Yang Jianli

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yang Jianli

Yang Jianli (Chinese: 楊建利, * 1963 in Shandong , People's Republic of China ) is a scholar, activist, and Chinese dissident residing in the United States . In 2002 Yang visited China and was arrested and detained by the Chinese government for espionage and illegal entry. He was released on April 27, 2007.

Yang is known to work for democracy in China. He has participated in pro-democracy movements since 1980 and had to flee China in 1989 after the Tian'anmen massacre .

biography

Yang Jianli was born in Shandong Province in northern China and graduated from Peking University at the age of 19. Jianli, a rising star in the Chinese Communist Party , was soon disappointed with the corruption and insincerity of the communist system. Yang left China and studied at the University of Berkeley mathematics . 1989, at the age of 26, his classmates voted in Berkeley that he was going to Beijing to support their fellow students in China on the Tian'anmen Square (also known as Tiananmen Square known) were demonstrating for democracy. Yang got there in time to see thousands being massacred by the Chinese army's rifles and tanks. This event changed Jianli's future. He narrowly escaped capture and returned to the United States to study democracy.

In 2002, Yang returned to China after completing his doctorate in political economy at Harvard University to help the labor movement with nonviolent struggle strategies. He was arrested and in May 2004 the People's Republic of China pronounced guilty and sentenced Yang to five years in prison for espionage and illegal entry. With the help of the US Congress and the United Nations, he was released in April 2007.

activism

Yang Jianli, a Tian'anmen Square activist in 1989, went to the United States to study. He holds a PhD from Harvard University in Political Economy and Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley . He then established the Foundation for China in the 21. Century . Given his political activism , he was supported by the Government of the People's Republic of China on the black list provided. When Yang's passport expired and he tried to renew it, the government refused to renew his passport.

Yang believes that democracy in China can only be achieved if all citizens ruled by the government of China awaken and unite. In 2007 he founded the Initiatives for China , a democracy movement that works for a peaceful transition to democracy in China. Sometime after its inception, the initiative began a 500-mile march from Boston to Washington, DC , sponsored by Yang Jianli, to highlight the human rights situation in China and as a demonstration in the peaceful struggle for democratic reform. This march received worldwide recognition, including from the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Dalai Lama , and the then Speaker of the US House of Representatives , Nancy Pelosi . The march ended with an event to commemorate June 4th, the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Imprisonment

Yang Jianli returned to China with a friend's passport in April 2002 to view the labor unrest in northeast China. He was arrested when he tried to board a domestic flight, and from Chinese authorities in solitary confinement locked. This violated their own and international rights . His wife and children and his extended family were not allowed to see him. While Yang was in prison, his family was concerned about his health and safety. The lobby group Freedom Now took over his case.

On May 28, 2003, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled that the Chinese government's detention of Yang Jianli was in violation of international law. On June 25, 2003, the United States House of Representatives passed House Resolution 199 by 412–0 votes, and the United States Senate introduced resolution 184.

On August 4, 2003, the United States asked China to release Yang. “We have raised the case repeatedly with high-ranking Chinese officials and we urge that Dr. Yang will be released and allowed to return to his family here in the United States, ”said Philip Reeker, United States Department spokesman .

Petition to legislators and scientists

In 2003, Harvard University Law School reportedly sent a letter to Wen Jiabao through the Chinese Embassy , which was signed by 29 faculty. A few days later another letter from Harvard Kennedy School - John F. Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Medical School is said to have been sent to Wen Jiabao in the same way and with 78 signatures.

Yang's Ms. Fu Xiang, a US citizen, traveled to China in May to find out about her husband's situation, but was detained at the Beijing airport and deported shortly afterwards. Yang's older brother has worked tirelessly with the Beijing authorities to find out the details of his brother's case and to make sure he received an adequate defense, but to no avail.

In April 2004, members of Congress held a press conference to commemorate the second anniversary of Yang's imprisonment. 67 lawmakers reportedly published a warning to Hu in a letter. The US Embassy in Beijing said to have spoken directly with the Chinese government about Yang's case, the deputies of the Republican Party Christopher Cox , citing Vice President Dick Cheney .

In October 2004, 21 US Senators and 85 Congressmen wrote a petition to Hu Jintao to grant Yang parole. In June 2005, a non-partisan group of 40 US senators (including Jon Kyl , Barbara Mikulski , Hillary Clinton , John McCain , Ted Kennedy and Bob Dole ) sent a letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao demanding the release of Yang.

In April 2006, 119 congressmen called on then-President Bush to bring up Yang Jianli's case. In September, Yang was released on condition that he must leave China immediately. But he is said to have insisted on returning to his homeland to clean his father's grave. As a result, he was taken back to prison from the airport.

Return to the US and activism

Yang Jianli was released from the Chinese prison on April 27, 2007, but was not allowed to leave the People's Republic of China immediately. About four months later, on August 19, he was allowed to return to live with his family in the United States.

Shortly after his return, Yang Jianli reflected in an article in the Washington Post on his experience of the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen Square protests where students demonstrated for free speech and democracy. Those memories came back while watching the demonstrations in Myanmar in 2007 . Yang said that everyone in the Chinese democracy movement would stand in solidarity with the Burmese people who engaged in a life or death struggle to free their country from years of oppression . Yang said that everything was at stake for the Burmese , and that the outcome in Burma will also have an impact on the democracy movement in China. The spiritual saffron revolution, including China's 'parasitic relationship with Burma' and the will of freedom-loving intellectuals around the world, condemned the brutal oppression in Burma at the time.

In March 2016, Yang, along with Fang Zheng and Zhou Fengsuo, published an article in the Washington Post condemning Donald Trump's characterization of the Tiananmen Square massacre because Trump described the massacre as an act of "strong, powerful government." should.

Yang has been a guest speaker at the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy and is the founder of the non-governmental organization Initiatives for China , a US-based organization that works for a peaceful transition to democracy in China.

In 2016, Yang organized an interfaith conference of the ethnic and religious minorities of China in Dharamsala , India , which is the residence of the Dalai Lama and the seat of the Tibetan Central Administration (the Tibetan government in exile). The conference was attended by representatives from the Uyghurs , Mongols , Christians , Falun Gong and the people of Taiwan , Hong Kong and Macau .

In June 2016, Yang organized an event in Washington, DC to mark the 27th anniversary of the crackdown in Tiananmen Square, China. The technical systems were hacked so that some participants in other countries could not fully communicate.

Criticism of the Communist Regime

Yang Jianli said in an article in the Washington Post that China should not have a seat on the UN Human Rights Council . He said that China is not qualified to join a council for the protection of human rights for many reasons. A 2012 Foreign Ministry report on human rights found that religious freedom was still suppressed in China, and the persecution against Tibetan Buddhists , Muslim Uyghurs, Falun Gong practitioners and house church members was particularly grave .

The in exile living Chinese dissident Yang Jianli, said during a visit in August 2016 in Taipei against Nikkei Asian Review that because of the campaign against corruption by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his efforts to strengthen his power, many turned away from him and he would have made numerous enemies. Yang said that in the past, the Communist Party corrupted the elites and changed their allegiances. The elites became defenders of the status quo . That is the reason why China's communist regime can continue to this day. Yang said that a potential split in Beijing's leadership could provide China's democracy activists with an opportunity, but the dissidents must first build a strong united front. Yang warned that the democracy movement could peter out if the opposition had too many nerve-wracking factions with divided ideologies, as is happening in Hong Kong.

Der Spiegel reported in March 2018 that Yang had been invited by the UN Watch organization to address the United Nations Human Rights Council. Yang spoke about the human rights violations, which a Chinese government official responded angrily about and tried to interrupt Yang several times. However, Yang was allowed to continue his speech addressing human rights violations and sensitive issues such as China's Cultural Revolution , suppression of various groups such as the democracy movement and Falun Gong , which have killed many people.

Radio Free Asia reported on March 31, 2020 and the Epoch Times on April 2, 2020 the disappearance of a Chinese student, Zhang Wenbin, who opposed the Chinese Communist Party. Yang Jianli told The Epoch Times that Zhang only exercised his right to free speech. And that this is a right granted to him in the Chinese constitution. He also mentioned that this right was only valid "on paper". He called the CPC a “barbaric regime” whose top priority is maintaining its power. “The party state of the CPC will not tolerate any provocation from anyone, any more than the party leaders will. Any critical remark seemed like an act of rebellion in their eyes, ”said Yang.

Awards

  • 2013 - Truman-Reagan Freedom Award
  • 2013 - Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Achievement Award
  • 2012 - CEPOS Freedom Award (The Danish Center for Political Studies)
  • 2012 - Top 100 Chinese Public Intellectuals of the Year (Boxun News)
  • 2012 - Morris Abram Human Rights Award (UN Watch)
  • 2011 - Top 100 Chinese Public Intellectuals of the Year (Boxun News)
  • 2010 - Top 100 Chinese Public Intellectuals of the Year (Boxun News)
  • 2009 - Top 100 Chinese Public Intellectuals of the Year (Boxun News)
  • 2007 - First Freedom Pioneer Award (Beijing Spring)
  • 2007 - Freedom Spirit Award (Independent Federation of Chinese Scholars and Students in the US)
  • 2006 - Democratic Hero Award (Asian-Pacific Foundation for Human Rights in New Zealand)
  • 2003 - Spirituality and Justice Award (All Saints Parish Episcopal Church of Brookline, MA)
  • 2003 - 17th Chinese Democracy Education Foundation Award
  • 2002 - Outstanding Democracy Fighter Award (Chinese Democracy Education Foundation)
  • 1999 - Sun Yat-Sen News and Cultural Award (Sun Yat-Sen Cultural Foundation in the US)
  • 1999 - First Prize in the Essay Competition of “Central Daily” in Taiwan
  • 1995 - Recipient of Doctoral Dissertation Grant from the National Science Foundation
  • 1991 - Outstanding Graduate Instructor Award (University of California at Berkeley)
  • 1992 - Recipient of Pacific Cultural Foundation Research Grant
  • 1990 - Outstanding Chinese student in America Award, AU Education Foundation, San Francisco
  • 1986 - Peer advising funds award, Graduate Division, University of California

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Dr. Yang Jianli , Freedom Now, 2002 to 2006, accessed August 21, 2017
  2. ↑ Yang Jianli - Three Chinas and the Rest of the World , San Francisco Freedom Forum, YouTube, October 15, 2012, accessed September 7, 2017
  3. ↑ a b c d e Surviving Tiananmen, Envisioning Democracy: Yang Jianli in conversation with The Straddler , The Straddler, June 21, 2014, accessed September 7, 2017
  4. ↑ a b c d e Jennifer Rockwitz, Case file: Detained in action - Yang Jianli , Human Rights In China, February 20, 2003, accessed September 7, 2017
  5. ^ A b c d Biography of Yang Jianli , Initiatives for China, Wikileaks, accessed September 7, 2017
  6. ↑ a b c d Yang Jianli, Echoes of Tiananmen Square , The Washington Post, September 30, 2007, accessed August 21, 2017
  7. ↑ a b c d e Jared Genser, Free Yang Jianli , The Harvard Crimson, December 10, 2003, accessed September 7, 2017
  8. ↑ a b Yang Jianli, About Yang Jianli , Initiatives for China, Citizen Power for China, accessed on September 7, 2017
  9. ↑ H.Res. 199-108th Congress (2003-2004) , Congress.gov, June 25, 2003, accessed August 21, 2017
  10. ↑ S.Res.184 -108th Congress (2003-2004) , Congress.gov, July 29, 2003. Retrieved on August 21, 2017
  11. ↑ Leader Profile: Student Activist Yang Jianli , PBS Newshour, June 2, 2009, accessed September 7, 2017
  12. ↑ Yang Jianli, Fang Zheng, Zhao Fengsuo, Donald Trump defends the world's bullies , The Washington Post, March 18, 2016, accessed September 7, 2017
  13. ↑ 2014 Geneva Summit: Yang Jianli , Initiatives for China, You Tube, March 4, 2014, accessed September 7, 2017
  14. ↑ Speaker - Yang Jianli, Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy , March 2012, accessed September 7, 2017
  15. ↑ Yang Jianli, Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy , accessed September 7, 2017
  16. ↑ Kumaran Ira, US-backed Chinese separatists, dissidents meet in Dharamsala , India, World Socialist Web Site, May 6, 2016, accessed September 7, 2017
  17. ↑ Bharat Bhushan, Open up or break up, dissident Yang Jianli tells China , Central Tibetan Administration, May 4, 2016, accessed September 7, 2017
  18. ^ William Ide, China Tries to Suppress Memory of Tiananmen Massacre , VOA News, June 4, 2016, accessed September 7, 2017
  19. ↑ a b c UN Human Rights Council, Chinese diplomat tries to silence dissidents , Der Spiegel, March 21, 2018, accessed March 22, 2018
  20. ↑ a b Yang Jianli: China hasn't earned a spot on Human Rights Council , The Washington Post, November 1, 2013, accessed September 7, 2017
  21. ↑ a b c Debbie Wu, Xi 'enemy to all Chinese' says exiled dissident Yang Jianli , Nikkei Asian Review, August 20, 2016, accessed September 7, 2017
  22. ↑ Eva Fu, "Down with the Communist Party": Chinese student opposes the regime - then he disappears , Epoch Times USA, April 2, 2020, accessed April 4, 2020
  23. ↑ Gao Feng, Fears Grow For Chinese Student Who Told President to Step Down , Radio Free Asia, March 31, 2020, accessed April 4, 2020
personal data
SURNAME Yang, Jianli
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 楊建利
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Chinese dissident
DATE OF BIRTH 1963
PLACE OF BIRTH Shandong , China