Open letter to President Obama

DearPresident Obama,

Iam a former political prisoner from China living in exile in London. Learningthat you are visiting Beijing in the near future, I ask you to take concreteactions and speak up against the deteriorating human rights record of theChinese regime.

Iurge you to stand by your obligation to press the Chinese Communist regime toabide by its own promises regarding international human rights standards. Chinais not just a global market; it is also, and more importantly, a country withcitizens yearning for freedom, civil rights and human dignity. The importanceof China on the global stage is growing every day but with that seems to bereluctance from World leaders to clearly speak up for the many millions ofpeople who live without their freedom, rights or dignity.

Iappeal to you to not turn a blind eye to the many abuses committed by theChinese regime when you visit Beijing. In particular I urge you to:

1.     Call for the Chineseregime’s unlimited moratorium on executions, especially because there isneither an independent court nor fair trials in China, in accordance withinternational law and Human Rights law. In December 2007, both the US government and the Chinese regime votedagainst a UN General Assembly resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium onexecutions. During your election campaign last year, you promised major changesin human rights.   It is timenow to take bold and concrete actions.

2.     Press the Chineseregime to release all prisoners of conscience including environmental activistssuch as Sun Xiaodi, Tan Zuoren and Hu Jia and Prisoner of conscience includingYang Tianshui, Liu Xiaobo, Wang Bingzhang, Qin Yongmin, Guo Feixiong, GaoZhisheng, He Depu, Guo Quan, Xie Changfa, Chen Guangcheng, Jin Haike, Xu Wei,Lu Gengsong, Wu Yilong, She Wanbao, Hu Mingjun, Wang Sen, Li Dawei, KongYouping, Ning Xian-Hua, Li Zhi, Xu WanPing, Chen Shuqing, Wang Rongqing, HuangQi, Dhondup Wangchen, Heyrat Niyaz, and Hada, some of whose life have beenendangered. As you will be discussing environmental issues it is important tospeak up for those that are imprisoned for also speaking up for a betterenvironmental future.

3.     Record any politicalpersecution and repression including beating petitioners, remaining humanrights defenders and dissidents under house arrest and black jail, andenforcing martial law during your visit. Please immediately press the Chineseregime to stop such repression.

4.     Help netizens to teardown the Great Fire Wall (GFW). Please directly discuss with human rightsdefenders and netizens online issues of human rights, democracy, law,environment, and religion issues during your visit. Internet repression isstifling civil society in China and I urge you to explain to the Chineseauthorities that this is not good for citizens under the Chinese CommunistParty rule and not good for World.

5.     Push the Chineseregime to ratify the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and conformdomestic law to the minimum human rights standards as established in theCovenant.

TheChinese Communist Party relies on violence and terror to gain and maintainpower. It has no electoral mandate thereby it has no authority or credibilityto represent people under its rule. Please notice that ignoring the sufferingof so many people in China and sacrificing human rights for the expense ofshort term financial gains leads to further humanitarian and human rightssuffering around the world.

Thankyou

Yourssincerely,

ShaoJiang

Ps:Xinhua Net claims that it will collect netizens’ message to President Obama. Ihave left a message: President Obama: what principle is the most significant for your commitment when you take measures concerning relations with a totalitarian or authoritarianregime? (Submission number: 1003) However, Xinhua Net has not publicized mymessage.