October 24, 1995
Web posted at 6:45 p.m. EDT
From Bureau Chief Andrea Koppel
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- China's human rights violations used to top of the list of U.S. concerns when Washington officials met their Chinese counterparts. Not any more. Trade now has a higher priority. But China's dissident community hopes to keep the human rights issue from being overlooked.
Four such activists sat quietly in a Beijing park last Sunday, one of them holding a photograph of Chen Ziming, a 43-year-old prison inmate. The four -- his parents, wife and sister -- want him released because he has cancer. It was hardly a protest at all, but it was enough for Chinese authorities to detain Chen's wife and sister. "We are worried (about) his physical condition," his mother said. "What parents on Earth would not feel this way for their child?"
Chen is serving a 13-year sentence, charged with involvement
in China's 1989 pro-democracy uprising. He was released on
medical parole but later rearrested. His wife, Wang Zhihong,
told CNN she also has suffered at the hands of authorities
(118K AIFF sound or 118K WAV sound) and worries that Chen
will die in prison. (118K AIFF sound or 118K WAV sound)
Hoping to bring her husband's case to international
attention, Wang wrote to world leaders, timing her letters to
coincide with this week's 50th anniversary of the United
Nations and the visit to New York by Chinese President Jiang
Zemin. Dissidents in two Chinese provinces also wrote to
Jiang on Chen's behalf. President Clinton received a similar
letter, written by the sister of China's most famous
dissident, Wei Jingsheng. Wei was released in 1993 after
serving most of his 15-year prison sentence but was picked up
again a year later. His current whereabouts are unknown.
Ever since it crushed the student democracy movement in 1989, (1M QuickTime movie) China's record on human rights has been a sore spot in its relations with other countries, especially the United States. But last year the Clinton administration announced it would no longer link China's progress in human rights with trading privileges. It said a policy of engagement would ultimately be more effective. But most dissidents and their families have yet to see the benefits of that new policy. "I feel that international concern and support for Wei Jingsheng is extremely important," said his sister, Shanshan. "It definitely has an impact on those people within the Chinese government who are inclined to be enlightened."
For the moment it remains to be seen if world leaders are listening.
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