Consider the plight of Yang Jian-li (
An American writer, Jay Nordlinger, described his first meeting with Yang: "He came to my office, to talk about China, and human rights, and to try to interest me in attending a conference he had organized. Yang was then a fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, and the head of the Foundation for China in the 21st Century, which he had established."
This week marks the third year of Yang's imprisonment in China.
Yang expresses his hope for China: "In every heart, there is goodness, and there is knowledge of right and wrong. That is where our hope comes from. Let me ask you, my dear friends. Let our eyes penetrate the danger of today to the light of hope of tomorrow. Let us look beyond the freedom we enjoy outside China to envision the freedom in the future of China. I long for the day when all of us are free; I long for the day when we can live together in peace."
Yang is one of untold thousands of prisoners of conscience in China. When we consider the recent visits of two of Taiwan's opposition party leaders to China, we can only turn away in shame.
The regime currently governing China will eventually be confronted by a stark reality: no nation can be built on evil.
You can read about Yang at www.yangjianli.com. Or you can write to him (Beijing City Chao Yang District Nan, Dou Ge Zhuang #1A PO Box 2357 -- 15 Beijing, Postcode 100023 PRC).
Stephen Carter
Taichung
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