8 Human Rights Groups in China Issue Unprecedented Open Statement to Government

8 Human Rights Groups in China Issue Unprecedented Open Statement to Government

CHINA, April 3 /Christian Newswire/ -- Eight human rights groups in China just released a joint statement to the Chinese government calling the government into account for "illegal exercise of police power and a rude violation of Chinese citizens' personal freedom, right to properties, freedom of thought and basic human rights." ChinaAid sources report that immediately after the statement was released, authorities reacted by targeting members of these groups for police interrogation. Below is the full text of the statement:

Safeguarding Human Rights by Defending Human Rights. Winning the Fight for Freedom -- Rights Defense Declaration of Chinese Citizens

Recently, the police in mainland China have frequently used police force to summon Chinese citizens, search their residences, seize their computers, bank deposit books, paper notebooks, drafts of their writings, etc. Among the incidents, Mr. Zhang Mingxuan, head of Chinese House Church Alliance, was illegally detained and his bank card was illegally seized with a total of 150,000 yuan ; the residence of Mo Zhixu, a Beijing scholar, was searched; Wang Guangliang, a Christian attorney in Beijing, was summoned for criminal reasons; the residence of Mr. Jiang Qisheng, deputy director of Independent Chinese PEN Center, was searched and he was summoned. We hold that all these acts are an illegal exercise of police power and a rude violation of the Chinese citizens' personal freedom, right to properties, freedom of thought and other basic human rights.

We know very well that as the financial storm hits on a worldwide scale, the growth module of the economic reform and political authority that has lasted for 30 years can no longer continue. Social crises are deepening and the conflicts between the common people and the officialdom are intensifying. We think the right way to solve these social crises is deepening reforms in the political system; promoting democracy and rule of law to hold corruption in check; promoting more evenly distributed wealth; rebuilding social virtues and solving problems in the administration of the officials in order to win back the hearts of the people. They should by no means get on the old path and turn the wheel of history backwards; they should also by no means trample the Chinese Constitution and the law at will in the name of social harmony and stability and get on a path on which they regard people, humanity and human rights as their enemies.

We would also like to advise a few stubborn people who refuse to change with the tides of the times that those who play with fire will be burned by the fire. Even if you do it for your own interests, you'd better beware yourself. The Chinese people who have awakened and have stood up are willing to safeguard human rights by defending their rights in this fight for freedom. When people are not afraid of death, how can you use death to make them afraid?

As the social conflicts are increasingly deepening, we are very worried as Chinese citizens. Where will some forces in privileged groups lead us? Fellow countrymen, let us create with our own efforts a beautiful future that really belongs to us and our children. Let us build an honest Chinese society with love, righteousness, democracy and rule of law in which people share their wealth more evenly and let us look forward to a great renaissance of freedom and prosperity for the Chinese nation!

China Rights Defense Alliance
Chinese Human Rights Defenders
Chinese Christian House Church Alliance
Chinese League of Victims
Chinese Human Rights Forum
Association of Chinese Citizens for Monitoring the Government
China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group Provisional Committee of Chinese Farmers' Rights Defense Association

Read a report on authorities' actions against one human rights lawyer, Attorney Wang Guangliang.

Contact the following government authorities to show your support for the Chinese human rights groups' statement:

Ms. Wu Aiying, minister of Ministry of Justice of PRC
Tel: +86-10-65205114
Fax: +86 10 8313 9051
E-mail: minister@legalinfo.gov.cn
Address: No. 10, Nan Da Jie, Chaoyangmen, Beijing City, (Zip Code: 100020), CHINA

Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong
2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Tel: (202) 328-2500
Fax: (202) 328-2582

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