Chinese human rights activists who were held under effective house arrest for more than two months in a government crackdown over the Nobel peace prize have praised the decision to honor the jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波).
Ding Zilin (丁子霖) and her husband, Jiang Peikun (江培坤), who have campaigned for justice since their 17-year-old son, Jiang Jielian (蔣捷連), was shot dead in the Tiananmen Square pro-reform protests in 1989, described their confinement as “the loneliest and most painful days of our lives.”
However, Ding, 75, told the Guardian: “We wholeheartedly support giving the prize to Liu Xiaobo. It will promote the development of human rights in China in the long run and it makes us all proud.”
“Although me and my husband were put under house arrest for 74 days, the longest I have ever been in, it is nothing compared with Liu Xiaobo’s 11-year sentence and [his wife] Liu Xia (劉霞)’s sufferings ... I only hope Liu Xiaobo can be freed as soon as possible,” she said.
Friends of Liu Xia say they are still unable to contact her almost three months after her communications were cut off.
Some have raised concerns that recognizing Liu Xiaobo was counterproductive because of the harsh reaction it sparked. Beijing launched an unprecedented crackdown on activists between the announcement of the Nobel committee decision and the award ceremony.
However, Ding said: “I completely disagree with that sentiment. Most people around me and my friends don’t think that way either. It was a wise decision and it wasn’t easy for the Nobel committee to make this decision. I admire their courage. They overcame so many obstacles posed by the Chinese government and made their own judgment.”
Scores of activists were placed under house arrest or surveillance, had their movements restricted or were otherwise harassed in the run up to the ceremony, but Ding and her husband are thought to have been a particular target because Liu — who was first jailed for his role in the 1989 reform movement — told his wife he was dedicating his prize to the “lost souls” of Tiananmen.
Ding and Jiang Peikun joined other bereaved parents and formed the Tiananmen Mothers group in the wake of their children’s deaths. It continues to campaign for a full investigation into the killings and the right to mourn peacefully in public.
In a lengthy description of their confinement released via Human Rights in China, the couple said that although they had previously experienced repeated harassment and detention, they “had never before been subjected to such a long period of house arrest.”
They were told they could not return to Beijing from their Jiangsu summer house, were followed by three men when they left the house to buy groceries and were told they would have to inform state security before visiting friends or relatives.
The couple say they preferred to keep their dignity by remaining at home.
State security officers cut off their communications, warned them not to attempt to contact reporters and forced relatives to sign a written contract promising not to provide them “with telephones, mobile phones, computers or any other communications devices, [or] to purchase SIM cards for them or to reveal any information” about them.
The couple believe the confinement also harmed their health. At one stage, Ding fainted during an altercation with “thuggish” officers.
She remains unable to recall the events of that day.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese