CBS Newspath Navigator: Chinese Dissident Wife CommentCBS Feed(s) 01/19/2005 - 20NA - 21:10:39 Date: 1/19/2005 Story Slug: Terror Threat Title: Chinese Dissident Wife Comment Dateline: Washington, DC Format: natsnd Source: APTN Handle: NATL20050119361Information: Christina Fu, wife of imprisoned Chinese dissident Yang Jianli, told a news conference in Washington on Wednesday that her husband was willing to accept a medical parole from the Chinese government in order to return to the United States to be with his family. But Fu said that her husband would not take the parole if it was offered during the final months of serving his prison term. If he serves out the sentence, Yang would be allowed to remain in China as a free man. Yang has now spent one thousand days in prison, the mid-point of his five year sentence. On 31 July, Yang Jianli suffered a minor stroke while in prison and according to his wife, continues to suffer from medical complications, including numbness in the left side of his body. US Congressmen Barney Frank and Christopher Cox joined Yang's wife at a Capitol Hill news conference on Wednesday afternoon as part of renewed efforts to secure Yang's release, and to reaffirm US Congressional commitment to human rights in China. Christina Fu had returned from a visit with her husband in a Chinese prison on Tuesday evening. She said her conversation with him was encouraging and that she believes there are positive signs that the Chinese government is going to act in her husband's favour. Yang is a veteran of the Tiananmen Square student movement in 1989, and returned to China three years ago to visit political activists and laid-off workers. He entered China with an illegal passport and was detained by police at the Kunming airport in the southern province of Yunnan in April of 2002. Since that time, both the House and Senate have unanimously passed resolutions calling for the release of Yang and condemning the Chinese government for violations of human rights conventions. Video: Washington, DC 19 January 2005 1. Wide view of news conference on behalf of Chinese dissident Yang Jianli 2. Close view of Christina Fu, wife of Yang Jianli 3. Close profile view of Yang Jianli's son 4. Still of Yang Jianli and family (dated 5 August 2005) shown at news conference 5. Close view of still of Yang Jianli and his children 6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Christina Fu, Wife of Dr. Yang Jianli "I told him that we all know about his health and he also expressed willingness that he would accept a medical parole if it happened soon. On the other hand, he said, if a medical parole would be granted at the end of his sentence, he would not want to leave China. He wanted to serve his full sentence and remain in China as a free (man)." 7. Cutaway - reporters 8. Close view - Yang's son wiping his eyes 9. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Christina Fu, wife of Dr. Yang Jianli: "We have spoken with representatives of the Chinese government, and of course they hope that we will be able to convince my husband to change and to behave well in prison. Because this way he will be able to obtain release sooner. So I told them that I would try my best to convince him, we all want him to come home, we don't want him to have to stay in prison." 10. Christina Fu and son 11. Christina Fu and US congressman Christopher Cox at news conference Restrictions: APTN material is for CBS affiliates O&O use only. Music: None -------------------------- |