THERE OCCURRED TODAY, ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF GANDHI, THE CONCLUDING MANIFESTATIONS OF THE THREE DAYS OF FASTING FOR THE LIBERATION OF WEI JINGSHENG AND THE PANCHEN LAMA. 1404 FASTERS IN 30 COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD, AMONG THEM DOZENS OF PARLIAMENTARIANS AND MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENTS. THE SILENCE OF PRIME MINISTER DINI, WHO IS PREPARING TO LEAVE FOR PEKING.

Roma, New York, Brussels, Oct. 2nd, 1996. Manifestations concluding the three days of fasting, in which there participated over 1.400 people in thirty countries of the world, where held today all over the world. They were held for the liberation of Wei Jingsheng, the most notable and authoritative Chinese dissident, condemned in recent months to 15 years of prison after having already served 14 years for having asked that to the four modernizations of Deng there be added a fifth, that of democracy.

And for the liberation of the Panchen Lama, the youngest political prisoner in the world, and a child of seven years who is recognized as the reincarnation of the second highest spiritual authority of Tibetan Buddhism. The Panchen Lama is sequestered, with all of his family, for more than one year. Only in recent months has the government of Peking admitted to detaining him.

To ask that the respective governments the maximum effort towards obtaining the liberation of Wei and the Panchen Lama, the fasters demonstrated in various capitals of the world, from the Americas to Europe, and from the former Soviet Union to India.

Regarding Italy, it is to be noted that between 15 Parliamentarians and members of government from across the political spectrum participated in the fast, despite the relative and, for now, continuous silence of the press. And despite the extraordinary and unprecedented force of the nonviolent initiative, directed at the government, from the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs there has been nothing but silence while Prime Minister dini prepares to leave for Peking in the coming days.

WE HOPE THAT WHAT THE ITALIAN MEDIA HAS TREATED, UNEXPLAINABLY, LIKE A NON-NEWS EVENT, WILL IN THE END BECOME NEWS AND KNOWN TO READERS AND VIEWERS OF TV. UNLESS, THAT IS, THE EXPLANATION FOR THE LACK OF ATTENTION LIES IN A LACK OF ATTENTION.

Transnational Radical Party