Letter to Australian Prime Minister from
Coalition of the Chinese Overseas Democratic Movement (Australia)/Chinese Labour Party

Chinese Labour Party

Mr. Yang Jianli is an excellent young scholar. He earned a Ph. D degree in mathematics from the Department of Mathematics, University of California at Berkeley in 1991 and earned another Ph. D degree in political economy from Harvard Kennedy School of Government in 2001. He has gained remarkable academic achievements in his research field and become an internationally renowned scholar. Mr. Yang Jianli is a fair-minded dissenter as well. He constantly pays great attention to the situation of human rights in China and keeps the future of China in his heart all the time. He has been actively participating in the democracy movement for China for many years. In June 1989, he went back to China from the U.S.A. to support the students in Tiananmen Square. He is the eyewitness of the Tiananmen Square massacre. From then on, Mr. Yang Jianli is deprived of the right to enter China by the Chinese authorities. (He was put on the blacklist and his Chinese passport was repeatedly refused for renewal). Although many people advocate violence to turn down the regime of dictatorship, Mr. Yang Jianli is still advocating and upholding the principle of peace, reason and non-violence to promote democratization of China.

In order to observe the ongoing unrest of unemployed workers in China, Mr. Yang Jianli returned to China in April 2002, using a friend's passport. On April 26, 2002, he was detained in China by the Chinese authorities. On May 28, 2003, the U.N Working Group on Arbitrary Detention passed a resolution condemning that the confinement of Mr. Yang Jianli apparently violated minimum international human rights standards. On February 21, 2003, eleven members of U.S. Congress wrote to the president of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Hu Jintao, requesting the release of Mr. Yang Jianli. On June 25, 2003, the U.S. House of Representatives passed resolution H.Res 199, and on July 29, the U. S. Senate passed S.Res 184, requesting Chinese authorities to release Mr. Yang Jianli. On August 4, 2003, Mr. Yang Jianli was put on trial in Beijing on the charges of illegal return to China and espionage for Taiwan. Under the excuse that the case concerning state secrets, the Chinese authorities didn't allow anyone of the public, the press or even Mr. Yang Jianli's family, friends, or foreign legal advisers to attend the trial. The three-hour trial was adjourned the same day without a verdict.

It's very unfair that Mr. Yang Jianli is charged of illegal entry to China. As a citizen of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Yang Jianli has the right to return to China. Without any decision or any instruction from any court, the Chinese authorities arbitrarily deprived Mr. Yang Jianli of the right to return to his homeland. It's an undeniable fact that the Chinese authorities broke the laws first. The accused should be the Chinese authorities instead of Mr. Yang Jianli. Mr. Yang's using his friend's passport to go back to China is just to win back his basic human rights, the right to go back to one’s homeland. Mr. Yang Jianli is innocent.

The accusation of espionage for Taiwan imposed on Mr. Yang Jianli by the Chinese authorities is just only based on a visit Mr. Yang Jianli paid to Taiwan several years ago. The Chinese authorities cannot provide any further details of evidence to prove Mr. Yang Jianli was involved in the espionage. In accordance with the logic of the Chinese authorities, anyone who travels to Taiwan must become a spy of Taiwan. How preposterous this is! The accusation of espionage is the excuse, and to persecute the dissenters is the real purpose.

Dear Prime Minister, we respectfully request you and the Federal Government of Australia, for the sake of upholding justice and protecting human rights, please take whatever action necessary to press the Chinese authorities into releasing Mr. Yang Jianli immediately and unconditionally.

Thank you very much.

Coalition of the Chinese Overseas Democratic Movement (Australia)
Chinese Labour Party (Australia)

Authored by Ruan Jie
Provided by Lu louis

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Source: "ChinaEWeekly".