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Properly Commemorating Zhao Ziyang CSN Properly Commemorating Zhao Ziyang http://www.chinasupport.net/site.php We demand a just evaluation of Zhao, and the true best way to honor his memory is to democratize China. --All call (wide invitation) to our critical mass rally in Washington DC: Saturday from 1-4pm, National Mall, west of U.S. Capitol January 27, 2005 (CSN) -- A week and a half ago, the death of Zhao Ziyang, a former leader in China, was noted in American's news. Lengthy articles have been written, but the very short broadcasts only said, "Chinese dissidents are mourning the death of Zhao Ziyang." This headline may have faded for Americans, but for Chinese, they have now been through ten days of a shocking ordeal. The quite-human act of mourning the dead has been met by more inhuman repression in China, and we are commencing a casualty count of those harmed by the Chinese government in the course of mourning Zhao, the last "good" Communist leader, who in 1989 opposed the decision to send the army to Tiananmen Square--for sticking with the populace of China, yearning for freedom, Zhao was pushed out of power and lived in house arrest for the remaining 16 years of his life. The casualty count now includes one dead, one beaten until his eyeball fell out of its socket, and around 900 "disappeared" and missing people, arrested during the mourning for Zhao Ziyang. A part of our role at CSN is as part of the human rights community, and we have been given at least 900 new human rights cases just in the past week. "All of us know what it is to have grief upon a major death. Zhao is a symbol of two Chinese reforms: economic, and political. He is a towering figure for the economic reforms he introduced in the 1980s. His economic reform 'took,' and his political reform did not take hold. Now, the behavior of the Chinese government after his passing only serves to highlight just what needs reforming in China. It is an obscenity, and signals the world that the Chinese government still has aggression -- now, for grieving admirers of Zhao. Let me underscore: There is an inhuman obscenity going down in China," said John Kusumi, Director emeritus of the China Support Network. Another part of our role at CSN is to carry the tune, releasing the news of this movement in English. We are among the best English-language sources for news and information about the cause of freedom, democracy, and human rights for China. When Americans "tune in" here, they can see the continuing aftermath of the Tiananmen Square uprising and massacre. Many Americans could be surprised to learn that the movement is still present on the scene--on the job, doing as we would have expected in the first place. That surprise is only due to the bent, craven, depraved editorial decisions that have been made in America's newsrooms. "I'm aware that our cause is well received in Congress. The House and Senate have covered their backsides on this issue. Yet, American TV and newswires have not covered their backsides, so they are easy whipping boys for the China Support Network," said Kusumi. As part of its work in the English language, CSN has released reams of solid news, commentary, and analysis, "following the story" of the Chinese pro-democracy movement. There is a build up of such material at the website, <http://www.chinasupport.net/>www.chinasupport.net. "What about Americans who once cared? About the Chinese victims? About Chinese freedom? About the China Support Network? About Tibet? About Falun Gong? About anti-Communism? About U.S. national security? --Bent, craven, depraved news editors have taken away their voice. What about reversing that? What if news outlets played this up for a change? We demand that the U.S. news media give them back their voice!," said Kusumi, who added, "There is a nicer way to say 'bent, craven, and depraved.' That term is 'genocidally correct,' and accurately describes some in network TV news in the United States. Through covering for an inhuman obscenity, they are carrying the tune for an inhuman obscenity." "Every time that CSN releases something new, U.S. news outlets have the chance to rejoin the right side of history. There have been very few takers to date. George Bush now sounds closer to our side, as he speaks of spreading freedom world wide. This begins to show that the real anti-freedom people sit at news desks in American newsrooms." There are now two new, newsworthy items that follow here below. "This is again the chance for U.S. news outlets to rejoin the right side of history," said Kusumi. "In the absence of human decency, then here is what they are censoring this week--" http://www.chinasupport.net/site.php (01/27/2005 23:14) |