The day before yesterday when I returned to Beijing, two friends of mine also arrived—Mrs. Kong Shan and Mr. Nowak from the Office of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights. I went to visit them. On my way to the hotel, while driving on the Second-Ring Road, an officer scraped my car driving at 80 kilometer per hour. When Mr. Nowak’s Representative saw this happen, he(she*) was so scared he (she) covered his (her) eyes. When we took a group photo at dinner, one officer complained about being in the picture, saying we were encroaching on his human rights.
(Note: in the original text, it doesn’t say whether Mr. Nowak’s Representative is female or male.)
To the two leaders of China, Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao:
Ever since the morning of October 20, about 20 plainclothes officers from the Beijing Public Security Bureau and the Beijing Police Department have been closely monitoring my family and I. At least nine vehicles surround the entrance of my house every day. On October 18, 19, and 20, the number of vehicles parked outside my home increased to over 20. As the national leaders of China, I cordially ask you to answer the following questions:
First, were you truthful in what you told those tired young faces who monitor me night and day what I, Gao Zhisheng, have really done? Or have you deceived them as well?
Second, have those young policemen been told that the tactics you employ violate the Chinese Constitution and China’s Basic Principle of Law! Do they know that it is illegal?
Third, have you ever told this group of young people that the methods you use against innocent citizens are dirty and immoral?
Fourth, have you told those innocent people trembling from the cold at night how low your methods are? Do they know that threatening and limiting my entire family’s personal freedom is among the most dishonorable and uncivilized action in today’s world?
Fifth, have you ever explained to these people the purpose or meaning of monitoring my family 24 hours a day?
Sixth, have you told these young policemen that in the eyes of the Chinese people your scheme is dirty and humiliating behavior?
I haven’t gone jogging now for two days in a row because I couldn’t bear to torment the 20 young officers guarding my front door! To tell you the truth, I feel extremely uneasy lying in bed at night thinking of those policemen. They too have families—parents, wives and children—and should have the right and opportunity to spend these cold nights comfortably at home with them. My wife and I feel dreadful looking through the window in the early mornings and seeing them jump up and down to keep warm. Today, we even talked about how to give them hot water to drink. These people are my beloved fellow citizens, not my enemy. I feel so hurt when they avoid eye contact with me! I sense their kindness, as well as their fear. I must clarify that, for them, I have only compassion, but no appreciation.
Gentlemen, when a citizen’s legal rights and interests have been violated in a civilized country, writing a letter of complaint to the national leaders is considered ridiculous. However, this is the only recourse that the citizens of our country have in such circumstances. There is no way either of you could relate to the amount of pain I am suffering from!
On October 18, I expressed my sorrow to you both through an open letter. I exposed what happens to our countrymen who insist on their freedom of belief. Local authorities trample our nation’s laws and cruelly persecute them. My intention was to relay this information so these harmful obstructions to China’s development could be promptly eliminated. This way harmony can prevail in China. This requires the joint effort of both you and the people of China. I was extremely upset and disheartened, however, when the response I received from you was exactly the opposite.
On October 19, I received phone calls threatening my family and I. On October 20, my wife was shocked to discover that two unidentifiable men had been following my 12-year-old daughter to and from school everyday. Then starting on November 15, they began to follow me instead. Since November 20, at least three officers have been taking turns monitoring the entrance of my house and law firm. On the second day of their arrival, the bicycle my wife usually uses to transport my daughter to and from school mysteriously disappeared. Yesterday evening, under the watchful eye of over 20 officers, two valves on our new bicycle were removed and my car was all marked up.
On November 4, the Beijing Judicial Bureau suspended my law firm’s license for a year. When I left for Xinjiang Province on November 15 to attend a court session, the same policemen who had followed my daughter followed me until I got on my airplane. After I arrived, local officers continued to monitor me. What I find most inconceivable is that officials in the Ministry of Justice contacted divisions in Xinjiang to investigate my family background, political beliefs, behavioral history and law studies. They hoped to gather materials so they could label me a bad type. I find it extremely ironic that they employ tactics identical to the contemptible means used during the Cultural Revolution.
The day before yesterday when I returned to Beijing, two friends of mine also arrived—Mrs. Kong Shan and Mr. Nowak from the Office of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights. I went to visit them. On my way to the hotel, while driving on the Second-Ring Road, an officer scraped my car driving at 80 kilometer per hour. When Mr. Nowak’s Representative saw this happen, she was so scared she covered her eyes. When we took a group photo at dinner, one officer complained about being in the picture, saying we were encroaching on his human rights.
Their rude and abusive behavior shocked the UN employees there. All the guests viewed their performance like a “monkey show.” They were so out of control and became so worked up that Mrs. Kong Shan was forced to delete the photo. The human rights officers simply shook their heads. We quickly finished our dinner and left with a few policemen closely following us.
During those two days, my neighborhood was overwhelmed by at least 20 vehicles with different license plates surrounded my residence. Since I arrived home on November 20 my home has become an officer’s hangout. They also disconnected my home telephone. We still have not been able to use it.
They ordered the community service staff to move into hotels so that they can stay overnight. The dozens of officers watching me day and night are not afraid of being seen or disturbing our tranquil community. People in my community who know me well do not understand the government’s insane behavior. Last night, after I parked my car, my wife looked out our window and saw seven or eight officers search around my car for over an hour. Nobody could understand what they were doing. At midnight, they kept sneaking around the entrance of our apartment. I can’t sleep because of the noise of footsteps moving back and forth. Do they think my family is plotting to overthrow the security of our country under the cover of night? Even some officers agreed that some of them have gone to extremes and done some very foul things.
Now that I’m writing to the both of you, I'd like to ask a question on behalf of my child: Why do you allow this political game to continue? I believe that not every young officer has a dark heart, but I do believe that the commanding officer who instigated this must have an absolutely polluted soul.
Our child, my wife and I, have the right to ask you both: Who is actually giving the orders to do such wicked things? Our country is not wealthy. Nine hundred million farmers still live in very poor conditions. Because of their poverty, countless children cannot afford to continue their education. Instead, taxpayers’ hard-earned money has been squandered on persecuting its own citizens under the command of a tightly disciplined and unscrupulous political organization. How can you face your own conscience, your countrymen or the civilized world?
While writing this letter, I received a phone call from a professor in northeast China. He believes that it is not you who ordered this foul thing, and I agree. The crux of the issue, however, is that such a filthy operation could happen in any place, at any time and to anyone while under your reign. Please do not underestimate the analytical ability of the Chinese people. Please rationally contemplate the reality of today’s China. These long-standing issues cannot drag on any further. The suppression against me might not be significant enough, but the stubbornness to act against heavenly principles will only be met by Heaven’s destructive force.
Before the conclusion of this illegal and filthy persecution on me and my family, I will continue to do two things. First, I will urge both you and your government everyday, in the form of an open letter to all civilized societies, to uphold China’s laws. Second, I plan to sue the two units that imposed this persecution on my family and I.
Again, with my best regards, Gao Zhisheng November 22, 2005
Friends Read Free