Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09TOKYO1501
2009-07-01 08:58:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tokyo
Cable title:
PRC HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER: OPTIMISTIC ABOUT CHINA"S
how-toVZCZCXRO3370 OO RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHSL RUEHVC DE RUEHKO #1501 1820858 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 010858Z JUL 09 FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4237 INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHZJ/HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 0205 RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU PRIORITY 0173 RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA PRIORITY 4982 RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU PRIORITY 0035 RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG PRIORITY 6821 RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA PRIORITY 7313 RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE PRIORITY 8785 RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO PRIORITY 5505 RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI PRIORITY 0602 RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG PRIORITY 0725 RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 3562 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 5927
C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 001501
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/30/2019
TAGS: CH JA PGOV PHUM
SUBJECT: PRC HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER: OPTIMISTIC ABOUT CHINA"S
LEGAL AND DEMOCRATIC "EVOLUTION"
Classified By: CDA J. P. Zumwalt per (1.4b, d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 001501
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/30/2019
TAGS: CH JA PGOV PHUM
SUBJECT: PRC HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER: OPTIMISTIC ABOUT CHINA"S
LEGAL AND DEMOCRATIC "EVOLUTION"
Classified By: CDA J. P. Zumwalt per (1.4b, d)
1. (C) Chinese lawyer Feng, Zhenghu, the first Shanghai
signer of Charter '08, met with Embassy Tokyo in late June.
Feng has tried three times to return to China from Japan but
has been turned around and sent back to Japan each time.
Feng says he believes the initial decision not to allow him
to return was probably made by local officials in Shanghai
who were angered by his advocacy for citizens trying to fight
corruption. Now that the case has become well-known though,
he thinks officials higher up must be in agreement to refuse
him entry to China.
2. (C) Feng characterized himself as "cheerful but stubborn"
and vowed to use legal means to fight what he characterized
as the "illegal and unconstitutional" actions of the
government to deny a Chinese citizen the right to return
home. "I still have a ticket," he said, "and plan to try
again on July 2, on Northwest Airlines Flight 0027. I expect
there will be many friends who will come to the airport to
meet me!" Feng went on to say that foreign governments and
the Chinese pro-Democracy migr community don't understand
what is happening in China, "they think the democracy
movement is dead." In fact, said Feng, "people down to the
grassroots level have been seized by the idea that they have
legal rights, and that the law is there to protect them." He
added, "We don't care if Speaker Pelosi talks about human
rights when she visits or not, we are working everyday on our
own, to see that our legal rights are respected. We don't
call for democracy, but if democracy means participation,
than this is democratization."
3. (C) Feng said common people were trying to use the courts
for redress, even when they think they don't have a chance to
win. "All of this," he pointed, out, "is being covered and
discussed on the Internet and government attempts at
controlling the discussion there is ineffective." Feng
concluded by saying, "I want to return to China, because it
is my home, my family is there, and I am optimistic about
China's future. I predict great changes in China in the next
two or three years. For every lawyer that is arrested or
disbarred by the government, 10 more rise to take their
place. We are not working for a violent overthrow, we are
working for gradual evolution from within."
ZUMWALT
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/30/2019
TAGS: CH JA PGOV PHUM
SUBJECT: PRC HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER: OPTIMISTIC ABOUT CHINA"S
LEGAL AND DEMOCRATIC "EVOLUTION"
Classified By: CDA J. P. Zumwalt per (1.4b, d)
1. (C) Chinese lawyer Feng, Zhenghu, the first Shanghai
signer of Charter '08, met with Embassy Tokyo in late June.
Feng has tried three times to return to China from Japan but
has been turned around and sent back to Japan each time.
Feng says he believes the initial decision not to allow him
to return was probably made by local officials in Shanghai
who were angered by his advocacy for citizens trying to fight
corruption. Now that the case has become well-known though,
he thinks officials higher up must be in agreement to refuse
him entry to China.
2. (C) Feng characterized himself as "cheerful but stubborn"
and vowed to use legal means to fight what he characterized
as the "illegal and unconstitutional" actions of the
government to deny a Chinese citizen the right to return
home. "I still have a ticket," he said, "and plan to try
again on July 2, on Northwest Airlines Flight 0027. I expect
there will be many friends who will come to the airport to
meet me!" Feng went on to say that foreign governments and
the Chinese pro-Democracy migr community don't understand
what is happening in China, "they think the democracy
movement is dead." In fact, said Feng, "people down to the
grassroots level have been seized by the idea that they have
legal rights, and that the law is there to protect them." He
added, "We don't care if Speaker Pelosi talks about human
rights when she visits or not, we are working everyday on our
own, to see that our legal rights are respected. We don't
call for democracy, but if democracy means participation,
than this is democratization."
3. (C) Feng said common people were trying to use the courts
for redress, even when they think they don't have a chance to
win. "All of this," he pointed, out, "is being covered and
discussed on the Internet and government attempts at
controlling the discussion there is ineffective." Feng
concluded by saying, "I want to return to China, because it
is my home, my family is there, and I am optimistic about
China's future. I predict great changes in China in the next
two or three years. For every lawyer that is arrested or
disbarred by the government, 10 more rise to take their
place. We are not working for a violent overthrow, we are
working for gradual evolution from within."
ZUMWALT