10/30/03 BBC Monitoring Asia Pac.
BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific (c) 2003
The British Broadcasting Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, October 30, 2003
Family of jailed Chinese dissident appeal for international support
"Jailed dissident's sisters seek to publicize his plight", published by Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post web site on 30 October The sisters of imprisoned Chinese dissident Wang Bingzhang said in Hong Kong yesterday they were mapping out a campaign to pressure the central government to release their ailing brother on humanitarian and medical grounds.
Wang Yuhuan, who visited her younger brother at a prison in Shaoguan, Guangdong, last Thursday [23 October], said she was in contact with law professors, international organizations and Canadian officials who could draw the world's attention to the "unfair trial".
Amnesty International in London had sent petition letters to the central government every month demanding Wang Bingzhang's release, she said. "We would [ultimately] need the US government's help in pressuring the Chinese government. My brother and I think China will have to go international and demonstrate that it respects human rights," she said. "Having seen how Hong Kong people won the battle in fighting against Article 23 legislation, I believe the power of people and the media are essential to my brother's release."
Wang Bingzhang, 55, was convicted on espionage and terrorism charges and sentenced to life imprisonment in Shenzhen in February. He was found guilty of providing intelligence to Taiwan between 1982 and 1990. The pro-democracy activist had lost his appeal case in March and was allowed to file petitions for a review of his conviction.
Ms Wang said her brother's health was deteriorating as he had no access to necessary medicines.