Executive Council Statement
Wei Jingsheng
… stage of Chinese history with his now famous wall poster, "The Fifth Modernization," demanding democracy as a matter of right of the Chinese people. His words exposed the dark side of government reforms, namely that Deng Xiaoping’s economic reforms would in no way be accompanied by political reforms respecting basic human rights. Wei Jingsheng came to such views during the years he spent as an electrician at the Beijing Zoo. His experience as a worker gave him a deep … Wei’s words so threatened the communist party leadership that Deng Xiaoping himself ordered his arrest. Wei was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Despite years of solitary confinement and physical abuse, Wei continued to speak out in defense of …