Wenyi Wang
Encyclopedia
Wang Wenyi is a pathologist who once worked as a journalist
for The Epoch Times
. She is known for having confronted President Jiang Zemin
in 2001, and for heckling President Hu Jintao
on 20 April 2006. According to press reports, she was protesting against human rights abuse in China.
, China in 1983; holds a Ph.D. in pharmacology
from the University of Chicago
, and completed her residency as a pathologist at New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital
.
She is a mother of two, a naturalised U.S. citizen who has lived in the United States for 20 years of her life, and who worked as a journalist for the Epoch Times, where she specialised in medical issues since about 2000. Wang had helped researching Epoch Times articles on organ harvesting.
during a visit of former Chinese President
Jiang Zemin
and accosted him. Again, in April 2006, during Chinese President Hu Jintao
's visit to the United States, she used her journalist pass to gain access to a White House
lawn press briefing. She unfurled protest banners and loudly shouted for over two minutes, by some accounts, during a speech given by Mr. Hu.
She shouted comments "President Hu, your days are numbered". CNN and BBC feeds of Hu's visit were interrupted by state censors in China, blacking out the protester's action. Secret Service ushered Wang away from the media platform. Wang's attorney stated that there was no evidence Hu heard the statements uttered, claiming that the scuffles to take away her banner and the attempt to silence her could have caused Hu to pause in his remarks.
The Epoch Times reported that Wang helped research articles on organ harvesting at Sujiatun. She was "very overstressed," Epoch Times said, "When she saw Bush shake the hand of the Chinese leader, she felt obligated to speak out". At the time of the protest, she was not a US citizen, and could have faced deportation.
After spending the night in jail, Wang was formally charged on 21 April 2006 with "knowingly and wilfully intimidating, coercing, threatening or harassing … a foreign official performing his duties," a misdemeanor
punishable by up to six months in prison and a fine of $5,000. Bush apologised to the Chinese for the protest incident; Epoch Times also made an apology to the US President.
Wang said to reporters: "What I did was say just a few words at a moment in history. It was an act of conscience and an act of civil disobedience." She was released without bail
pending further proceedings. She was charged with disorderly conduct; on 21 June 2006, the U.S. Court in Washington D.C. dropped all charges. Two weeks later on 16 May 2006, Wang attended a media conference at the National Press Club with two recently released Falun Gong prisoners by her side to once again accuse China of secret organ harvesting.
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
for The Epoch Times
The Epoch Times
The Epoch Times is a multi-language, international media organisation. As a newspaper, the Times has been publishing in Chinese since May 2000. It was founded in 1999 by supporters of the Falun Gong spiritual discipline....
. She is known for having confronted President Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin is a former Chinese politician, who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002, as President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 2003, and as Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2005...
in 2001, and for heckling President Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
on 20 April 2006. According to press reports, she was protesting against human rights abuse in China.
Biography
Wang Wenyi is a Chinese national who graduated as a medical doctor from the Baiqiuen Medical School, now part of Jilin UniversityJilin University
Jilin University is a leading national university under the direct jurisdiction of China's Ministry of Education.-History:Founded in 1946 as the Northeast College of Administration in Harbin, Heilongjiang, Jilin University merged with many Universities and colleges and changed its name many times...
, China in 1983; holds a Ph.D. in pharmacology
Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...
from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and completed her residency as a pathologist at New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital
Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the United States. In 2011-2012, Mount Sinai Hospital was ranked as one of America's best hospitals by U.S...
.
She is a mother of two, a naturalised U.S. citizen who has lived in the United States for 20 years of her life, and who worked as a journalist for the Epoch Times, where she specialised in medical issues since about 2000. Wang had helped researching Epoch Times articles on organ harvesting.
Protests
In 2001, she penetrated a security cordon in MaltaMalta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
during a visit of former Chinese President
President of the People's Republic of China
The President of the People's Republic of China is a ceremonial office and a part of State organs under the National People's Congress and it is the head of state of the People's Republic of China . The office was created by the 1982 Constitution...
Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin is a former Chinese politician, who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002, as President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 2003, and as Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2005...
and accosted him. Again, in April 2006, during Chinese President Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
's visit to the United States, she used her journalist pass to gain access to a White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
lawn press briefing. She unfurled protest banners and loudly shouted for over two minutes, by some accounts, during a speech given by Mr. Hu.
She shouted comments "President Hu, your days are numbered". CNN and BBC feeds of Hu's visit were interrupted by state censors in China, blacking out the protester's action. Secret Service ushered Wang away from the media platform. Wang's attorney stated that there was no evidence Hu heard the statements uttered, claiming that the scuffles to take away her banner and the attempt to silence her could have caused Hu to pause in his remarks.
The Epoch Times reported that Wang helped research articles on organ harvesting at Sujiatun. She was "very overstressed," Epoch Times said, "When she saw Bush shake the hand of the Chinese leader, she felt obligated to speak out". At the time of the protest, she was not a US citizen, and could have faced deportation.
After spending the night in jail, Wang was formally charged on 21 April 2006 with "knowingly and wilfully intimidating, coercing, threatening or harassing … a foreign official performing his duties," a misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
punishable by up to six months in prison and a fine of $5,000. Bush apologised to the Chinese for the protest incident; Epoch Times also made an apology to the US President.
Wang said to reporters: "What I did was say just a few words at a moment in history. It was an act of conscience and an act of civil disobedience." She was released without bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
pending further proceedings. She was charged with disorderly conduct; on 21 June 2006, the U.S. Court in Washington D.C. dropped all charges. Two weeks later on 16 May 2006, Wang attended a media conference at the National Press Club with two recently released Falun Gong prisoners by her side to once again accuse China of secret organ harvesting.
External links
- Why Wang Wenyi Was Shouting, Ethan Gutmann, Weekly Review