NEW YORK, Jan. 18, 1999 -- (Agence France Presse) Former Chinese student

activist Wang Dan (pictured), a key figure in the 1989 pro-democracy

movement, on Friday kicked off what activists hope will be a global

petition campaign in support of human rights in China.

"On behalf of the Tiananmen generation, I'm officially launching the

campaign to commemorate those who gave their lives for...the struggle to

transform China into a just and civil society," the 28-year-old Chinese

dissident said.

"On the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, the

Chinese government must take responsibility for its actions... The Chinese

government continues to deny any wrongdoing," he said.

Wang and other prominent Chinese exiles, including Wei Jingsheng

(pictured), have signed a letter calling for the release of political

prisoners by China's government.

A petition that will be circulated in several countries and on the Internet

will seek support for the campaign, which is supported by organizations

including Amnesty International, Pen International and Human Rights

Watch.

"Only through the respect for human rights and the implementation of

political reforms can China evolve into a just and civil society in the

next millennium," Wang Dan said Friday.

The petition drive was part of a campaign to commemorate this year's 10th

anniversary of the massacre in Tiananmen Square, organizers said.

The petition calls on the Chinese government to overturn its official

verdict on the events leading up the June 4, 1989, military crackdown and

to release all political prisoners. It also asks the Chinese government to

respect international human rights covenants.

The exact number of civilians killed in Beijing in June 1989 is unknown,

but witnesses estimate the deaths were in the hundreds when Chinese army

tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square and crushed a massive pro-democracy

protest led by students.

The campaign has backing from London-based Amnesty International, New

York-based Human Rights Watch and other human rights groups.

Organizers said they were not seeking a specific number of signatures and

consider the drive to be a symbolic gesture. They did not specify to whom

the petitions would be presented after the signatures were gathered.

"This brutal suppression...not only shocked the world but left an indelible

black mark in Chinese history," said Wang, speaking mostly through an

interpreter at a news conference.

The former Beijing University student was arrested in 1989 and again in

1995 and twice sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison.

Wang was freed from prison on medical parole and forced into exile in the

United States last April. He now studies history at Harvard University in

Cambridge, Massachusetts. Strong U.S. pressure is believed to be one

of the main reasons for his release.

( (c) 1998 Agence France Presse)