China Democracy Party
Encyclopedia
Democracy Party of China (DPC) is a political party that started in the People's Republic of China
, and was banned by the Communist Party of China
(CPC). The history of the DPC and its foundation date is unclear because it has many historical paths under different groups of founders. It is generally recognized to have assembled in 1998 by democracy activists and former student leaders from the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
according to western sources.
was visiting China. Wang Youcai
, one of the main activists during the 1989 Tiananmen protest along with Wang Donghai and Lin Hui went to the Civil Public Affair Hall of Hangzhou
in Zhejiang Province to officially register this party. The registration was declined.
.
On the same day, Xu Wenli, a 55 year old member was also sentenced to 13 years for overthrowing the Communist party.
On December 22, 1998, Qing Yongmin was sentenced to 12 years to prison for harming state security.
Li Peng
, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
at the time proclaimed, "If a group is designed to negate the leadership of the Communist Party, then it will not be allowed to exist."
The Communist party declared the DPC an illegal organization, followed by a crackdown in Beijing
in 1998. After the sentencing on December 23, 1998, the Supreme People's Court then declared that, "anyone who knowingly publishes, prints, copies, or distributes material containing incitement to overthrow state power and the socialist system or split the country" could be tried for crimes. Such charges could result in life sentences for film directors, computer software developers, writers and artists, and media and publishing personnel, all of whom are subject to the new directive.
etc., are some of the members of the party. Cyber dissident He Depu was also arrested in a correction facility.
, New York
in the United States. Ni Yu Xian, the leader of China's democracy movement, one of the founders of DPC and the China Freedom & Democracy Party, presided over the congress. A total of 111 delegates from all the provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions of China attended the Congress. The congress passed the Statutes of Democracy Party of China, Party Program, and some important resolutions.
Democracy Party of China Coordinative Service Platform was founded by the members of Democracy Party of China members who are in China, overseas students, and exiled Democracy Party of China members. The initiative group members are Wang Youcai, Lin Hui, Chen Shuqing, Chen Zhiwei，Gao Yeju, Lv Gengsong, Xu Guang, Shan Chenfeng,and many other members.
Local Committee of Democracy Party of China
In January 2008, party member Zheng Cunzhu established the Local Committee of Democracy Party of China. Zheng Cunzhu is a former student leader during 1989's pre-democratic movements in Anhui province, and he published an open letter to the leaders of China to advocate the re-starting of political reform.
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, and was banned by the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
(CPC). The history of the DPC and its foundation date is unclear because it has many historical paths under different groups of founders. It is generally recognized to have assembled in 1998 by democracy activists and former student leaders from the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
according to western sources.
Foundation
While the earliest date listed for the founding to be June 25, 1998, the group registered the party on June 28, 1998 when Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
was visiting China. Wang Youcai
Wang Youcai
Wang Youcai , an active dissident of the Chinese democracy movement, was one of the student leaders in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989...
, one of the main activists during the 1989 Tiananmen protest along with Wang Donghai and Lin Hui went to the Civil Public Affair Hall of Hangzhou
Hangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
in Zhejiang Province to officially register this party. The registration was declined.
Communist Party response
The next day on June 29, 1998, Wang was arrested by the state police at his own home in front of his family members. He was charged with creating opposition against the Chinese government. His trial began on December 18, and as he had no lawyer defense, his trial lasted only a few hours. He was quickly sentenced on December 21, 1998 to 11 years of imprisonment and three years of deprivation of political rights for subversionSubversion (politics)
Subversion refers to an attempt to transform the established social order, its structures of power, authority, and hierarchy; examples of such structures include the State. In this context, a "subversive" is sometimes called a "traitor" with respect to the government in-power. A subversive is...
.
On the same day, Xu Wenli, a 55 year old member was also sentenced to 13 years for overthrowing the Communist party.
On December 22, 1998, Qing Yongmin was sentenced to 12 years to prison for harming state security.
Li Peng
Li Peng
Li Peng served as the fourth Premier of the People's Republic of China, between 1987 and 1998, and the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, from 1998 to 2003. For much of the 1990s Li was ranked second in the Communist Party of China ...
, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress is a committee of about 150 members of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China , which is convened between plenary sessions of the NPC. It has the constitutional authority to modify legislation within limits set by...
at the time proclaimed, "If a group is designed to negate the leadership of the Communist Party, then it will not be allowed to exist."
The Communist party declared the DPC an illegal organization, followed by a crackdown in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in 1998. After the sentencing on December 23, 1998, the Supreme People's Court then declared that, "anyone who knowingly publishes, prints, copies, or distributes material containing incitement to overthrow state power and the socialist system or split the country" could be tried for crimes. Such charges could result in life sentences for film directors, computer software developers, writers and artists, and media and publishing personnel, all of whom are subject to the new directive.
Crackdown on other members
There were hundreds of DPC members that were detained, arrested, and sentenced to prison.- Liu XianbinLiu XianbinLiu Xianbin , from Suining, Sichuan province, People's Republic of China, is a human rights activist, China Democracy Party organizer, writer and signer of Charter 08.- Biography :...
- Wu Yilong
- Gao Hongmin
- Zha Jianguo
- Mao Qinxiang
- Zhu YufuZhu YufuZhu Yufu , born 13 February 1953 in Hangzhou 杭州, Zhejiang 浙江, China, is a prominent dissident in China. In 1998, he was one of the founders of the unrecognized "China Democratic Party" . He also founded the "Opposition Party" magazine, carrying articles about the CDP. He is currently under arrest...
- Zhuzhengming
- Liu Shizhun
- Xu Guang
- She Wanbao
- Chen Shuqing
etc., are some of the members of the party. Cyber dissident He Depu was also arrested in a correction facility.
Present
Later Xu Wenli and Wang Youcai were exiled to the US on December 24, 2002 and March 4, 2004. On August 13, 2006, the first congress of the DPC was convened in the Sheraton Hotel of Flushing, QueensFlushing, Queens
Flushing, founded in 1645, is a neighborhood in the north central part of the City of New York borough of Queens, east of Manhattan.Flushing was one of the first Dutch settlements on Long Island. Today, it is one of the largest and most diverse neighborhoods in New York City...
, New York
New 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...
in the United States. Ni Yu Xian, the leader of China's democracy movement, one of the founders of DPC and the China Freedom & Democracy Party, presided over the congress. A total of 111 delegates from all the provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions of China attended the Congress. The congress passed the Statutes of Democracy Party of China, Party Program, and some important resolutions.
Democracy Party of China Coordinative Service Platform was founded by the members of Democracy Party of China members who are in China, overseas students, and exiled Democracy Party of China members. The initiative group members are Wang Youcai, Lin Hui, Chen Shuqing, Chen Zhiwei，Gao Yeju, Lv Gengsong, Xu Guang, Shan Chenfeng,and many other members.
Local Committee of Democracy Party of China
In January 2008, party member Zheng Cunzhu established the Local Committee of Democracy Party of China. Zheng Cunzhu is a former student leader during 1989's pre-democratic movements in Anhui province, and he published an open letter to the leaders of China to advocate the re-starting of political reform.
Party summary
The DPC suggests the ideas of "Prosperity, Fairness, Democracy" (富裕 公平 民主) and "Freedom, Rule-of-Law, Human rights" (自由 法制 人权/人權). The DPC has five unique features:- The Chinese Democracy Party was founded in mainland ChinaMainland ChinaMainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
. - Based on the many documents issued by the Democracy Party of China Zhejiang Organizing Committee and the Beijing-Tianjin Party Office in 1998, especially the “Declaration of the Democracy Party of China for the New Century” issued by Chinese Democracy Party United Headquarter on January 1, 2000, it is clear that the DPC is firmly established on a solid foundation of true democratic ideals.
- The Chinese Democracy Party was founded by a large group of people. Its key members are mainly from participants of the 1978 Chinese Democracy Wall Movement, the 1989 Democracy Movement, and various democracy movements from abroad. The vast majority of its leadership was chosen through fair elections. More than 40 of its leaders have endured the suffering of imprisonment. Until today, more than 20 of its leaders are still in prison.
- The organizing movement of the Chinese Democracy Party occurred in 28 provinces and autonomous regions in Mainland China, as well as various locations abroad; therefore, the Party’s influence and scale is nation-wide.
- Since the first day of its founding, the Chinese Democracy Party has been receiving close attention from the government of the United States and other nations. Specifically in 1999 under the leadership of Mr. Wang Xizhe, the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Commission on Human Rights nominated DPC members Xu Wenli, Qin Yongmin and Wang Youcai for the Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
.
External links
- China Democracy Party in California
- China Democracy Party USA Headquarters
- China Democratic Party Union Chinese Democratic Party Union
- Future China Coordinative Service Platform of China Democracy Party/Chinese Constitutional Democratic Transition Research
- Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Chronology: China, Hong Kong, Tibet - November-December 1998
- Yahoo hit with second Chinese dissident lawsuit