Brussels, September 2, 1996

Dear Colleague,

Last June, a campaign was launched in several Parliaments and Universities in Europe and the rest of the world, in favour of the candidature of the Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng for the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize. As you remember, the entire world discovered WEI Jingsheng when he proposed the fifth modernization - democracy in China - to President Deng Xiaoping. As a consequence of this initiative, he was condemned to 14 years of prison, from 1979 to 1993. In 1995 he was arrested again and has since been imprisoned in Tangshan, where he, in very bad health, has to spend another 15 years.

The Transnational Radical Party, together with the Federation for Democracy in China (Paris) and Human Rights in China (New York), initiated this international campaign, which addresses Nobel Peace Prize Graduates, members of governments, parliamentarians and university professors in Political Sciences, Law, History and Philosophy people qualified according to the Nobel Prize regulation to support the candidature.

We are convinced that the attribution of the Nobel Peace Prize to WEI could constitute an exceptional instrument of pacification, dialogue, nonviolence and democracy. In the light of last month's events, which made clear the political instability of that part of the world and the dangers it represents, this international recognition could particularly help to:

- give force to a Chinese democratic opposition which is weakened, almost destroyed by the many, frequent and long days in the laogai (concentration camps) of the communist regime of Deng;

- reinforce the condemnation of the panchinese and nationalist policy towards Hong Kong, Taiwan, Pakistan, Burma; of the policy of ethnic clearance; of the lack of respect for human rights and of the massive sinicization of Tibet, Inner-Mongolia and East-Turkestan;

- send a strong warning to the leading classes in the entire world concerning the serious risks inherent in a policy towards China based only on economic and commercial considerations;

- reinforce a noble tradition, the one of the Nobel Peace Prize, which honored in the past personalities like Lech Walesa, Nelson Mandela, Rigoberta Menchù, His Holiness The Dalai Lama and Aung San Su Chi, who have done so much for the struggle for peace and democracy in the world;

- recognize, by a clear gesture of solidarity, the merit of all, who in a context of isolation, exile or prison daily confirm the values of dignity and hope of man.

At the time we are writing you, 312 candidature propositions have already arrived, among which 196 from parliamentarians and 116 from university professors. The proximity of the deadline for the deposition of candidatures (fixed for January 31st by the Nobel Committee) pushes us to reinforce this campaign and to double our efforts in order to reach the goal of 2.000 supports for the candidature of WEI.

Hoping you will receive this initiative in favour of democracy in China positively, we send our greetings and wish you good work,

Olivier DUPUIS

Secretary of the Transnational Radical Party

Member of the European Parliament

Enclosed:

1. Support form for the candidature of WEI for the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize;

2. The updated list in support of the candidature;

3. An article from "Le Monde" on WEI Jingsheng.