On April 18th, members of the Chinese Democracy Party Bay Area branch gathered in front of the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco, calling on the Chinese authorities to immediately release all “prisoners of conscience” who have been illegally detained for their speech and beliefs, and to stop suppressing dissenters.
“The conscience should not be a reason for committing a crime,” said the host Miao Qing in his opening remarks.
He cited Amnesty International’s definition of “prisoners of conscience” as those who are deprived of their freedom solely for their speech, beliefs, or peaceful expression and emphasized that this concept aligns closely with the principles of freedom of thought, conscience, and speech guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Despite this, many individuals are still deprived of their freedom by the Chinese Communist Party simply for expressing their views or upholding their beliefs. He stressed that “convicting based on thoughts not only goes against the principles of modern rule of law but also undermines the moral foundation of society. A healthy society should accommodate diverse voices, not suppress dissent.”
Miao Qing emphasized, “Caring about prisoners of conscience is not just for individual freedom but also for the future and dignity of society.”
Several speakers mentioned the well-known individuals who are still illegally detained or serving sentences, including Gao Zhisheng, Jimmy Lai, He Guilan, Peng Liyuan, Jin Mingri, Xu Zhiyong, and Wang Bingzhang, stating that these cases reflect the ongoing shrinkage of speech and democratic freedoms.
Organizers specifically mentioned the late Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, and pastor Wang Yi, urging the international community to continue paying attention to the plight of these individuals.
One of the organizers of the event, Cui Yunxing, stated that the Chinese Communist Party maintains its tyranny through deception, lies, and oppression, detaining and imprisoning numerous journalists, lawyers, political prisoners, prisoners of conscience, and democracy advocates.
“These people are heroes in my heart, and we will never forget their sacrifices and contributions,” Cui Yunxing said, adding that he will redouble his efforts to carry on their work.
Spokesperson Li Shuqing said that these prisoners of conscience are not fighting for their own interests but are calling out for the Chinese people under the tyranny of the CCP, and it is the responsibility of overseas Chinese to speak up for them.
Li Shuqing stated that because the CCP sees them advocating for the Chinese people, they are viewed as enemies and arbitrarily detained and imprisoned.
“We appeal to the CCP to release political prisoners, and they must be held accountable,” he said.
Christian Kang Jiaming stated that in China, thousands of people are illegally detained for telling the truth, following their conscience, standing by their beliefs, and daring to expose the darkness and ugliness of the ruling regime. Some are forcibly sent to mental hospitals or cut off from the outside world.
“They should not be forgotten!” Kang Jiaming said. “Overseas democracy advocates must stand up to support them and not overlook their suffering.”
Zhang Xiaoju quoted an article he published in “Beijing Spring” magazine titled “Reverse Selection in Authoritarian Regimes,” suggesting that the CCP’s authoritarian system suppresses dissent and targets individuals with independent thinking abilities.
The article states, “The CCP uses this screening machine to send the most conscientious individuals to prison while allowing the most evil ones to sit on thrones.”
He said, “Behind every cold iron window is an indomitable soul; every prisoner of conscience’s suffering is a medal on the path to freedom.”
Speaker He Cong said, “Democracy did not naturally grow in Asia; it will take the intervention of the United States, along with the strength of China’s own democracy movement, to bring democracy to China and rescue the many democracy advocates detained by the CCP.”
He expressed that there has always been a fantasy that solely through the resistance and sacrifices of the nation’s citizens, without relying on external forces, democracy can be achieved. However, in reality, whether it be Japan, South Korea, or Taiwan, they all achieved democratization with the support of the United States.
“If there is no external deterrence from the United States, no matter how many of your countrymen die, it would only become another Iran,” He Cong said.
Many speakers emphasized that their gathering is not based on hatred or confrontation but on calling for the most basic human dignity and conscience.
The atmosphere at the event was orderly and rational.
They believe that the true progress of a society does not lie in how developed the economy is or how tall the buildings are, but in whether it allows the existence of diverse voices and resolves differences through inclusivity and dialogue, rather than suppression.
Wu Zhichuang stated, “Prisoners of conscience are not criminals but ‘the mirror of society, the brightest part of human nature.'”
Zhang Shancheng said that those prisoners of conscience are sentenced for simply telling the truth or writing an article, which is not law but fear. He emphasized, “A regime can imprison people, but it cannot imprison the truth.”
Gao Zhibin said, “Releasing prisoners of conscience is not just about individual tolerance but also about safeguarding the rule of law, fairness, and humanity.”
“When justice is upheld, everyone will be safer and freer.”
Guo Jianxin said, “A truly strong and confident nation should be based on the rule of law, safeguarding the basic rights and dignity of its citizens, rather than maintaining stability through suppressing different voices.”
During the gathering, participants repeatedly chanted slogans to express their demands: “Release prisoners of conscience, overthrow the Communist Party, we want freedom, justice will prevail, long live freedom… ” They also called on the international community to jointly pay attention and stop the CCP’s inhumane human rights abuses! ◇