Lawyer’s 3rd open letter urge China to stop the Brutality(1)

Note: Mr. Gao Zhisheng has been praised as “the conscience of Chinese lawyers” and “a great hero.” China’s Ministry of Justice rated him one of China’s top ten lawyers in 2001. He has earned a reputation for courage in standing up against human rights abuses and is one of only a handful of lawyers in China who will defend those persecuted for their religious or spiritual beliefs. His 3rd open letter to Chinese leader Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, titled “We Must Immediately Stop the Brutality That Suffocates Our Nation’s Conscience and Morality” shocked the whole world. WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF TORTURE.

We Must Immediately Stop the Brutality That Suffocates Our Nation’s Conscience and Morality

–by Gao Zhisheng, December 12, 2005, Changchun City, Jilin Province

Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao, and all other conscientious fellow Chinese citizens:

I, Gao Zhisheng, send you my greetings from Changchun City. I would first like to convey my deepest mourning for the innocent fellow Chinese citizens killed by the Guangdong government, and my condolences and support for the family members of the victims. At the same time, I would like to express my strongest protest against the brutality of slaughtering our kind countrymen. I strongly urge that the highest authorities follow the basic principles recognized by civil societies, punish the murderers and those responsible for these acts, and comfort and compensate the families of the victims.

Winter in Changchun is extremely cold. Although in “hiding” in a room that doesn’t have water most of the time, my blood is boiling hot. The reason isn’t because I am again writing an open letter to Hu and Wen. Instead, simply being able to work for the future of one of the greatest peoples in the world is enough to make any ordinary citizen’s blood boil.

On October 18, also with red-hot enthusiasm, I wrote an open letter to Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, two fellow countrymen of mine, urgently calling on their government to “Stop Persecuting Believers in Freedom and Mend Your Ties with the Chinese People.” The next day, I received blatant threats over the phone at home. Starting the third day, at least 10 cars and 20 plainclothes police officers began circling, monitoring, and following my entire family every day, 24 hours a day. The 15th day after I wrote the letter, the Beijing Judicial Bureau illegally closed the law firm I ran. It is very regrettable how our country treats a citizen who openly makes suggestions.

Another strong reaction prompted by the open letter was that Falun Gong believers from various parts of China who have been persecuted have written me and invited me to their areas to learn more about their true situation. Quite a few of these letters were from the cities of Changchun and Dalian. Beginning on November 29, I spent almost 24 hours a day continuously traveling between Jinan City, Shandong province; Dalian and Fuxin cities, Liaoning province; and Changchun City, Jilin province to conduct another round of investigations. Unlike my usual practice of traveling solo, I was honored to be accompanied by Professor Jiao Guobiao.

Meanwhile, flocks of plainclothes police were still hovering around my home night and day, creating an atmosphere of terror and severely suppressing my entire family. On November 29, I escaped being followed and encircled by more than 20 plainclothes police and spent 15 days investigating the truth in my own way. I especially would like to say here that we try our best to tell the truth of how this nation is being continually and brutally persecuted, especially at this time. This is also to remind our entire nation of the severity and urgency of the problems we are facing. It is time for our nation and each and every one of us to seriously face our problems. Any excuse or delay by any means is committing a crime against our entire nation! (To be cont’d…)

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 more>>

Related:
– AI report 2006- China overview(4) , Amnesty International
– Lawyer’s 3rd open letter urge to stop the Brutality, on Dec. 12, 2005
– Gao zhisheng’s 2nd open letter to China head, on Nov. 22, 2005
* Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao: Please Answer the Following Questions
– Gao zhisheng’s 1st open letter to China head, on Oct. 18, 2005
* Stop Persecuting Believers of Freedom and Mend Your Ties with the Chinese People