This year commemorated the 20th anniversary
of the Tiananmen massacre, which began on 14 April 1989. One writer who was
arrested back then was again interrogated on 31 March 2009, for writing about
the crackdown. Here is the press release by Chinese Human Rights Defenders,
issued on the day.
This year commemorated the 20th anniversary
of the Tiananmen massacre, which began on 14 April 1989. One writer who was
arrested back then was again interrogated on 31 March 2009, for writing about
the crackdown. Here is the press release by Chinese Human Rights Defenders,
issued on the day.
This
morning, Jiang Qisheng, a former 1989 prisoner, dissident writer, and
vice-chairman of Independent Chinese PEN, was taken away from his home and
interrogated by police. Officers searched his home and confiscated 3 computers,
bank cards, many books, notebooks, and manuscripts. He was released just before
5pm Beijing time after six hours of questioning.
Police
threatened Jiang, formerly a physicist, and warned him against playing any role
in organising commemorative activities to observe the 20th anniversary of the
1989 Tiananmen massacre. During the interrogation, police produced a print-out
copy of an article about the June 4th crackdown that Jiang was working on from
his computer. They made it clear that they were carrying out orders from the
top to stamp out any activities related to June 4th commemoration.
The
officers, 14 or 15 policemen from the National Security Unit under the Beijing
Public Security Bureau (PSB), arrived at Jiang's home at 9:30 am today and took
Jiang away after producing a warrant for summons (chuanhuan zheng). The police then cut off the landline telephone
connection at Jiang's home and ordered his wife, Zhang Hong, to hand them her
mobile phone. The police conducted a thorough search of Jiang's home, and
confiscated a desktop computer, two laptop computers, bank cards and a large
number of books and manuscripts. The police left Jiang's home at around 2 p.m.
"The
summoning of Dr. Jiang is a warning to all citizens who are preparing to
observe the 20th anniversary of the bloody crackdown on the pro-democracy
movement. This blatant violation of a
citizen's freedom of _expression announces the Chinese government's war against
any form of commemoration for those killed in June 1989 and demands for
official accountability", said Renee Xia, international director of Chinese
Human Rights Defenders.
In
1989, as a Ph.D. student in philosophy of science at the People's University of
China, Jiang participated in the pro-democracy movement. For that he was
imprisoned between September 1989 and February 1991. In 1999, the 10th
anniversary of the government's crackdown, Jiang was imprisoned for writing an
article commemorating the Tiananmen Massacre. Since his release in May 2003, he
has continued to write critical social commentaries.
Jiang
is also a signatory to Charter 08, and he was harassed and warned for his
endorsement of the petition at the beginning of the year.
Also related:
CHINA – More than 143 interrogated for signing
Charter 08
