By Joseph Juhn
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
BEIJING, China — Two dozens of retired Chinese Communist Party members who once led the country under the leadership of Mao Zedong former Chairman, have challenged the government and called for freedom in speech and press.
The group, drawn from the military, state media, and academia, bluntly criticized the party’s Central Propaganda Department as an “invisible black hand” powerful enough to censor the prime minister Wen Jiabao’s call for greater political openness and an end to government control of media outlets.
The open letter by party elders including Li Rui, Mao’s secretary, was published on the Internet.
“What right does the Central Propaganda Department have to muzzle the speech of the premier?’’ stated the letter, referring to a branch of the party that focuses on ideology. “What right does it have to rob the people of our nation of their right to know what the premier said?’’
In late August, during a visit to the economically vibrant city of Shenzhen, Wen made remarks on the need for the Chinese government to adopt democratic election system. His speech, however, were never reported in most of the strictly controlled mainland press. Wen’s remarks to the U.N. General Assembly were also similarly vetted and removed in the mainland media when he made references to political reform.
The letter was released amid escalating tension following the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to imprisoned Chinese democracy activist Liu Xiaobo.
The Chinese government continued to express its vilification as it cancelled another meeting with Norwegian officials and denouncing the award as an offense to the Chinese people and a cunning plan to try to change the country’s political system.
“Some politicians from other countries are trying to use this opportunity to attack China,” Ma Zhaoxu, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, told reporters on Tuesday. He added that the prize, announced Friday, “shows disrespect for China’s judicial system” because the recipient is a convicted criminal under the Chinese law.
Liu was given the Peace Prize for his courage and struggle to advocate for human rights and democracy, the Nobel committee said Oct. 8. The 54-year-old political dissident was ordered jailed last year for 11 years for organizing Charter 08, an open letter demanding democratic elections and freedom of assembly, which are guaranteed in China’s constitution.
Although initially signed electronically by thousands of intellectuals, students and former Communist Party officials, Charter 08 has since been blocked on the Internet and is hardly known to any Chinese.
In the meantime, Liu’s wife updated her Twitter account harshly criticizing the government for keeping her under house arrest and said she hopes to travel to Norway to accept the prize on behalf of her husband.
In response to her confinement, Richard Buangan, a United States Embassy spokesman, said in an e-mail, “her rights should be respected, and she should be allowed to move freely without harassment.”
“We urge China to uphold its international human rights obligations and to respect the fundamental freedoms and human rights of all Chinese citizens,” he added.
For more information, please see:
The Boston Globe – Chinese elders call for more freedom – 14 October 2010
The New York Times – Beijing Calls Nobel Insult To People Of China – 12 October 2010
The Washington Post – In China, silence greets talk of reform – 13 October 2010
