202) 347-0018

Global Petition Drive of Overseas Chinese Students & Scholars to the National People's Congress of China on Wei Jingsheng's Trial

A worldwide appeal drive has been initiated, to collect signatures from overseas Chinese students and scholars, and organizations throughout the world, for cosigning and endorsing the following appeal letter to the National People's Congress of China on Wei Jingsheng's trial and conviction. Mr. Wei Jingsheng had appealed to the Beijing Supreme Court against the verdict made by the Bei jing Intermediate Court on December 13th, 1995. The following app eal letter, from overseas Chinese, will be submitted to the Bei jing Supreme Court, People's Supreme Court and the Standing Commi ttee of the National People's Congress. If Wei's appeal is rejec ted, we expect this appeal letter would be presented to all members of the National People's Congress at its annual session in early 1996. Thanks for you care and support!

If you are willing to sign, send your signature to: WJS@ifcss.org

Petition Letter of Overseas Chinese Students & Scholars to the National People's Congress of China on Wei Jingsheng's Trial

We, the undersigned Chinese students and scholars studying and working overseas, were shocked to learn that Mr. Wei Jingsheng, a wellknown dissident who had peacefully voiced his opinions that were different from the government's, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for "cons piring to overthrow the government".

We were particularly distressed by the fact that Mr. Wei was secretly arrested without any formal charge and kept incommunicado for twenty months prior to the announcement of his formal arrest, which was only three weeks before his trial, that the Beijing Intermediate Court notified Wei Jingsheng's family about his trial only five days before it was held, giving Wei's family barely enough time to find legal counsels for him, not to mention allowing them adequate time for pre paration of the defense, and that those legal counsels were not even allowed to see Wei Jingsheng prior to the actual start of the trial, hence making it practically impossible for Wei Jingsheng to have an effective defense in order to have a fair trial. The socalled "open trial" was also strictly controlled, exclusive to the concerned public, news media and individuals. The whole trial lasted for only a few hours before the final sentence was passed. These facts cast great doubts over the fairness of China's current justice system.

To our knowledge, the government's treatment of Mr. Wei Jingsheng is in severe violation of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, the Law of Criminal Procedure of the People's Republic of China and the Article of the Universal Declaration of Human Right, which China has endorsed. Wei Jingsheng was convicted primarily for his expression of dissident opinions. We believe that the freedom of speech is a basic right guaranteed by China's Constitution. No one should be secretly detained for 20 months without any formal charge; no one should be prosecuted for peaceful expression of their political views; no one should be deprived of the rights to defend him/herself in court; and no one should be tried unjustly.

We love our country and hope to see her strong and prosperous, and we are concerned about China's social, cultural, and economical develop ments. However, we also believe that those developments should be achieved in parallel to the promotion of universal respect for and observance of the fundamental freedom of speech and belief, and basic human rights. The injust trial and conviction of Wei Jingsheng can bring nothing but disappointment, dismay and resentment to the people of China, which in turn will lead to social instability and potential chaos in our country.

China's development also needs a favorable international environment. We strongly believe that ignorance and negligence of widelyaccepted human rights standards, such as no illegal detention and deprival of citizens' rights for fair trials, would severely tarnish China's image, isolate itself from the international community, strain its relation with other countries, and hinder its development in the long run. In today's world, a country's human rights records are constantly moni tored by the international community. Brutal human rights abuses, and repression of peacefully expressed dissent opinions will not only bring embarrassment to billions of Chinese living both in China and overseas, but also undermine China's reputation in the world and damage China's national interest as a whole.

The National People's Congress (NPC), as China's highest legislative power, is the supreme body and authority to make laws and supervise their implementations, safeguard the dignity of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, and protect fundamental human rights of individual citizens by the rule of law. We, the undersigned over seas Chinese students and scholars, hereby appeal to the National People's Congress to:

1. Investigate the trial of Mr. Wei Jingsheng conducted on December 13th, 1995 in Beijing Intermediate Court, for its legality, justice, and validity;

2. Take necessary actions to guarantee Mr. Wei Jingsheng to have a fair and just trial for his appeal. Wei Jingsheng, as any Chinese citizen, is entitled to every right granted by the Constitution of the People's Republic of China. The trial of Wei Jingsheng must be truly open, conducted under the scrutiny of concerned public and covered by the news media.

3. Adopt necessary measures to prevent law enforcement agencies and other parties or individuals from manipulating and violating the law, and punish those officials who have committed politically motivated unlawful acts.

China is undergoing great changes. We hope that the country we would return to will have improved political environment to allow people true freedom of thinking and freedom of expression. We hope that China will have true social and political stability achieved by allowing different opinions to be aired and discussed in public. We hope that every individual's basic right and human dignity will be respected so that no one is treated as a criminal just because of his/her political views or religious belief. And we hope China will not only prosper economically, but also become a place where people can live truly with freedom.

Sincerely,

_________________ (Signed)

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NOTE for SIGNITURE: Simply Send Your Name to: WJS@ifcss.org

Multiple Signatures & Organizations Are Accepted

Your Institution/Occupation Is Not Required But It Is Optional

Which Will Not Appear In Submitted Petition Document

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