New York - January 14, 1999

Wang Dan, student leader of the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations in China, this week launches a global signature campaign to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the brutal military crackdown in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. Wang will launch the campaign on Friday, January 15 at 2:30 p.m. at the Mariott Financial Center Hotel, 85 West Street, New York City.

The worldwide petition calls on the Chinese Government to re-evaluate of the official verdict on the 1989 pro-democracy movement, release all political prisoners, and respect international human rights covenants.

The worldwide campaign is endorsed by major international human rights and labor organizations, including London-based Amnesty International and International PEN, Human Rights in China and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) of Brussels. The launching ceremony will also feature other well-known Chinese dissidents-in-exile including Wei Jingsheng, astrophysicist Fang Lizhi and writer Liu Binyan.

"As we near the tenth anniversary of Tiananmen Square, the Chinese Government must overturn its verdict on June 4th and to take responsibility for the massacre," said Wang from Boston where he is studying at Harvard University. Only through respect of human rights and the implementation of political reforms will China evolve into a just and civil society."

Wang Dan headed China's "Most Wanted List" after the military crackdown on June 4, 1989. Arrested in 1989 and again in 1995, he was twice sentenced to a total of fifteen years in prison. Wang was released on medical parole in April 1998 and sent into exile in the United States.

For more information contact:

Anna Yeung (516) 764-1755, Cheuk Kwan (416) 804-1527

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Human Rights in China, Inc.

350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 3309

New York, NY 10118, U.S.A.

Tel: 212-239-4495 Fax: 212-239-2561

http://www.HRIChina.org

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