CHINA-Former high ranking communist cadre Bao Tong, supports retired Shandong University professor Sun Wenguan who published two open letters regarding the Tiananmen Massacre and the persecution of Falun Gong. On March 8, the Epoch Times reporter interviewed Bao Tong, the secretary of the former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Zhao Ziyang. Bao expressed his support of Sun’s letters.
Bao said, “Matters as the redress of the Tiananmen Massacre and ending the persecution of Falun Gong brought up by Professor Sun Wenguan are what people are concerned about most. Since the National People’s Congress represents the people, the Congress should care about matters that the people are concerned about and should discuss matters that people are concerned about most. Otherwise whom does the Congress represent?”
Ratify International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Bao indicated that in addition to these two very important issues, there was another concern. That was, the representative of the CCP government signed the “International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights” at the United Nations in New York ten years ago. However, the National People’s Congress has not yet ratified this joint pledge.
Bao indicated that he felt it was abnormal that this covenant had not been ratified after ten years had passed.
Bao said, “The Olympics is going to be held in Beijing this year, the CCP is going all out to form its international image, I think these issues provide a good opportunity.”
Petition Signed by 20,000 Chinese
Bao revealed that there had been over 20,000 people who signed a petition to protect their rights to appeal for redress of corruption and other matters at local levels of government.
Bao said, “Therefore I think the problems brought up by Sun, the problem of approving the international human rights treaty brought up by more than 10,000 people, and the problem of right to appeal brought up by more than 20,000 people are all very, very important. If the National People’s Congress does not discuss these issues, it should not be called the National People’s Congress.”
Bao Tong was the secretary of Zao Ziyang, the former General Secretary of the CCP, a former member of the Central Committee of the CCP, and the former director of the CCP Office of the Study of the Transformation of Political Systems. After the Tiananmen Massacre, he was sentenced to seven years in prison. He is the highest ranking CCP cadre sentenced for the democratic student movement in 1989. After completing his prison terms, he was subjected to long term house arrest with limited outside communication.
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