Wife of prominent dissdent Jiang Qisheng appeals to U.S. president George Bush

On February 13, 2002, Zhang Hong, wife of prominent dissident Jiang Qisheng, appealed to U.S. President George Bush to seek medical parole for her imprisoned husband during his upcoming visit to Beijing. In addition, Zhang asked President Bush to pressure Chinese officials to deliver a thesis Jiang recently completed to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) Review Committee.

Jiang, who once held ambitions to become a scientist before his imprisonment, recently completed a thesis entitled "About T Change and Inversing Evolution." After nine years of research, Jiang completed the paper which challenges the symmetry theorem currently accepted in physics. Although Chinese prison law encourages prisoners to conduct scholarly research, authorities have refused to deliver the paper to the CASS.

Jiang, a June Fourth victims advocate, was detained on May 18, 1999 and formally arrested on June 26, 1999 on the charge of "incitement to subvert state power." Jiang had organized and circulated an open letter on April 15, 1999, calling on Chinese people to mark the 10th anniversary of the June Fourth massacre with peaceful acts, such as lighting candles in their homes. On May 17, 1999, Jiang issued a one-man appeal on behalf of Cao Jiahe, the Dongfang magazine editor who was detained and tortured for collecting signatures to mark the June Fourth anniversary.

In November, 1999, Jiang was sentenced to four years in prison and one years deprivation of political rights. Jiang had already served more than a year in prison for his participation in the 1989 demonstrations.

February 13, 2002

George W. Bush
President of United States
The White House
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C.

Dear Honorable President Bush,

How are you?

My name is Zhang Hong. I am writing to you on behalf of my husband Jiang Qisheng. Jiang Qisheng respects you very much, but is unable to write you personally because he is currently imprioned by Chinese authorities for simply exercising his rights of free expression. On his behalf, I am appealing to you for help in securing his release.

During the Beijing students’s democracy movement in 1989, Jiang Qisheng was the deputy team leader for negotiations with the Chinese authorities. As a result, he was inprisoned for a year and a half. In 1999, Jiang Qisheng was again imprisoned for writting articles to memorialize the massacre of June Fouth. He was convicted on the charge of conspiring to subvert state power and is now incarcerated in Beijing No. 2 prison.

Jiang Qisheng has loved science since childhood. Even though his dream of becoming a scientist was crushed by political authorities, including illegal denial of his right to apply for a doctoral exam after receiving his master’s degree, he has never given up his passionate interest in scientific research. During the past two years in prison, Jiang Qisheng has devoted himself to researching the philosophical question of whether time can be reversed, and writing a thesis entitled “ About T change and inversing evolution.” This thesis is the result of almost nine years of systematic anaylysis and reseach. Jiang Qisheng said his thesis challenges the symmetry theorem currently accepted in physics, and the position of Nobel Physics Award-winner Li Zhengdao. He believes this thesis is a great breakthrough in resolving the time inversing evolution problem. However, the Beijing prison authorities refused to transmit his thesis to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) Review Committee. This violates relevant regulations of China’s Prison Law which permits and encourages prisoners to pursue scholarly analysis and scientific exploration, promote technical invention, and apply for patents. The actions of the prison authorities also violates the spirit and the rules of UN Human Rights Charter.

In order to assert Jiang Qisheng’s rights to send his thesis to the Review Committee of CASS, Jiang Qisheng and I wrote letters to Premier Zhu Rongji, Vice Chairman of the committee Tian Jiyun and judicial minister Zhang Fuseng. But we still have not received any response. I know you will visit China and meet with Chinese leaders, so I appeal to you give some attention to the illegal deprivation of the rights of Jiang Qisheng, urge the Chinese government to comply with its own law, and with its international human rights obligations, and deliver Jiang’s thesis to the Review Committe.

Furthermore, my husband Jiang Qisheng suffers from many diseases, especially his eyesight has deteriorated and he is suffering from double-vision. This condition is very painful and he is not receiving any proper medical treatment. So I appeal to you Mr. President to urge the Chinese government to approve medical parole for Jiang Qisheng in accordance with the Prison Administrative Law and in the spirit of humanitarian consideration.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Zhang Hong
Wife of Jiang Qisheng