Pro Democratic Movements in China

Pro Democratic Movements in China : 

Pro Democratic Movements in China Gang Liu June 2, 2003 Presented to the Congressional Executive Commission on China Washington, D.C.

Outline : 

Outline A brief history of democratic movement Background of June 4th The June 4th movement People and events that inspired us Why students more active? Which comes first, demonstration or organization? Democratic movement after 1989 My appeal

A brief history (I) : 

A brief history (I)

A brief history (II) : 

A brief history (II)

Freedom Levels in China : 

Freedom Levels in China

June 4th (1): Initiation : 

June 4th (1): Initiation

June 4th (2): Started on Campus : 

June 4th (2): Started on Campus

June 4th(3): Demonstration : 

June 4th(3): Demonstration

June 4th(4): Hunger Strike : 

June 4th(4): Hunger Strike

June 4th(5): Missing Hero : 

June 4th(5): Missing Hero

June 4th(6): Crash Down : 

June 4th(6): Crash Down

June 4th(7): Victims : 

June 4th(7): Victims

Rough Statistics : 

Rough Statistics Millions of people joined the demonstration Millions were forced to be brain washed Thousands were arrested and sentenced Hundreds were killed Out of 21 students leaders on the most wanted list, 13 were arrested, 8 escaped to western countries

People who affected us : 

People who affected us Mahatma Gandhi (and his nonviolent disobedience movement) Martin Luther King, Jr. (and his civil rights movement) Nelson Mandela (and his anti-apartheid movement) Lech Walesa (and his union of solidarity labors in Poland) Vaclav Havel (and his 77 constitutional movement) Alexander Dubcek (the former communist leader of Czechoslovak) Khrushchev-Gorbachev-Yeltsin Andrei Sakharov (Soviet Physicist and dissident) George Washington Einstein

People who inspired us : 

People who inspired us Fang Lizhi (Chinese Physicist and dissident) Sun Yat-sen(The Provisional President of the Republic of China) Wei Jingsheng (Chinese dissident) Liu Xiaobo Chen Ziming Peng Dehuai (Former leader of Chinese Communist) Hu Yaobang (Former leader of Chinese Communist) Lu Xun (Chinese writer) Zhang Zhixin (and other dissidents jailed by the CCP)

Helpful Agencies and People : 

Helpful Agencies and People VOA and other news agencies (through which we knew what happened abroad and we spoke out to the world) Western Journalists in Beijing Western students in Universities in China Our petitions were usually first broadcasted by the western news agencies.

Why students more active? : 

Why students more active? Instead of sponsored by the CCP, students are mainly sponsored by parents. The CCP can apply less penalty to students Highly educated More collectivized and assembled Enjoy more freedom More desire for freedom More opportunity to contact with western world

Which comes first, demonstration or organization? : 

Which comes first, demonstration or organization? In most cases, demonstration comes first for most of movements, and organization are set up during the demonstration, e.g., April 4th Movement It is more successful if a demonstration is started by a mature organization, e.g., Falun Gong movement. Any independent political organization cannot exist long enough to start up a democratic movement. The Chinese Democratic Party is an example.

Why June 4th is well organized? : 

Why June 4th is well organized? In 1980’s, the CCP tried to give more freedom We learned lessons from the former movements The Democratic Salon, The Beijing Social Economic Institute, and other groups prepared a long time for democratic movement. Most members of these group played key roles in June 4th. However, the June 4 movement started spontaneously. It was initiated by occasional events—Hu’s death. The time was not selected by an existing organization. We cannot fully control the movement through our organization.

Movements after 1989 : 

Movements after 1989 The Chinese Democratic Party was set up in 1998. Most of its leaders, such as Wang Youcai, were arrested and sentenced to more than 10 years in prison. The independent labor union movement began in 2001. Recently, the CCP sentenced Yao Fuxin to 7 years, Xiao Yunliang to 4 years. Dissidents tried to enter into China. Yang Jianli has been detained for more than 1 year now, Wang Bingzhang is life sentenced, Wang Ce served for 4 years in prison. Falun Gong followers have continuously demonstrated for the freedom of religion and have been persecuted brutally since 1999.

Falun Gong Demonstration : 

Falun Gong Demonstration

Falun Gong was persecuted : 

Falun Gong was persecuted

My Appeals : 

My Appeals My thanks to all of you for your consistent concern and appeals for releasing Chinese political prisoners, thanks to American people for providing us political asylum here. I hope you do not forget the political prisoners, including Wang Bingzhang, Wang Youcai, Wang Weilin, Yao Fuxin, Xiao Yunliang, Yan Qichen, as well as thousands Falun Gong practitioners who are jailed in China. I hope you will appeal on their behalf until all political prisoners are released. Please remember that your voices are more effective to the CCP government.