Arrest and trial of Chen Ziming and Wang Juntao
Encyclopedia
Chen Ziming and Wang Juntao were arrested in late 1989 for their involvement in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Chinese authorities alleged they were the “black hands” behind the movement. Both Chen and Wang rejected the allegations made against them. They were put on trial in 1990 and sentenced to 13 years in prison.
marking the death of Zhou Enlai
. They were released however, after Deng Xiaoping
took power and reversed the verdict on the incident. Chen and Wang were also active in the Democracy Wall movement in 1978-1979
. In 1985, they helped found the Beijing Social and Economic Sciences Research Institute.
while trying to make their way to Guangzhou
. They were allegedly following an escape route set up by an unidentified Hong Kong activist who was also arrested. It is believed that Wang spent the months after June 4th hiding in the city of Wuhan
while Chen went underground in Inner Mongolia
. On November 24, 1990, Wang was formally charged with intent to overthrow the Communist government and dissemination of counterrevolutionary propaganda. Chen was similarly charged on November 26, 1990. Authorities claimed that the two were the alleged masterminds or “black hands” behind the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
, Canada, activists campaigned in support of Wang and Chen. One of the organizers, Wu Chunmeng, expressed concern that, with international attention focused on the Persian Gulf crisis
, the fate of Chinese political prisoners would be overlooked.
According to the verdict in the Case of Chen Ziming, the Beijing Intermediate People’s Court concluded the following through “facts... attested to by witnesses’ testimony, by written evidence and by tape-recordings:”
-On April 23, 1989, Chen Ziming convened a meeting at the Beijing Social and Economic Sciences Research Institute where he, Wang Juntao and Chen Xiaoping “molded the counterrevolutionary opinion to intensify the turmoil in an organized way.” At the meeting, Chen Xiaoping stated: “China’s problem today is not a matter of reform, but a matter of changing the government.”
-On May 17 and 18, Chen Ziming, Wang Juntao and Chen Xiaoping “schemed” to form an “illegal organization to ‘unite all the various circles.’” At the meeting, Chen Ziming outlined his “tactic for conspiring to subvert the government” when he stated: “the words of the elite will influence the students, and words of the students will influence people throughout the country.” Also read aloud at the meeting was the “May 17 Declaration” which stated that the government had “lost its capacity for human feeling,” and was “under the power of an autocrat.” It further characterized the 1989 Student protests as “a great patriotic and democratic movement which will finally bury autocracy and end the system of rule by emperor.”
-On May 19, Chen Ziming convened a meeting where a “counterrevolutionary leaflet” was written which stated that “military rule is about to be enforced” and “incited the masses” to “begin a nationwide work strike, class boycott, and market boycott.”
-On the evening of May 23, Chen Ziming and Wang Juntao summoned the leaders of the “Command Headquarters of Tiananmen Square,” the “Beijing Students Autonomous Federation,” the “Beijing Workers' Autonomous Federation
,” the “Beijing Citizens Autonomous Federation,” the “Citizens Dare-to-Die Squad,” and other organizations together and founded the “Joint Liaison Group of All Circles in the Capital for the Patriotic Upholding of the Constitution.”
-In mid-May, Chen Ziming sent others to print several hundred copies of a “counterrevolutionary leaflet” which called China’s socialist system “politically, judicially, and journalistically dark” and “vilified” the Chinese Communist Party.
-At the end of May and beginning of June, Chen Ziming and Wang Juntao “secretly conspired to set up places where they could go into hiding.”
The court ruled that “these acts constitute the crime of plotting to subvert the government and the crime of counterrevolutionary propaganda and incitement and must be punished according to law.”
Wang’s Defence claimed Yan Mingfu, head of the United Front Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, sent Zheng Yefu to invite Wang and others to “get involved immediately” in the movement to “serve as a bridge between the students and the government.” Thus, the Defence claimed Wang Juntao and Chen Ziming involved themselves in the movement to “fulfill the task assigned to them by the party.”
At his trial, Chen Ziming rejected the charges against him as “unfair and incorrect.”
stated that the two “committed very serious crimes but have so far shown no willingness to repent.” By comparison, Liu Gang, convicted of subversion, and Chen Xiaoping, convicted on the same charges as Wang and Chen Ziming, received more lenient sentences. Liu received six years because, according to the Xinhua News Agency, “he acknowledged his crimes and showed willingness to repent." Chen Xiaoping was released “for voluntarily giving himself up to police and showing willingness to repent,” according to the news agency.
Others have offered different reasons for the discrepancy in sentencing. Merle Goldman, a Boston University
professor of Chinese history, argued that Wang and Chen “represent a new revolutionary class in China, and that is why the regime is so worried about them.” A Western diplomat argues that the Chinese government “needed somebody to blame for millions of people marching on the streets, and in public it’s come down to blaming these two guys.” Andrew Higgins, a reporter covering the trial, suggested the importance of the trial was not the sentence but the verdict, which served “to show that the People's Liberation Army crushed not a popular revolt but a planned conspiracy.”
Beijing Higher People’s Court later rejected appeals of the three sentences.
As a matter of general principle I find it absolutely impermissible and insupportable that the charge of "viciously attacking" [the party] should once again be used in our republic, as a means of denying and repudiating the lawful rights of citizens. So when the public prosecutor accused me, on the grounds merely that I had opposed the leadership, of committing the crime of counterrevolution, I became very angry. I could not just limit my defense to saying, "I do not oppose the leadership," and felt obliged to defend instead "the lawful right to oppose the leadership."
Of his fellow protesters he stated:
"It grieves me to see that, when confronted with the consequences, so many of the leaders and initiators of this movement dared not take responsibility for it and sought to defame it.... In this way [they] can suffer less pain themselves, but what of the dead, lacking any way to defend themselves [and] cannot rest in peace?"
on medical parole. The release came five weeks before the US decided whether to renew China’s Most Favored Nation trading status.
On May 14, 1994, Chen Ziming was released on medical parole. In June 1995, he was placed under house arrest and then later returned to prison. Chen was again released on medical parole in November 1996, two weeks prior to a visit by US Secretary of State Warren Christopher
. He remained under strict house arrest until 2002 when his sentence ended.
(1993). Black Hands of Beijing: Lives of Defiance in China's Democracy Movement. New York: John Wiley. ISBN 978-0471579779. OCLC 27186722 243766880 27186722
History of Protest
Before their arrest for the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, Chen and Wang were arrested for their involvement in the 1976 protestsTiananmen Incident
The Tiananmen Incident took place on April 5, 1976 at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. The incident occurred on the traditional day of mourning, the Qingming Festival, after the Nanjing Incident, and was triggered by the death of Premier Zhou Enlai earlier that year...
marking the death of Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
. They were released however, after Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
took power and reversed the verdict on the incident. Chen and Wang were also active in the Democracy Wall movement in 1978-1979
Democracy Wall
The Democracy Wall was a long brick wall on Xidan Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, which became the focus for democratic dissent. Beginning in December 1978, in line with the Communist Party of China's policy of "seeking truth from facts," activists in the Democracy movement—such as Xu...
. In 1985, they helped found the Beijing Social and Economic Sciences Research Institute.
Arrest and Indictment
In November or October 1989, Chen and Wang were arrested in Southern GuangdongGuangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
while trying to make their way to Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
. They were allegedly following an escape route set up by an unidentified Hong Kong activist who was also arrested. It is believed that Wang spent the months after June 4th hiding in the city of Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
while Chen went underground in Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
. On November 24, 1990, Wang was formally charged with intent to overthrow the Communist government and dissemination of counterrevolutionary propaganda. Chen was similarly charged on November 26, 1990. Authorities claimed that the two were the alleged masterminds or “black hands” behind the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
Trial
On December 10, 1990, in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada, activists campaigned in support of Wang and Chen. One of the organizers, Wu Chunmeng, expressed concern that, with international attention focused on the Persian Gulf crisis
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, the fate of Chinese political prisoners would be overlooked.
According to the verdict in the Case of Chen Ziming, the Beijing Intermediate People’s Court concluded the following through “facts... attested to by witnesses’ testimony, by written evidence and by tape-recordings:”
-On April 23, 1989, Chen Ziming convened a meeting at the Beijing Social and Economic Sciences Research Institute where he, Wang Juntao and Chen Xiaoping “molded the counterrevolutionary opinion to intensify the turmoil in an organized way.” At the meeting, Chen Xiaoping stated: “China’s problem today is not a matter of reform, but a matter of changing the government.”
-On May 17 and 18, Chen Ziming, Wang Juntao and Chen Xiaoping “schemed” to form an “illegal organization to ‘unite all the various circles.’” At the meeting, Chen Ziming outlined his “tactic for conspiring to subvert the government” when he stated: “the words of the elite will influence the students, and words of the students will influence people throughout the country.” Also read aloud at the meeting was the “May 17 Declaration” which stated that the government had “lost its capacity for human feeling,” and was “under the power of an autocrat.” It further characterized the 1989 Student protests as “a great patriotic and democratic movement which will finally bury autocracy and end the system of rule by emperor.”
-On May 19, Chen Ziming convened a meeting where a “counterrevolutionary leaflet” was written which stated that “military rule is about to be enforced” and “incited the masses” to “begin a nationwide work strike, class boycott, and market boycott.”
-On the evening of May 23, Chen Ziming and Wang Juntao summoned the leaders of the “Command Headquarters of Tiananmen Square,” the “Beijing Students Autonomous Federation,” the “Beijing Workers' Autonomous Federation
Beijing Workers' Autonomous Federation
The Beijing Workers’ Autonomous Federation or Beijing Workers’ Autonomous Union was the main organization of workers calling for political change during the Tiananmen Square protests of April, May, and June 1989...
,” the “Beijing Citizens Autonomous Federation,” the “Citizens Dare-to-Die Squad,” and other organizations together and founded the “Joint Liaison Group of All Circles in the Capital for the Patriotic Upholding of the Constitution.”
-In mid-May, Chen Ziming sent others to print several hundred copies of a “counterrevolutionary leaflet” which called China’s socialist system “politically, judicially, and journalistically dark” and “vilified” the Chinese Communist Party.
-At the end of May and beginning of June, Chen Ziming and Wang Juntao “secretly conspired to set up places where they could go into hiding.”
The court ruled that “these acts constitute the crime of plotting to subvert the government and the crime of counterrevolutionary propaganda and incitement and must be punished according to law.”
Wang’s Defence claimed Yan Mingfu, head of the United Front Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, sent Zheng Yefu to invite Wang and others to “get involved immediately” in the movement to “serve as a bridge between the students and the government.” Thus, the Defence claimed Wang Juntao and Chen Ziming involved themselves in the movement to “fulfill the task assigned to them by the party.”
At his trial, Chen Ziming rejected the charges against him as “unfair and incorrect.”
Sentencing
On February 12, 1991, both Chen Ziming and Wang Juntao were sentenced to 13 years in prison. The Xinhua News AgencyXinhua News Agency
The Xinhua News Agency is the official press agency of the government of the People's Republic of China and the biggest center for collecting information and press conferences in the PRC. It is the largest news agency in the PRC, ahead of the China News Service...
stated that the two “committed very serious crimes but have so far shown no willingness to repent.” By comparison, Liu Gang, convicted of subversion, and Chen Xiaoping, convicted on the same charges as Wang and Chen Ziming, received more lenient sentences. Liu received six years because, according to the Xinhua News Agency, “he acknowledged his crimes and showed willingness to repent." Chen Xiaoping was released “for voluntarily giving himself up to police and showing willingness to repent,” according to the news agency.
Others have offered different reasons for the discrepancy in sentencing. Merle Goldman, a Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
professor of Chinese history, argued that Wang and Chen “represent a new revolutionary class in China, and that is why the regime is so worried about them.” A Western diplomat argues that the Chinese government “needed somebody to blame for millions of people marching on the streets, and in public it’s come down to blaming these two guys.” Andrew Higgins, a reporter covering the trial, suggested the importance of the trial was not the sentence but the verdict, which served “to show that the People's Liberation Army crushed not a popular revolt but a planned conspiracy.”
Beijing Higher People’s Court later rejected appeals of the three sentences.
Wang’s Letter of Criticism
After the trial, in a letter smuggled out of prison, Wang criticized both his trial and the response of fellow protesters. About his trial he stated:As a matter of general principle I find it absolutely impermissible and insupportable that the charge of "viciously attacking" [the party] should once again be used in our republic, as a means of denying and repudiating the lawful rights of citizens. So when the public prosecutor accused me, on the grounds merely that I had opposed the leadership, of committing the crime of counterrevolution, I became very angry. I could not just limit my defense to saying, "I do not oppose the leadership," and felt obliged to defend instead "the lawful right to oppose the leadership."
Of his fellow protesters he stated:
"It grieves me to see that, when confronted with the consequences, so many of the leaders and initiators of this movement dared not take responsibility for it and sought to defame it.... In this way [they] can suffer less pain themselves, but what of the dead, lacking any way to defend themselves [and] cannot rest in peace?"
Release and Re-Imprisonment
On April 23, 1994, the Chinese Government released Wang Juntao and allowed him to travel to New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on medical parole. The release came five weeks before the US decided whether to renew China’s Most Favored Nation trading status.
On May 14, 1994, Chen Ziming was released on medical parole. In June 1995, he was placed under house arrest and then later returned to prison. Chen was again released on medical parole in November 1996, two weeks prior to a visit by US Secretary of State Warren Christopher
Warren Christopher
Warren Minor Christopher was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician. During Bill Clinton's first term as President, Christopher served as the 63rd Secretary of State. He also served as Deputy Attorney General in the Lyndon Johnson administration, and as Deputy Secretary of State in the Jimmy...
. He remained under strict house arrest until 2002 when his sentence ended.
Further reading
Black, George; Robin MunroRobin Munro
Robin Munro is a British legal scholar, author, and human rights advocate. He received his PhD from the Department of Law, School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London....
(1993). Black Hands of Beijing: Lives of Defiance in China's Democracy Movement. New York: John Wiley. ISBN 978-0471579779. OCLC 27186722 243766880 27186722