October 24, 2002
When Chinese President Jiang Zemin steps up to the podium to deliver his speech today, he will be greeted by a carefully selected crowd of students and donors to the George Bush Presidential Library Complex.
But the thousands of demonstrators expected outside the auditorium to protest Jiang's visit underlie the highly controversial nature of China's communist regime, which many human rights activists allege to be among the world's most brutal and repressive.
According to reports from Amnesty International, an independent human rights group, and the U.S. Department of State, the Chinese government employs widespread torture and execution against political dissidents.
Since 1999, the government has cracked down on Falun Gong, a [spiritual] movement which teaches meditation and healthy living. Amnesty estimates that tens of thousands of Falun Gong supporters have been detained and tortured in prisons and labor camps, and at least 500 have died from torture in custody.
[…]
The U.S. Congress passed a resolution in July condemning the persecution of Falun Gong members, and urged investigation of allegations that Chinese government agents are harassing and intimidating Falun Gong supporters in the United States.
[Practitioners] say the movement is entirely spiritual and has no political agenda. The
Chinese consulate in Houston could not be reached for comment.
Diana Roberts, a Falun Gong practitioner in Houston, said, as many as 3,000 Falun Gong members will be outside the Bush Library, peacefully protesting Jiang's visit.
"We'll just sit calmly and project positive thoughts, and hopefully Jiang will sense the positive atmosphere and change his mind," Roberts said. "(Jiang's) persecution against Falun Gong is brutal and savage, and we just want it to end."
The U.S. State Department has documented government persecution against Tibetan Buddhists, Christians, as well as forced abortions to limit the country's population growth.
[…]
Roman Popadiuk, executive director of the George Bush Library Foundation, said the majority of the 600 tickets to the event were reserved for students, with blocks given to the Corps of Cadets and the University Provost's office to distribute. When British Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke at A&M in April, the ticket distribution was less controlled, with student tickets given out on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The protests and controversy surrounding Jiang's human rights abuses will not dampen the occasion.
"This is a great opportunity for students to see and listen to a major world leader," Popadiuk said.
According to Amnesty, pro-democracy activists in China, many of whom are students, are imprisoned and often subjected to torture.
Human rights activists have criticized the Chinese government for refusing to hold a public inquiry into the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, in which troops fired on unarmed student protesters, killing hundreds.
China is a one-party dictatorship, and Jiang holds the title of president through his leadership of the Communist Party. No other political organizations are permitted and no free elections are held.
http://www.thebatt.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/10/24/3db794c12a687
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