WEI JINGSHENG FOR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE 1997.

Wei Jingsheng: adhesion form

APPEAL TO NOBEL PRIZE LAUREATES, MEMBERS OF NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS AND GOVERNMENTS, UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS OF LAW, PHILOSOPHY, HISTORY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE.

Mr. Wei Jingsheng is among the most prominent founders of the movement for human rights and democracy in China. During the "Democracy wall" movement in 1978 and 1979, Wei Jingsheng published the non-official magazine "Exploration" (Tansuo). With his essay titled "The Fifth Modernization", Wei stated that the four sectors of modernization proposed by Deng (agriculture, industry, science and defence) would be incomplete without a fifth on: democracy.

Arrested on 29 March 1979 for "having disclosed secrets of State" to a foreigner, Wei was sentenced to five years in jail for "counter-revolutionary crimes". In 1992, from the prison where he was detained, Wei addressed a long letter to Deng over the question of Tibet, asking him to start negotiations with the Dalai Lama. In 1993 he was released by the authorities who were concerned about public opinion in obtaining the designation of Beijing as the host city of the 2000 Olympic games. Freed, Wei continued on overtly denouncing human rights violations in China; he helped the families of the victims of the repression of Tine An Men on June 4, 1989, and actively pursued the fight for freedom.

Arrested, or rather abducted, again on April 1, 1994, Wei Jingsheng was detained for 20 months in a secret location without being neither charged nor tried. Later, on November 21, 1995, the Chinese authorities opened a trial, a new parody of justice, accusing him of having "attempt to overthrow the government". At 45, Wei Jingsheng faces the risk of death penalty.

Chinese authorities know too well that Wei Jingsheng is very popular. Endorsing Wei's nomination for the Nobel Prize means support for democracy for China. It means also support for the negotiations between China and Tibet. It means instilling a new force into the struggle for human rights and democracy throughout the People's Republic of China, which represents one fifth of humanity.

I declare to endorse the candidacy of Mr. Wei Jingsheng for the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.

MANE ADDRESS POSITION SIGNATURE

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Please note:

1. If you wish to support this initiative, we ask you to send, as soon as possible, this form to:

pr.bruxelles@agora.stm.it

or send it to Bruxelles: +32-2-2303670

2. According to Regulations, qualified individuals for supporting a Nobel Peace Prize nomination are: Nobel Prize laureates, Parliaments, members of governments, university professors of Law, History, Political Science and Philosophy.

3. The objective is collecting 1000 adhesions by January 31, 1997.

4. If you know anybody who could be interested in endorsing this appeal, please let us know or send this copy to them.

thank you very much