Published by: China News Digest, Monday, June 30, 1997

[CND, 06/27/97] The United States government and prodemocracy activists in Hong Kong are concerned at the worsening conditions of imprisoned WEI Jingsheng, China's bestknown dissident, according to Reuters reports from Washington and Hong Kong.

A family member who visited Wei in midJune states that he was punished for brawling with another inmate. Electricity to Wei's cell has been cut off, and he has been banned from shopping at the prison canteen. State Department spokesman John Dinger announced on Thursday that the United States is gravely concerned and is seeking additional information from the Chinese Embassy in Washington and authorities in Beijing. Dinger called on China "to release Wei and all others who have been imprisoned or detained for the peaceful expression of their political and religious views."

In Hong Kong members of the Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movement in China protested outside China's Hong Kong Mission and left a petition accusing Beijing of having Wei beaten up in jail. The protesters urged the people of Hong Kong not to forget those who are in jail during the handover, and said that a softer Western stance toward China's human rights record had aggravated the plight of Wei and other jailed dissidents.

(Fabian FANG, Ray ZHANG)