Reclaiming China's rights
Liu Xiaobo, an author of the '08 Charter calling for constitutional reform
in China, has been detained. He must be freed
By Ran Yunfei

The 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights witnesses
more human rights violations in China. A couple of days ago, police in
Shanghai detained Liu Xiaobo, an intellectual and human rights activist, who
had been in and out of prison in the last two decades because of his
activism.

The reason this time is the '08 Charter, a document calling for
constitutional reform in China, initiated by Liu Xiaobo and his colleagues,
and signed by more than 300 people, including me. Hearing the news, I felt
not only angry, but also pity towards the authorities whose fierce reaction
can't disguise the fear underneath. One will always claim and protect one's
rights. No authority can stop that.

As ordinary people, we just want to live a normal and peaceful life. But we
want to live it with dignity. The coming economic crisis has made many
people more alert to their rights, or lack of them. In China, the current
crisis is not only the consequence of a global economic crisis, but also the
result of a corrupt and authoritarian one-party system. Many people live a
hard life not because of the downturn of the world economy, but because
their rights have been taken away by the authorities. I know many
intellectuals like Liu Xiabo who champion a peaceful and non-violence
approach to achieve political reform. However, others may not be so patient.
There have already been numerous instances of social unrest in China
recently. To make things worse, the authorities seem to know only one
response: to suppress any incident, which inevitably worsens the crisis.

This critical social situation is the circumstance under which Liu Xiaobo
and his colleagues produced the '08 Charter. It is moderate, reasonable,
pragmatic, dedicated to reaching reconciliation after revealing the truth.
People's rights and society's interests are at its heart. It is not perfect.
But among all the documents I have ever signed, it is the most important
one.

For the last century, Chinese people have sacrificed life and blood in the
hope of achieving a constitutional republic. What we eventually got was more
brutal rule. We can't blame it all on tradition or culture. It also has
something to do with the shortsightedness of many people, who ignored the
bottom line to chase immediate gains, and sacrificed the future for
short-term compromises. We understand that we have to compromise, which is
part of democracy, but we must insist upon certain principles, such as
respect for human beings and protection of basic rights.

The '08 Charter is a non-partisan document. Efforts were made to reach a
compromise. Our aim is to save, not to destroy, the society we are in – a
society that is highly volatile, increasingly divided and threatened by
deepening economic crisis. But the authorities, who are so used to
controlling society using inflexible and violent means, won't even tolerate
the existence of a document that calls for sensible, moderate, pragmatic
approaches. Arresting Liu Xiaobo and interrogating many other signatories
shows that the authorities are now descending to the threat of violence.
Such a threat will only ignite more resistance.

I am calling on the Chinese authorities to recognise the will of the people,
to gradually implement political reforms, to give hope back to the people.
We know hope will give people extraordinary motivation to live their life
and to change their behavior. A community with no hope will only release
destructive energy. People within the establishment can't detach themselves
if the communities around them collapse. In other words, if the authorities
fail to protect people's rights, they won't be able to protect themselves
later on. Some may believe money and power can save them. They can't.

Chinese people still don't have the human rights they deserve. For 60 years,
people of this land have been waiting for the day of freedom and democracy.
In the last 20 years, people like Liu Xiaobo have fought for human rights on
our behalf. Today in China, when we enjoy some freedom and rights, we
shouldn't forget what people like him have done for us. I urge the
authorities to release Liu Xiaobo as soon as possible. I also call on the
government to start to reform the political system so that it can
effectively protect people's rights.

This blog originally appeared in Chinese
http://www.bullog.cn/blogs/ranyunfei/archives/239385.aspx