By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday expressed concern over Beijing’s detention and conviction of several dissidents before the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
“Liberty, democracy and human rights are universal values that know no borders... The people of Taiwan will be watching [Beijing],” Honigmann Hong (洪財隆), director of the DPP’s Department of China Affairs, said in a press release.
Taiwanese will see how China’s undemocratic moves against and oppression of dissidents have become roadblocks to bilateral engagement, Hong added.
Hong called on China to release Gao Yu (高瑜), a 70-year-old former journalist who was detained on Thursday for “leaking state secrets,” and Pu Zhiqiang (浦志強), a respected human rights lawyer, who was arrested on Tuesday for “creating disturbances.”
Pu was detained after attending a seminar in Beijing about the Tiananmen Massacre.
The DPP also expressed concern about the case of Yiu Man-tin (姚文田), a 73-year-old Hong Kong publisher who was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Wednesday on smuggling charges. Wire agency reports say his family has claimed the charges were a set-up to stop him from publishing books about Chinese leaders.
“We think that [the arrests] are an attempt by China to maintain stability ahead of the Tiananmen anniversary, to keep people — in particular the victims’ families and rights advocates — from talking about the massacre and to warn Hong Kong about its democratic movement,” Hong said.
While Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has reiterated his determination to fulfill the “Chinese dream” and ensure people’s well-being, Hong said that Xi should keep in mind that human rights and liberty are vital to well-being.
The DPP believes China needs to face the massacre honestly and relax its tight controls, he said.