An Open Letter From Chen Guangcheng's Wife, Yuan Weijing, to Kofi Annan on the Eve of His Visit to China (CECC Full Translation)

The following is a translation prepared by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China of an open letter from Yuan Weijing to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, dated May 12, 2006. The Chinese text was retrieved from a May 17 Boxun posting.

Dear Mr. Annan,

Greetings!

Thank you for all of your hard work on account of the advancement of world peace, freedom, and democracy. At the recently concluded sixth session of the UN General Assembly, China was elected as a member of the UN Human Rights Council. As a Chinese person, I am thrilled. However, I would rather that the Chinese government be able to honor its promise, and respect and safeguard human rights. Last year, my husband, Chen Guangcheng, exposed the forced sterilizations, abortions, and even the criminalities, among other scandals, related to Linyi city, Shandong province; as a result, since August 2005, he has been subject to the local government's continuous and illegal restraint of his personal liberty. His personal safety is frequently subject to their attack, and even his relatives have been subject to personal attacks, detention, or even arrest. On March 11, 2006, Chen Guangcheng was once again taken away by the Yinan county public security bureau. Since they took him away, his whereabouts have been unknown. I have already entrusted a lawyer to take on representation in the case of Chen Guangcheng's "undisclosed whereabouts" and the case of his relatives' arrests. But the Yinan county public security bureau explained to our lawyer that they have not taken Chen Guangcheng into custody. With respect to Chen Guangcheng's relatives, [the bureau explained that] they actually did not wish for a lawyer to meet with them. As a blind person for whom life and other aspects are never so convenient, Chen Guangcheng has now met with the local government's kidnapping, house arrest, and even [confinement] at an undisclosed location. He is a blind person who has continuously worked hard so that China may have a better tomorrow, but has instead been insulted by a number of local government officials as a traitor to China. I believe that only those citizens who do not take on responsibility for China's destiny are China's true traitors or sell-outs.

Mr. Annan, I sincerely hope that the UN Human Rights Council is an organization that genuinely defends global human rights. We do not merely want to see how many announcements, or what promises, the member states make; what is most important is that we want to see how much they do. At the same time, I also hope that on this visit to China, you are able to continue your hard work on account of China's human rights conditions, and you are able to pay attention to Guangcheng and friends who share Guangcheng's fate.

Thank you.

I wish you a happy visit that is smooth and successful.

Chen Guangcheng's wife, Yuan Weijing,
Written while surrounded within my home

May 12, 2006