say with whom, but i have several meetings, and i will continue those as the days go by. okay. thank you very much. i appreciate it. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] >> tonight on c-span 2, george w. bush institute holds a conference on human rights. then a house hearing that looks into the case of chinese political activists. senator barbara boxer gives an update on negotiations between house and senate over the service transportation bill. ..

the push institute is part of the george w. bush presidential center now in the final stages of construction on the campus of southern methodist university in dallas weren't it's a great building designed by robert stern to lead platinum specifications to the highest environmental standards. we hope to see what the dedication less than a year from now.

we amounted ten programs and six areas of engagement, economic growth, education reform, global health, the women's initiative, the military service initiative and human freedom and the human freedom is to extend liberty to oppress the nations around the world. advancing freedom is the goal in fact in each of our areas of engagement. in africa for example we are leading a fight against women's cancer with a dozen partners including the u.s. state department. no woman can be truly free to make choices that will improve the lives of members of the family who she suffers from presentable and curable cervical cancer. no young person in america is free to pursue the dream that the education system failed him. so we are out to improve america's principles and middle schools and is the u.s. economy

fails to read grow robustly americans will lack the freedom and opportunity they desert and desire, so we are aiming at a target of 4% economic growth. in the area of human freedom itself, the centerpiece of the work is called the freedom collection, the living archive that documents the global struggle for democracy and human freedom. the freedom collection features video interviews and compelling writings and artifacts that tell the stories of dissidents and that freedom advocates i'd like to acknowledge the architects of the collection, ambassador kristen silverberg who led the project from its inception, and thus avert gross read, lindsey lloyd who's now the director of the freedom collection and mark, the president of the bush foundation. i also like to thank april and kristen for organizing this

event. march 28 in dallas the president and mrs. bush launched www.freddomcollection.org the online portal deals to the collection. today we have interviewed approximately 60 leading freedom advocates from are not of the world including the nobel laureates, senior statesman and women, cyber dissidents, religious leaders and many others. we will do hundreds of these interviews coming and these are the non-violent troops of liberty. portions of the interview are available on the website. freedom collection features sections on particular countries to help provide background and context for the interview. there are also short films on the featured scenes, prisoners of conscience, women as human rights defenders, messages from dissidents and others. several of the remarkable individuals already feature on

the www.fredoomcollection.org our issue today. please stand as i call your name. rodrigo of venezuela, bald of china. marcel of venezuela. hernandez of cuba. crystal of venezuela. of the end of egypt. thank you. [applause]

our hope is the freedom collection will remind the descendants of this, you are part of a large network of freedom loving people with deep historical roots. you are not alone. we also want to cite to inspire americans and others living in freedom to support today's dissidents. to help build our network and reached audiences, digital and social media will replace in the central role. today we are pleased to recognize facebook as a social media partner on the freedom collection. through facebook we are extending the reach of the freedom collection and the bush center efforts to promote liberty by documenting and sharing the global struggle for human freedom. having a strong presence of facebook [inaudible] foster greater debate and understanding. we are pleased to caplin vice president of u.s. policy for facebook is in the audience with

us. speaking of technology, all i am happy to say that the great freedom and the get will be joining us over the teleconference leader in the program. the season in burma permitting and i should add the rainy season in washington permitting. malae like to play for you one of the short films that are included in the freedom collection.

[background noise]

>> we have a slight technical problem. this is due to the rainy season in burma. [laughter] ♪ in our time income of freedom has great historical momentum, but it is not and in personal force. it always advances to the choices and courage of individuals. the freedom revolution begins in a few minds and a few hearts among the men and women who

risked everything for the sake of a universal ideal. they reject the council of senior, apathy and despair. they save sacrifices for the future they may not live to see and they are capable of unsuspected greatness. during meetings in the oval office i was eager to hear their stories, and now the bush institute is collecting the stories and interviews conducted around the world. we've asked men and women who've inspired others for them what ignited the fuse of their outrage and resistance, why did they accept a difficult calling for a dissident's wife? it explains the decades of activism. >> it was already in my blood. whenever i see something happening in front of me whether it happened to me or someone else i cannot take it.

so when i was studying chemistry in my final year at a university , i come to be in a group of students who are simply demanding for the true relief of a student, a fellow student was shot and killed by the police without any reason really. this is an injustice, and i cannot take eight. so that was the first time i decided that i would do something about it. dissidents are often motivated by the passion for truth and refusal to participate in the lives and the tyrannical governments. he was a writer from activist in syria. >> i also said to them the consequences have been borne by and by all of you. so silence has consequences, not rocking the votes of

consequences, and the consequences of not rocking the boat it may not be that dramatic death that you see when people take to the streets, it may not be addressed or hope >> he was a boxing coach in cuba. >> [speaking in native tongue]

democratic activists often speak of self-respect, a feeling they could no longer a participate in a failing system the was undermining their dignity and the dignity of their country. the great freedom fighter made this point clearly.

the path of most leads to a desolate places where hope comes hard many find comfort in a power greater than any government. the pastor of china recalls his dark night of the soul as a student activist. when they start shooting, when the tanks were ordered to crush many of the citizens including students to students leaders dreams were broken it was during that time i came to christian faith high accepted christ as my savior and lord because the hope

of myself and the political system on the party in general even on the human beings and is deeply dispirited and disappointed and thinking how can i change hi change this society by changing the government to give >> the past several decades we've seen again and again that courage and vision can be more powerful and all of the guns and lines of an oppressive government. we've seen a sudden elimination of a conscience can be the turning point in the history of the nation. it is a privilege and duty to recognize and of courageous advocates of freedom around the

world. our message to them is clear. when you stand for liberty, we will stand with you. [applause] >> in september 2005i was supposed to leave my country, i've lived in washington with my family, my wife, our daughter and our son. together, with the help of our friends here and in syria, we and the funding from the middle east partnership by the president have the foundation dedicated to support the democracy activists in syria and across the middle east. we were predictable and the

leadership skills of the young men and women who from despair and oppression were trying to keep together activism networks. these networks are dedicated to raise awareness about with democracy in the fact of the sold as a defense. they aim was to hold the government accountable to the will of the people. hard work finally began to pay off when people across syria inspired by the developments in tunisia and egypt results against the corruption and the oppression of the regime. the movement was peaceful and inclusive. the customs were held high. muslims and christians, sunnis demanded opposition to the space government. in response, they showed common to power shortages support and heavy artillery to attack peaceful demonstrators in the assessment reformers. inlet orval over year 15,000

people have been killed. 80,000 are languishing in jail and more than 260,000 have become refugees. the international community has done little to help the people but it is still our hope world leaders would be compelled by their conscience and their national self-interest to act to end the tragedy and to bring syria freedom. the stories of dissidents highlighted in this election can help motivate international policy makers to do the right thing. the collection also held break the barrier of fear and noble the descends. the collection showed that freedom of the kids are not alone. others went before and their stories teach where success lies. it's not easy while the price of activism in the human body, the fact is always the death of the human spirit, and that is a far

greater price to pay. protestors in syria and around the world draw inspiration from president george w. bush. during his administration, president bush met with more than 180 democracy and human rights activists and journalists and family members in the country's the programs that inspire come in for and trained thousands of young freedom advocates across the middle east and north africa many of them now in leadership positions in the changing countries. and upon leaving office, he found the presidential center dedicated to improve the human conditions around the world with a strong emphasis on the freedom and the nation's like syria. as he said in the second inaugural speech since 2005 the best hope for peace in the world is the expansion of freedom and all the world. ladies and gentlemen, please try me in welcoming the president of the united states, george w.

bush. [applause] >> thank you. please be seated. >> thank you for your kind words. all of us here today join you in hoping and praying for the end of violence and the advance of freedom and syria those that joined us for your example we honor your sacrifice and to celebrate your courage and we will support your struggle for as long as it takes. i want to think all of you for attending the washington launch of the freedom collection. i actually found my freedom by leaving washington. [laughter] but it's a good on occasion to be back to see old friends to a i want to thank those that work

for the bush foundation and the more glendale's president. i think jimmy the founding director and all those that work for the bush institute. i want to thank you for joining us today. we are honored you are here. thank you for your leadership of the revolution. members of congress that join us i appreciate you taking time from your busy schedules. diplomatic corps think you for being here, and members of the bush at administration a mighty bush administration. thanks for showing up. these are extraordinary times in the freedom. in the arab spring we've seen the broader challenge to the authoritarian rule since the collapse of soviet communism. great changes come to the region where many thought impossible. the idea that the people are somehow content with oppression has been discredited for ever. yet we have also seen

instability, uncertainty and the retention of be brutal. the collapse of order can have power struggles to a new order is not prepared to handle. freedom is a powerful force but it doesn't advance on wheels of historical inevitability and it is history that proves this point. the american revolution and 7076 produced george washington who embodied the space habits of the new nation. the french revolution of 1789 eventually produced napoleon who set out to concur europe. the altar of the freedom revolution is determined by human choices and the creation of the durable space traditions. some what the risks inherent in space change particularly in the middle east and north africa and find the danger too greet street

america they argue should be content with supporting the leaders they know in the name of stability. but in the long run this policy approach is not realistic. it is unrealistic in the so-called stability enhances our national security nor within the power of america to indefinitely preserve the old order which is inherently unstable. the present government's distrust the difference using of trust and power choking off the best source of national prosperity and success. according of power leads to cronyism, corruption, inefficiency and resentment. this is the crisis of tierney. it fears and fights the human attributes that make a nation great. creativity, enterprise come initiative and responsibility.

dictators can maintain power for a time by force and by feeding resentment towards any internal or external, real or imagined. but eventually and the scarcity and mediocrity of the failure becomes evident. and every nation a few eyes open first. it is dissidents to see the reality of oppression and we've used to live any longer with lies and humiliation. they show defiance and courage and stubbornness. but above all they have a genius for hope. like said the politics is not the art of the possible. it's the art of imagining the impossible and then making it happen. from mandela the dissidents have practiced the art of the impossible. america doesn't get to choose in the middle east or elsewhere it

only gets to choose a site is on. the tactics of promoting freedom will vary from case by case. but america's message remains clear and strong. we stand for freedom, and for the institutions and habits that make freedom work for everyone. the day when a dictator fields to the space movement is a glorious day. the years of transition can be difficult. people forget that this was true in central europe where the space institutions and attitudes did not spring up overnight. from time to time there has been corruption, backsliding and nostalgia for the communist rule. there's been threats to independent media and civil society. the central economic reforms or sometimes painful and unpopular. it takes courage and the

revolution. it also takes courage to secure the freedom revolution for the future generations through structural reforms coast trips of bravery deserve our strong support. this is not a challenging parts of north africa and the middle east to read after the euphoria nation's most deals questions of tremendous complexity. what majority rule will have on the rights of women and religious minorities. how can the militias be incorporated into a national army? was indeed the relationship between a central government and the authorities? problems once kept submerged by force must now be resolved with politics and consensus. political institutions and traditions are often weak. some remain unreconciled towards freedom. we know the problems that we have seen a source of hope.

the people of north africa and the middle east realize that their leaders are not invincible they can be held to account. citizens of the region have developed habits of dissent and expectations of economic performance. future rulers who ignore the expectations who tried returning to the abortion debate compression and blame shifting may find and accountability of their own. it depends on the uninformed and inactive citizens and much of the great middle east this year of the passage citizen is over. i will also help return them intradermal civic structures, strong constitutions, political parties committed to pluralism, free elections, the ruble fall and property rights, hopefully, we strolled into the open world markets, healthy sick

institutions, protection for the rights of minorities and women this will require patience and creativity and active american leadership. a little of the strengthening of civil society with a particular emphasis on role of women. it will require a consistent defense of religious liberty. will mean to becoming the encouragement of development and education and health of trade and foreign investment of people to people context. there are no guarantees and there will certainly be setbacks but if america doesn't support the advance of space institutions and values, who will? promoting freedom of our message must be flexible. change comes in different pieces and different places. liberty often arrives not in leepson but steps.

flexibility doesn't mean ambiguity. the same principles must apply to all countries to as a country embraces freedom it finds economic and social progress but only when a government treats its people with dignity as the nation fulfill its preakness and when a government violates the rights of the citizens, it dishonors an entire nation. one way to encourage freedom is to highlight and honor those who make the defining cause of their lives. we had the privilege of meeting many dissidents in the democracy activists at the white house. they really inspired us. and we did cover best to assure them that they were not alone. that the hopes and prayers of a great nation were with them to the it's also one of the primary goals of the bush institute. we are gathering the stories and artifacts of space reformers.

not just to celebrate the past, but to educate the next generation. we want young activist and venezuela to hear him talk of his struggle with despair. we want to share to learn that the impossible. the freedom collection is a continually updated project designed to share the inspiration and lessons of great reformers and dissidents. our goal is to provide those moral support and practical knowledge. thomas jefferson once wrote a contingent of liberty, the freedom collection that we. it's not the easy but the pursuit of freedom. in america we know something about this. we face challenges since our independence protecting minorities, building a national army, defining the relationship between the central government and the reasonable authorities.

and at times the of nearly torn apart. it took many decades of struggle to live up to our founding promise. but we never ceased believing the power of those ideals, and we shouldn't today. for all the difficulties the evidence of freedom remains the most powerful hopeful trend of our time. in 1900 not one country in the world that the modern standards of democracy including our own. by 1950, there were 22. today according to freedom there are now more than 110 electoral democracies to but no evidence of freedom is inevitable and any gain can be lost there's a reason for the momentum of liberty across the centuries. human beings were not designed for servitude. they were created for better things and the human soul is forever restless until interests of freedom.

thank you. [applause] thank you, president bush. good morning to you all. most people here know me as bob, not a very typical of chinese names to refine the founder of the association based in midland texas. in 1989, i was a part of the student democracy movement in tannin square. though the movement was crushed

that freedom has continued. later i became a pastor for the independent house church and bible school. in 1996 for life in the latest gift to hong kong and in 97 we were admitted to the united states of erica america as refugees before it was handed over to china. official churches in china have 60 to 80 followers who were at great risk trying to exorcise the chinese constitutional guarantees religious freedom. those in prison for their beliefs are typically denied access to religious materials, including the bible.

one group of prisoners coming in prison the believers transcribing every book of the bible by a hand into notebooks and secure lead from the prison last year i presented a one of those notebooks to the president and mrs. bush for the inclusion in the freedom collection. as of the association, we promote religious freedom and the ruler of all a net china and we believe that religious freedom is the first freedom that leads the foundation for all other human rights. my organization monitors and exposes the abuses of religious freedom. we also assist the abuse spiritually and illegally in their defense of liberty. we work with house leaders and

individuals like the self-taught lawyer and we hope to see them in the united states soon. there must be something in their air of midland texas that inspires the individuals to stand up for what is right. the community graciously wellcome's my family and me and has picked up the cause. it is perhaps no surprise that laura bush, the native of midland shares that community commitment of human dignity and freedom. mrs. bush frequently says that freedom is universal, that god is the source of the freedom,

and the everyman and wollman regardless, and child, regardless of the country were treated or creed is endowed with human rights. whether speaking out against the oppression of the women in afghanistan and campaigning for the efforts to bring democracy mrs. bush demonstrates her convictions and beliefs with actions. it is my pleasure and honor to introduce my fellow mittal landers mrs. laura w. bush. [applause] >> thank you so much.

thank you very much, pastor. thank you and the rematch. he did present to the freedom collection the book of revelations written in chinese characters by hand, written by prisoners in china christian prisoners who were in prison because they wanted to practice christianity and passed around in prison so people would have the chance to read the books of the bible. thank you very much for your inspiration to all of us and for being a part of our freedom collection and for your friendship. thanks to everybody who's joined us today. we have met with dozens of dissidents as he told you before and you have seen in the video from around the world. brave men and women from places like afghanistan, iran, north korea, burma and cuba who have risked everything so that their

children might one day live in freedom. they inspire us and we want people around the world to hear their story through the freedom collection. many of the voices included in the freedom collection of historical accounts. the request for liberty goes on it. more than half of the world's population lives in countries for basic human rights are restricted organized. in many of the nation's, men and women stand side by side demanding their rights and to present the government's. these free grout tickets sacrifice security and in their violence and intimidation said that those in the bible at the corners of their society might know the promise of liberty. george and i are especially grateful to the dissidents and human rights activists who have joined us today.

u.s organized and the ports and assembled lawyers and journalists, bloggers and students, homemakers and human rights activists to read together you fought to end political corruption and ensure government transparency. you have lobbied government and international organizations to speak out against oppression and fertility. you have leveraged the traditional media and social media to give the people of your country a megaphone said that all of us may hear your call for justice and freedom and because of your efforts so of you have endured interrogation, harassment, imprisonment or exile. we want you to know the we stand with you. so today some of you may choose anonymity to avoid greater repression by the just leaders, we see for who you are the future leaders of your free country. more than two decades ago, she

let her political party, the national league for democracy to a landslide victory in the 1990 election under house arrest as the ruling military regime sought to suffocate her influence on the people of burma. during the enforced inclusion of other women in persevere in their dissent. they spoke out and they told about the systematic military campaign of rights and abuse that is enraged against women in the burma state. it was finally granted her freedom. like many a around the world, president bush and i celebrated her release and we followed recent events in burma her political party won all but one of their race is in the election

held in spurring. the large margin of the victory raises expectations to the future electoral victory in burma and just two weeks ago, noel peace prize winner was finally sworn in as a member of the parliament in burma. as should proceed in the governing body, the moment was surely bittersweet and overdue honor and a victory for the men and women of burma. for example shows people everywhere that political isolation in a prison cannot silence the call for liberty. also the concerns about the transition to democracy remain, we know from our own history that a democracy is not protected overnight. today we are grateful to have her join us over skype to give her perspective on the

transition under way in burma. i am so very glad to see you today, and i look forward to seeing you in person one day. welcome to this conference on freedom. [applause] >> thank you so much for your donation to the freedom collection. we are happy to have these mementos from you to commemorate your work in burma and you might be happy to know that in a few minutes we will be receiving other ridings and papers from the man who loved you very much and it didn't get to live to see, we didn't get to live to see you become a member of parliament in burma. i look forward to hearing from

you now and learning more of your experiences leader with the conversation. so today i want to present to everyone member of parliament in burma, [applause] >> do you want to make a few remarks? >> it is a great pleasure to people to contact you. i'm not sure whether you can hear me. i can hear you but in any case it is a pleasure to be -- it is a great pleasure and i hope [inaudible] >> i hope the same.

let me begin with some good news. i know that you have your passport back for the first time in 24 years and you're headed to oslo to accept your nobel peace prize and also the u.k.. the whole world is going to be listening to what you have to say. so what is your message to the world going to be? >> welcome a first of all i am not sure i liked, but i am looking forward to the trip in the last 24 years and has made changes but i hope it changes the times tuzee noss just the world the ellen country in the

district. >> let me ask a few questions about the current events in burma. one of the interesting things that happened last year was the government's promise to release all prisoners of conscience. several hundred have been released, but lenders and more in prison sometimes unfairly charged with non-political crimes how will the situation be resolved, and what can the world do to encourage a resolution? >> with the last batch of political prisoners were released the whole minister said those that were released or in accordance with a list submitted by the parties of the national league for democracy, but as it happens there are still 271 prisoners on the list that haven't yet been released. we have been in touch with of the whole ministry about this and we would like to discuss the matter with them.

they said officially those prisoners have been released we would like to know why there are 271 that haven't been released to the there should be no political prisoners in burma if we are really headed for the democratization. >> among the biggest challenges is whether genuine efforts for peace and reconciliation will be made in the ethnic regions in conflict. cease-fire is on the first step. what should the peace process look like, how can the promise be realized for all of burma's ethnic groups? >> i think the government will have to recognize the aspirations of the ethnic rationality, and i think there have to be a definitive commitment to the political

settlement. the ceasefire is not enough. it is just the beginning. and there is no substitute for the political settlement. it is not enough to bring economic development for the ethnic nationality region. there has to be a political assessment. all of the ethnic nationalities or on that this. in one peaceful political settlement with the promises made to the ethnic nationalities independent in 1947. >> here is a question that i can't resist of a newspaper columnist. reports are swirling that the government will make significant changes in some leadership positions and some of those rumors mengin you to read what you consider a government position -- >> [inaudible]

>> we hear all kinds of rumors but -- [inaudible] >> here is a question that comes from facebook which is a partner of the freedom collection. how do you look at the syrian uprising calling for freedom? how can the world help to bring freedom to the syrian people and put an end to their ongoing suffering? >> if there were in easy answer to this question i think syria would be at peace now. i believe we should all help people's struggle for freedom anywhere in the world, and i personally believe but that

doesn't mean that i in any way condemn those in the field with the result of violence. i think it is violence against violence in the persian regime -- i feel very fortunate we have to be able to maintain the stance in spite of the oppressions of the military regime. at this moment i would like to say to the people of syria we are with you and your struggle for freedom. [applause] >> let me pose a few questions of strategy when it comes to promoting space change. many successful candidates in

the recent election were women. what role did the empowerment of the women play in burma's de mcdevitt progress and how can a women's political participation? >> i think everywhere in the world [inaudible] it makes it more better the more are involved in it. i'm a great believer of the common sense dedication to others will. ytoy not attending know you were if i say were [inaudible] great progress anywhere in the world who've helped to bring

down the barriers under begin the world an unhappy place. >> over the years the united states and other countries have imposed sanctions on the burmese government pressure for change. now that there seems to be some progress but pace should the sanctions be lifted? how does the u.s. provide rewards for progress without losing leverage for further change? >> senator mccain is thinking of the suspension of the sanctions rather than the lifting of sanctions. this is a possible first step. what has been done in the e.u., what has been done by the e.u. that is a way of sending us

stronger we will try to help the process of the democratization but this is not maintained then we will have to think of of the risk of making sure the desperation is respected it is not against the sanctions as long as people in the united states think this is the right thing to do as a movement. i do see that people are too optimistic about the change in burma. you have to remember that in the democratization it's not your reversible peter dalia said it is not as irreversible or ethnic military commit itself to the democratization solvent lee and efficiently. [applause]

>> some in the united states are critical of the whole idea of sanctions as a tool to promote democracy. they argue that the policy of economic engagement and development assistance might have left the regime less isolated and the space progress might have come sooner. what is your view of the criticism of the sanctions that sometimes emerges in america? >> i do not quite see it this way. you must remember that one of the first motions by the national assembly had been elected in 2010 but was the removal of sanctions. the sanctions had not been affected politically if not economically. the what of the capability so we're leon. so i believe the sanctions have been dissected -- effective in persuading interchange.

>> let me follow one question their. have there been times that you wish the united states and other space countries had been more forceful or effective in the policies in their policies towards burma? is their anything we could have done differently that fight for what the government to the negotiating table more quickly? >> i'm actually very satisfied because the united states has a very different and i believe that congress probably could help the cause of democracy in burma. i think we have to do some of the work ourselves. we shouldn't defend the lead could depend on the international community to get democracy. we look to help us get to democracy ourselves.

so i am very appreciative of all the united states and i'm only hope that it will go during whatever needs to be done. >> here is one more face the question from shul. this is a general question what is your vision for the country come and it raises the question as a newly elected legislators what are your priorities to give you a chance to make a political speech. >> i'm not keen on making political speeches. i've made enough of them already. the reason why we decided to was to make sure that the voice of the people would be heard within the legislature and the we would be able to bring about changes, the necessary change that would protect our freedom constraints that were preventing us from enjoying our human-rights.

so basically, we think that the legislature could become a genuine space instance coming and that is what we work towards. >> what would be the immediate measures that are necessary to make it happen? or their constitutional changes? what are the measures that are necessary? >> well, one of the most necessary measures are amendments to the constitution. but i don't think that this is one of the first things we will be able to do. as i am sure you know, it would require the national assembly to vote for an amendment to the constitution and since the national assembly the and the elected members of the military means that we would have the support of the military to change the constitution to make amendments to the constitution so this is not one of the best things we can do but this is the

most important thing that we will try to do. >> before we reflect there were times over the last 20 years when the observers believe that your efforts would not succeed that burma would be ruled by an autocratic regime for the foreseeable future. did you ever see it that way? and how were you able to persevere in the darkest times? >> i think people that work very hard often found that those are the ones that with at least. the more you believe there's reason for hope the colleagues are so very hard i never lost hope. i was always confident that we would prevail in the into the. what was your response to the

advocates and countries around the world and ones that are here in the audience today but is your advice to them? spec very simple, so just go on and don't lose hope because there are many people in our part of the world who are with you in mind and spirit. >> thank you so much for joining us today in your example of courage. [applause] >> good morning. i'm the director of the human freedom program at the george w. bush institute. in addition to video interviews the freedom collection and what's important documents and

artifacts from the major freedom movement. most of them very personal to an individual experience fighting for freedom in his or her country. in march we prettily except for safekeeping and the freedom collection the presidential medal of freedom president bush awarded in 2007 to keep physicians and the dissidents. weigel he was serving a harsh prison sentence. he is pledged not to allow the metals to enter cuba until his country is free to import. a dissident turned statesman and advocate for others seeking liberty would be an inspiration for generations to come. the help us understand the difference that the president made in the lives of today's freedom advocates and led to the podium hernando a journalist, a reagan fellow with the national endowment for democracy, a former prisoner of conscience and a member of cuba's group of

75. [applause] ..

>> they want us to be forgotten. [speaking in native tongue] >> translator: for that reason, i want to speak about president president jintao. the president did not speak about the truth of his oppressors. he believed that words can change the world. [speaking in native tongue] >> translator: is a journalist and a writer, i,, too, believe that words can change the world. [speaking in native tongue] >> translator: during the spring of 2003 come i was one of 75 people imprisoned by the cuban state. my crime was to write about the two conditions in my country.

[speaking in native tongue] >> translator: one of the pieces of evidence used against me was that i had a copy of the 1978 book the power of the powers. [speaking in native tongue] >> translator: president jintao wrote that a single writer in the country can change, and there are some links of that change that bind us all. [speaking in native tongue] >> translator: hu jintao and his colleagues brought down a dictatorship by the power of words and ideas. [speaking in native tongue]

>> translator: his commitment to human rights became one of the hallmarks of his presidency. [speaking in native tongue] >> translator: as he showed in the interview that he did for the bush institute's freedom collection, he understood the importance of solidarity, the importance of not being forgotten. [speaking in native tongue] >> translator: he held a special place in his heart for my homeland. [speaking in native tongue] >> translator: in 2003, he wrote to a [inaudible name]. the main interest for my interest in cuba last with all the totalitarian regimes, the

one in cuba is closest to my own experience. [speaking in native tongue] >> translator: is a writer, and a person of conscience, as a cuban and the freeman, i honor the leadership and legacy of hu jintao. may his words continue to expire -- inspire us. [applause] [applause] >> i am now pleased to introduce the director of the library to make a special presentation. >> mr. president, mrs. bush, it

is my distinct pleasure to be here today. [inaudible] here we are. in my capacity of the library, let me offer on this special occasion, some of the books for your freedom collection. during transition from totalitarianism to democracy. first, you have the original carbon copies of two documents. [inaudible] in czechoslovakia in 2007. the government of czechoslovakia respects in accordance with this information and human rights.

what is the declaration of this document? without allowing the enslaved chuck's population -- the second is a text written by [inaudible name] in may of 1977. in which he tries to correct the official heavily distorted version of which he was released from custody where he had been held as one of the first spokespersons. both documents demonstrate the importance of the democracy formation. even the government tried to suppress it. on one hand from the obsolete technique of the 1970s makes us listen to the past in

conversation. there's one thing that remains unchanged. it is the elementary thought of the commitment of the free, created and expanded thanks to communications. it is here the journey from slavery to freedom always begins to the next item is a book from 1983 from the time he himself was still in jail, settling before your sentence for the subversion of the republic. this text today, is seen as the most important revelation of philosophy. it is in my view, clear proof that joseph is not just an academic recipient, but able to think what highly abstract concepts, but a person of

personal courage and undetectable power of the human spirit. third, we are pleased to offer the original letter which we have lamented in 2004. [inaudible name] for the nobel peace prize. what we have here is not just an act of solidarity by a former central european dissident of his friends. it is also to the international community. [inaudible] by bold and creative voices, it should remain realistic, but at the same time, standing firm behind the u.n. defenders, to help them to emerge from their isolation and to recognize their struggles by giving them international recognition. last, the speeches of [inaudible

name], which he himself put together in preparation for the summit in 2002 in the fall. it was, if i may say so, with the world of politics. it is also typical signature green color, accompanied by a small red heart on the pages of the first volume, sending his clear message. the west, and all civilizations have a role to play in the world today in the post european age in and the beginning of the 21st century. we, who are here, whether big or small, should stand together in turbulent times, and under most circumstances, resigned to our fundamental principles and values. it is indeed a great honor for

me to present these gifts on behalf of our library. i thought here with me the testimony to his life, devoted to the local cost of human freedom. please accept them for use in your collection. my presence at the celebration is not only a sign of the excellent u.s. czechoslovakia relationship, but also a message that i will bring on from here that we are friends in the united states, standing on the side and witty to cooperate with us on our task to preserve the vast legacy for the future generations. thank you. [applause] [applause]

[applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] >> thanks for coming. see you later. [applause] [applause] [inaudible conversations]

[inaudible conversations] >> next on c-span 2, a house hearing looks into the case of chinese political activist, chen guangcheng. senator barbara boxer gives an update on negotiations between house and senate over the surface transportation bill, and george w. bush institute holds a conference on human rights. on tomorrow's "washington journal", edits content at schultz on this week's political news. we will talk to congress ann marie buerkle about the republican house agenda going into the 2012 election season. as part of our weekly spotlight on magazines, christian science monitor staff writer pete scott's talks about his story on new technology that will allow the noaa to research and predict tornadoes. washington journal begins live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span.

>> when people are saying to him, don't take the vice presidency, right now you are the most -- you are a powerful majority leader. don't take the vice presidency. he won't have any power to johnson says power is where power grows. meaning i can make power in any situation in his whole life, nothing in his life previously makes that seem because that is exactly what he has done all he is life. >> sunday night, the conclusion of passage of power, volume four end years of lyndon johnson. sunday night on c-span's "q&a." saturday nights, c-span 2 is airing the nixon tapes.

this saturday, hear conversations between president nixon and white house special counsel and keep pfizer shut olson who passed away last month as they talk about the democratic presidential nominee, george mcgovern. in washington dc, listen at 90.1 fm. nation lie, we are available and also on c-span.org. today, a house foreign affairs subcommittee held a hearing on human rights abuses in china on the case of chen guangcheng, an activist seeking entrance into the united states. he is currently in a beijing hospital awaiting travel documents waiting to leave the country.

mr. chen guangcheng speaks speechless by speakerphone. this is about two hours. >> the meeting will come to order. i want to thank all of you for joining us in this hearing for examining chinese rights defender chen guangcheng, and a lot of his family and others who have been targeted by chinese officials in connection to this case. this hearing will also focus on chen guangcheng cause. he is among the bravest defenders of women's rights in the world. he descended thousands of women from the most egregious, systematic state-sponsored explication and abuse of women in history. perverse forced abortions and involuntary sterilization per tennis one couple child policy.

as a result of his defense, he suffered cruel torture, degrading treatment, unjust incarceration, and multiple beatings. the sheer magnitude of this exploitation of women has been largely overlooked and trivialized by many, and even enabled. the united nations population fund has for over 30 years supported and defended and whitewashed the crimes against women and children that chen guangcheng struggled to expose. that is why president reagan and more recently, president bush be funded the u.n. population fund in an indefensible reversal, the obama administration has provided approximately $165 million through the u.n. sca. chen guangcheng, as we know, was blinded by a severe fever as an infant and is a self-taught lawyer. he garnered national attention in 2005 when he organized a

class action lawsuit against local officials. he they were forcing women to undergo abortions and sterilization to comply with china's one child per couple policy. there were more than 1000 -- 100,000 will abortions performed in a single year. in his effort to protect women and men from sterilization and women from abortion, mr. chen guangcheng spent several months in prison on trumped up charges and he was then put under house arrest where the beatings continued. he had an incredible state on the event of a brooklyn second. i chaired a hearing about mr. chen guangcheng. the congressional executive commission on china on may 3. during that hearing, which took place just days after mr. chen

guangcheng left beijing, mr. chen guangcheng spoke to us from his hospital bed in beijing over bob fu's cell phone. mr. chen guangcheng indicated that he wanted to come to the united states for some time of rest. he noted that he had not had rest for the past 10 years. he asked her a face-to-face meeting with secretary hillary clinton, who is in beijing at the time. regrettably, that didn't happen. he also expressed fear for the life of his family members and said that he was most concerned about their safety, especially that of his mother and his brother. he was extremely concerned about their welfare, as well as their whereabouts. in that context, mr. chen guangcheng noted that security officers have installed seven video cameras and even an electric fence around his house in gangcheng province.

they wanted to see what else chen guangcheng would do. as soon as the authorities learned of his escape from and they refused to allow his daughter to attend school. for these reasons, he was justifiably worried about villagers and others who were helping him and what they were being subjected to, including severe, life-threatening retribution. reports that we have received since our corroborating mr. chen guangcheng's fears. following his arrest, chinese officials broke into his house in the houses of his family, rounding up those who assisted him. officials broke into the home of his brother, his nephew, tried to give them consult with a kitchen knife. he is now in police detention

centers. i am extremely concerned about chen guangcheng, for his welfare, as well as that of other family members. the day after the emergency hearing, the chinese ministry of foreign affairs posted on the website the statement that a chinese citizen, is your chen guangcheng, according to the laws and normal procedures. u.s. department of state issued a press release saying that the chinese government stated today that mr. chen guangcheng had the same right to travel abroad as any other citizen of china. mr. chen guangcheng has been offered a fellowship at an american university where he will be accompanied by his wife and children. the chinese government has indicated that they will extend mr. chen guangcheng's for appropriate travel documents. the united states government expects that the chinese government will expeditiously process his application for these documents.

now, 11 days later, it's your chen guangcheng's is still in the same hospital room with his wife and children under de facto arrest. although mr. chen guangcheng is under the oppression that his application for passport was made last sunday when he was visited by a chinese official, and under chinese law, blind persons are supposed to be able to apply quarterly for travel documents, he has not been notified of any further action on the application. with the exception of the half-hour each morning and afternoon that the children are escorted out side in the, no one is allowed to see them. anyone who wants to see mr. chen at risk severe retaliation. human rights lawyer attempted to visit mr. chen in the hospital.

it was later reported that mr. chen was beaten so severely that he lost his hearing in one ear and has been forced to move. he testified twice before the human rights commission. amazingly, he is a heroic man. i chaired the other. one of his recommendations was that president obama should speak with president hu jintao about freeing a number of prisoners, including chen guangcheng. now, mr. chen himself may be included in the list of whose behalf the united states advocates for. chinese nationals are not the only ones being prohibited from trying to meet his or chen. the foreign correspondents club of china reported in early may

that officials threatened to revoke the visas of foreign journalists who entered the hospital without permission. many journalists have demonstrated amazing courage and lot of role perseverance, and publicizing mr. chen's flight. it is largely due to their promotion of mr. chen's case, that has reached this stage to the united states. i would earnestly ask them not to forget mr. chen and his family and extend his family and others like are risking their security on his nap. before i turn to our panelists as distinguished witnesses witnesses to discuss current events, i would make comments by my fellow colleagues who are here today. i would like to now ask her witnesses they would come to the witness table and i will introduce them to the subcommittee.

beginning first with pastor bob -- bob fu, who is the leader of the falun gong movement in tenements beware. after their work in 1982, chinese monitors report religious freedom in china, and provides a forum for discussion among experts on religion, law, and human rights in china. pastor bob fu is interviewed by media outlets around the world, and has testified in the u.s. hearings, including the one on chen guangcheng, which mr. chen, used bob fu's cell phone, and made a very important connection with chen guangcheng on may 3. we will bear then hear from here

from mei shunping, who served more than 13 years in jail for pro-democracy work. he continued to advocate rights in china. in 1998, mr. mei shunping was made part of the chinese democracy association. and the agent asian democracy alliance. he regularly speaks about human rights in china, including broadcast via radio. i would know parenthetically that i first met mei shunping when he was released very briefly in 1994 in january of 1994. he was such a highly prized nice advocate that china sought one dissident. when that didn't happen, he was really arrested and brutally

beaten and tortured until he was close to death. this is a truly remarkable man. when i met him in china, he said something, and then i will go to my next guest. when americans and westerners don't [inaudible] , abs more. i'll never forget that message in january 1994. that was before his rearrest. we will then hear from reggie littlejohn, who is founder and president of women's rights without frontiers. she has legally represented chinese refugees refugees in

numerous cases and testified before the european and british parliament, the white house and congress. reggie littlejohn serves as the expert on china's one child policy for the chinese association and human rights without frontiers, which she is the president and ceo. it has issued several groundbreaking reports from inside of china about the incalculable suffering caused by the coercive enforcement of the one child per couple policy. we will then hear from chai ling. chai ling established a foundation and serves as one of its board members. a foundation that supports inspirational humanitarian efforts through grant opportunities. a student herself during the 1999 kinnaman square movement,

she was wanted by the chinese government and amazingly, a very heroic character, chai ling was subsequently named glamour woman of the year and nominated twice for the nobel peace prize. she is the author of the book a heart for freedom, and has already saved another a number of little girls that would've been subjected to elected abortions in china who are living today because of her intervention and that of her organization. we will then hear from from mei shunping. she was born in 1958. because of the cultural revolution, she was unable to finish school. she and her husband were married in 1981 just after the policy was implemented. as a factory worker in a textile facility, she was forced by the family planning commission to undergo five forced abortions. he she came to the u.s. in 1985. she lives in new england. she has one son.

her dream is to return to school and to finish her education. now i yield to mr. carnahan. thank you, mr. chairman, for putting together this important hearing and for your continued work in championing human rights everywhere. i join you in concern for the outstanding issues in the case of chen guangcheng, as well as ongoing human rights issues in china. the case of mr. chen not only highlights the abuses, but gives us the opportunity to review u.s. china relations. mr. chen appears at a watershed moment for u.s. and china relations. aside from many serious concerns, it is important to stress the significance of u.s. reaching a deal on this since the crisis with the chinese, as

well as engaging in annual strategic and economic dialogue is planned. these talks } vast array of national and economic security issues, which the u.s. and china must continue. we must continue to work towards greater understanding. with regards to north korea,, iran, and currency manipulation, just to name a few. public diplomacy will also address areas of mutual interest and those of disagreement. including the disagreements of human rights abuses, like those that mr. chen endured, and those of his brave work. beyond bilateral engagement to address these issues, the u.s. must continue to pursue engagement in multilateral form, including the u.n., reflecting

positive change in china. it is important in note that the u.n. population in china was one of the first to raise mr. chen's writes in chinese government -- with chinese government officials. i look forward to hearing more about the status of mr. chen in ways that the international community can ensure the safety of his family and supporters. china facing a generational leadership change later this year, coupled with major societal and economic and trinitarian issues as a result of this one child policy, i also hope we can reflect on what the situation with mr. chen means enclosing with u.s. and china relations. i want to thank the chairman and chairman and the witnesses for being here today just share their stories. >> thank you very much. i would like to ask pastor bob fu if he would proceed.

>> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you for your leadership. thank you for the honorable congressman, for your continuous support on behalf of the chinese family. while we are still waiting, for a progress report about chen and his close family members, any plan that the issuance of a passport from the time his government, today i want to focus on the plight of his extended family members and his supporters. especially i am deeply concerned about the nephew. i want to really give you an updated report after talking with at least two of his lawyers and another legal representative

in the past few days. here is a chronology of what had happened to mr. chen guangcheng. of course, he has been under criminal detention since april april 30. on may 9, he was formally arrested on charges of intentional homicide. chen guangcheng's escaped last month, the local officials who have been directing the persecution of him, led a group of people in a raid on the home of his brother that again about 11:30 p.m. on april 26 and continued until dawn. without showing any ids, they broke down the door and jumped over the walls of his home, and then they seriously beat the

brother and his wife. their son, thought they that they had come to rob them. he was himself -- he walked out of his bedroom, he was violently attacked for at least three hours. according to the eyewitnesses on his own report, he was bleeding on his face and head, and he was purely acting out of self defense. is -- his appearance was very beat up. in the early morning of april 27, he himself, in a conversation, recorded by a

reporter for 15 minutes, he was talking about how he was violently attacked. he said he was waiting. he called the chinese police by telephone, the equivalent of 911. he wanted to surrender himself, but the officer waiting for a few hours, -- after waiting for a few hours, he was afraid for his life. he walked away to a neighboring community at the nearby gangcheng province. there he was applying to surrender to the neighboring province. from my conversation with one of his lawyers, the attorney from gangcheng province, on april 29, had a conversation with another

attorney. he said that i am waiting and i was waiting to go to that detention center to surrender himself. then on april 30, obviously, he was under criminal detention and later on charged with intentional homicide. almost all of the lawyers who were waiting to hand -- handle the case, have lost the freedom or their lawyers license are compensated or held by authorities -- and some of them have been simply kidnapped. i talked with a professor of law at the chinese university of political science last night. and he said he tried to go to

beijing where that is his home. on april 12. and only found that he was kicked out on april 13. that is the latest. and another attorney, is awaiting his freedom moment, so he is not allowed to travel to beijing or anywhere else at all. another attorney -- [inaudible name], the same day when he announced he would be the attorney for chen guangcheng, his license was withheld by the chinese government, so he is not allowed to represent the case.

based on the pre-trial in 2005, we cannot have any confidence that he will receive any fair trial. let me talk a little bit about the supporters of mr. chen. who have experienced ruinous persecution in the past week or so simply for being associated with mr. chen or made aware. a couple, [inaudible name], from beijing. he tried to visit mr. chen. and he and his wife, who is pregnant with a two-month pregnancy, and was kept been forced to have tea with the

public officers since may 10. because of that, harassment and threat on may 13, the gentleman and his wife had a miscarriage. their 2-month-old baby is gone. and of course, the other individuals, [inaudible name] with whom he testified, he was beaten and removed from beijing. as well. and there is another individual whose name is [inaudible name]. he is a member of ngo who has been raising awareness for mr. chen. but he made the mistake -- he

has been under criminal detention. right now he is being held at the district detention center right now. another activist who has been an advocate and also a constant visitor were trying to visit mr. chen in the past couple of years, he was declared invalid. he has no way to travel overseas. other lawyers, most of them were not able to have any freedom of movement. i am very, very concerned that the chinese government, especially the local authorities, based on this

pumped up charge, will make a fake trial and expeditiously hand him a very severe sentence and possibly, if he is convicted, it he could be sentenced to death. where is the way out for chen guangcheng? despite of the fact that the united states and china have reached an apparent agreement, to the commitment of chen guangcheng's security, he remains under house arrest in the hospital. i talked with him twice a day until last night and this morning. we lost contact. while the visitors are barred, including the u.s. diplomatic representatives, they are not allowed to visit him. some of the chinese supporters

and friends who try to visit him were barred or beaten. all of this shows the implications of the agreement and the realization of the commitment, it is far more important than the agreement and the commitment itself. i hope that congress will do more in monitoring and urging the administration to ensure the civil rights of chen guangcheng and his family members and to ensure they are protected by the law. and chen guangcheng was allowed to enter the embassy and the a member of the obama administration, including the assistant secretary kurt campbell and my closer and state -- they all made active efforts. and of course, loss of sleep and

during the negotiations, time. although some aspects followed, they were certainly not handled appropriately by the administration. we are, nonetheless pleased to see that high-level american and chinese officials have promised to help chen guangcheng and his family come to the united states so they can rest and have further studies in the you -- united states institutions. it shows that our countries recognize the fate of chen guangcheng. we hope that members of congress can provide all the tools that the menstruation needs to back up the commitment and follow-through, and it will certainly -- i will look forward to the day when chen and his

wife and two children can touch the soil in the united states of america very soon. hopefully. >> pastor bob fu, thank you so much for your testimony and insights. i now yield to wei jingsheng. a political prisoner for 18 years. the father of the democracy movement. [speaking in native tongue] >> translator: in january 1904,

1994, i met for three hours in beijing. he was aware of the policy for chinese human rights. at the time, the secretary of the statement with me in beijing in that spring. [speaking in native tongue] >> translator: since then, there is a very important negotiation going on. that negotiation has not only affected the human rights situation in china, but also u.s. and china relationships. [speaking in native tongue]

>> translator: to this point, there were not too many people that had the knowledge of this history. and i think it is very important for the negotiation. it makes a good reference to the present. therefore, i give you reflections of the history because it is long, i will have my assistant read out my statement to you. thank you. in september 1993, i was released a half year ahead of schedule with conditions restricting my personal freedom. such a release is called controlled release by chinese law. the supervision would not end until may -- march 29, 1994. the end of my 15 year sentence.

[inaudible] i was subject to political prosecution. [inaudible] trouble at the banks for money transfers. >> setting up a fund to believe artists of exportation. and offering 1 billion chinese yens after making a huge profit for the government have to be manipulating the stock market to exploiting mass investors. america sent a secretary chris

smith, and we had a talk for three hours in beijing. i gave him a device and we exchanged ideas. as regarding how to progress democracy in china. on february 27, 1994, the meeting with secretary smith, and he asked me if i was willing to meet warren christopher, the u.s. secretary of the state to discuss human rights issues in china where christopher was visiting china in the following month. the debates were mentioned in the u.s. congress. and also the trade issues and the potential risks of this meeting. [inaudible]

i would be willing to take such a risk for a meeting with the secretary of the state. my penance had been passed on to president clinton and had effects [inaudible] he hoped that my views -- he helped relay my views with secretary christopher. we thank secretary christopher for his visit. in the morning from about two or three days later, police came to my home to talk to me. it brought me to a hotel saying that i should relax your end wait for them. i asked with you when i meet and want to discuss, but the government gave no answer. the next day, an official came

with a high authority in the chinese government. he told the police officers that he wanted to have a talk with me. he had to leave for half an hour after our talk and come back. i would assume that there were officials with higher ranking. meanwhile, they monitor conversations and made the decisions. at the very beginning of the talk, this official said that it wasn't negotiation because they needed my help. they stated that they knew i had met u.s. secretary of state and also knew my opinion. we could not change our opinions and we are not wanted to do so. but we wish you would not meet with the u.s. secretary of

state. i told him that was impossible. i had agreed to meet, i could not make -- break the promise. we know what you want to do. he said. we will agree to what you want if you do not meet with u.s. secretary of state. i could not believe it was so simple. why was it so important for me to meet or not with the u.s. secretary of state? why would you agree to let me do the things that you have been prohibiting us from doing just because of this. he said you might know how important that u.s. china trade is to us. 70% of our profits were from the foreign trade, and 70% from that comes from the single u.s. trade because of the u.s. markets profit was high.

i would want to do the same if i were you. the chinese people will suffer and many chinese companies will go bankrupt. since two of the people so much, we have just the you will agree to our offers. i said not really. [inaudible] communist government and democratic system, it would be more beneficial to the chinese people. it would be the lesser of the two evils and in the interest of the chinese and best for compensation in the future. he said that you have [inaudible] you were once in our internal circle, and you should know our politics. do you really think [inaudible] to treat these sanctions? i said why not. he said the interests of china and the night state have trade sanctions, if any would be

short-lived. the businesses of countries were not allow them to continue to the degree resulting in the collapse of the communist government. i say in that case, you have no need to negotiate with me. you also know that by the laws of state in prison, he said we know that. we understand you better than the congress. the we hope you will think about this carefully. somehow i would have to hold responsibility for short-term sanctions. that is why he wanted to make a fuss and why we had to protect you from getting into trouble. he also said that you might laugh at me, but i have to tell you that was the trick. you are now at the focal point of the u.s. and china relationship.

[inaudible] only after he stepped down, could someone take this position. therefore, some people, eager to get you into trouble to achieve their own objectives. when they reach their goals, we cooperate with the u.s. government to resolve trade issues. but you would lose your chance to reach your own goals. you should know better. i said i still do not believe your promise. i would need assurance. stepping down might not be a bad thing, and the president replacing him might want to compromise with us as well. he said we would agree with the things that you want to do. will you think about it again? i have something to do and we will come back in half an hour. he gave me a piece of paper with a list on it. the first thing was to release political prisoners, including a list of 35 names. the next of three were also what

i really wanted to do, which was [inaudible] unions, and business, and receiving and transfer of humanitarian donations. after more than an hour, the officials came back and asked how i thought about it. i said what you are agreeing to means nothing. [inaudible] it requires approval from the ministry of civil affairs. in the purchase of ventures requires the approval from the people's bank. [inaudible] of you have written sounds like lies. he said i repeat again that i am presenting the highest authority to negotiate with you. all these items are within our

scope of power. when the time comes, i will help you to complete all the procedures. i still think that i could not believe what he said. he said how about this, we will offer that you would be able to see, in addition to releasing political prisoners, providing that you do not betray your promise, we will not arrest any of your people, by which he means democracy activists. [inaudible] i said what about the people not on your list. [inaudible] if you have given me one day, i will give them up for release. we can decide tomorrow whether he will accept our offer. tomorrow you can make a phone call to verify if we have the ability to keep are promise. the next day, i called and

verified all those detained were indeed released without explanations. but i was inclined not to accept their offer. this official was anxious and told me that you must know that we are already agreeing to the deal. [inaudible] we would have to arrest you that would be played into the hands of the other side. all of the offers he would be blown away. then he added that americans are not as reliable as you might think. and they could ultimately reach a compromise with a new leader. political prisoners [inaudible] as usual, and he would not be able to complete anything that you want to do. you should think about what is at stake. let me give you a case scenario.

even if you -- even if we retain them in the future, you forgot about the benefit of having the political prisoners be released. the other side, they might not even give you this benefit. at that time, i felt the credibility was pretty high, so i accepted and made detailed plans for me to leave beijing to seek medical treatment, and i politely declined to meet that secretary of the state christopher. [inaudible] if the u.s. would check on human rights in china, [inaudible] the offer, including the provision that immediately after secretary of state christopher

-- i couldn't go back to the city and continue to do what i wish to accomplish. for fear about the remaining offers. on march 29, 1994, i noticed two things. i had completed my prison sentence and would no longer be on their control. also, secretary of state had let china. the situation had changed, and i hope to spend some time in beijing for one or two months. i rejected the secondary request and he insisted [inaudible] today's leaders -- today's leaders, the highway was closed. but just a car carrying my friend and police cars surrounding us, [inaudible]

we were blocked [inaudible] including agents by severin different departments of security and prosecutors office. ..

learned later at the by the summer of 1995, the department

of -- i think it was because the trade sanction would not be lifted the smoothly and the american people still cared about human rights in beijing china. otherwise would not be able to get a comprise between trade and the of the dictatorship and the communist party. from this procedure, we can learn several features concerning negotiations with the chinese communist regime. one, there are only restrained by the interests but the not abandoned by their promises. this is because of the fundment tal they do not recognize common knowledge and reason but only agree to eye ideals in is the came to all evil cause therefore by insists in china --

[inaudible] and that's trouble that we are come up. two, the chiebz chinese government is not a whole but the consistent of various interest groups. the struggle with those affections -- [inaudible] and national interest often become barn beganning ships their own oceans. [inaudible] use the government by believe in -- made by one particular without out any assurance made the mistake of political judgment. three, taking a hostage first and making negotiations is a transitional way of negotiation by the chinese communists. in their ideology, pertain

maximum benefits regardless of the means against those who are dreamed as not fit to the ideals. they would use machines to the which is the official theory. by -- [inaudible] to the hands of the chinese police, the uf administration has made yet another mistake of political judgment. and extra price for it. [speaking in chinese] gloit sorry i used the extra time. >> thank you for the expensive look. parking lot whatever your testimony helps to do is help ask the question, the very pertinent question how high do we value political prisoners, human rights, and dpm. and the chinese government and the leadership weighs the resolve in the commitment in the u.s. side in the by lateral relationship. if we are not committed on human rights, they take the measure of our resolve where the lack there

of and respond accordingly. i think you talked about about, you know, the leadership and the spes especially it's not monolific. we're not folding our not extending our very serious resolve to all players chen, his wife, and two others. we never the less give up what we might otherwise obtain. i'd like to ask mrs. reggie littlejohn if she would present her testimony. >> thank you, mr. chairman. ladies and gentlemen, i'm grateful for the opportunity to address the sub committee here during the sensitive time of negotiations on behalf of chunk chunk, cheng cheng and family and supporters. i've been asked to testify two of the keening supporters. one is known as pearl and one of the key leaders of the legal

team. pearl, as many of you know, played a key role in organizing support for chank chank for -- the last time i testified she had been detained for almost a week, and i voiced concern that she might be tortured, that the chinese party might be pressuring here to disclose the other members of the network, but we raised the issue of case very strongly in that hearing, congress' smith raced it very strongly and the next day she was released. so i have skypeed with her twice now, the day after she was released and on saturday, and she has asked me to read a statement to the committee thanking everyone for the way that her case has been raising disability what she believes is

what has resulted in the fact that she was not tortured during that detention. as congressman smith has said, this kind of accommodation of to the kinds communist party and trying to basically exercise quiet diplomacy is very ineffective. it's rather when you have transparent powerful advocacy that people are protected. so as said, i'd like to thank everyone for who fights for the freedom. activist, congressman, congresswoman, secretary clinton and the united states. i hopefully visit the great country one day. i want to say with my friends in china what i want is for all my friends to be safe. now that is very courageous on her part. even though she was not tortured during the most recent detention, she has suffered significant violence.

specifically, on january 10th of 2011, she drove to chen's village where her car was smashed outside his home. she went to kid dmaiped, robbed and beat her. they struck her face thirty to forty times. she was subjected to a painful position for four hours while she was being driven in a car and was dumped on the road. then on june 6th, 2011, she went to the county for the case and they kidnapped her and robbed her. plain clothes guard drove her and kicked her out of the car into a field where they tried to stuff her stocks into her mouth and they tied her up and touched her breasts.

despite the problems she has suffered she wants to main in china for her friends. has taken up several sensitive legal matters and has long been a member of chen's legal time. it for this he suffered violence on a number of occasions. most recently according to media reports, he tried to visit chen and was beat so severely it appears he has lost hearing in one of his ears. after he was severely beaten and it became clear that chen's feoff few was being charged with intentional homicide which carries a death sentence. he stood up for him and said that the charge of homicide was intent has been trumped up. it should be wounding with

intent. so this is, again, he had just been beaten and immediately standing up publicly for chen's nephew. i can't fat thom the kind of courage these people have. reach and agreement that he will not try to visit chen with again. he will not meet with foreign media. he left bay shin. this is the not first time she has suffered violence. november 10, 2009, not chen but on november 10, 2009 we both sat on a page at the hearing before tom human's rights commission which was called by congress smith. we testified on the one child policy. he testified concerning the cases he was assisting chen on the one chen was detained and woman's rights about frontiers

released the chen report on chen's birthday on november 10, 2011, and then at this hear hear anything english on december 6, 2011. he was telling about the cases where a woman had been forcely aborted up to the ninth month of pregnancy. people were sleeping in the fields to avoid family planning police. where decisions were takes place. suicide, there's all sorts of horrible things he was reporting on. his testimony and my testimony were similar in the sense of the gravity of the cases that we were exemployeeses. that's where the similarity ended. i was able to go home safely to my family. at the end of the hearing, congressman smith invited the various people testifying up to the office and at the end of that meeting, chen said, look, i'm worried if anything happens to me, will you believe watch out for my wife and child.

that statement just struck my heart of the courage that these people have, people who live in china to come to the united states and testify. they're risking not only their own safety, but that of their families to expose the truth of what is going on there. not simply so that we will know what is happening, but so that we will take effective action to try to help free the people of china from these horrific human rights abuses. several days later, one he did return to china he was beaten. dragged away by -- right in front of his daughter and wife was beaten. i got a call from congressman smith and immediately flew back to washington to speak at the press conference for him to be released. despite the violence, he

persisted in the bravery. in february in 2011, he and his wife released through the china aid association a video showing the horrific conditions of their house arrest. and for that, they were severely beaten, and left without medical attention. and then soon after that a group of chen's lawyers got together to try to talk about how they might help him. and so you to understand, also, that the arab spring and the revolution are backdrop to the conversation as well. but many of those lawyers were detained include chen. he was dpe contained for 60 days. and he endured beatings, shackling, blind fondle and no sunlight during the sixty days. he was banged in the head so

severely that it caused significant memory loss. and apparently, what they did, they would use water bottles to beat him in the head. he was -- he had so much memory loss he could not remember his skype password or how the furniture was arranged in his bedroom when he got out. i believe that the somatic per cause -- of the human rights lawyers appears to be a deliberate designation of the chinese human rights bar. as an attorney myself, i'm concerned about china and the rule of law. how can china say they can care about the rule of law, or there even is a rule of law when people are who are trying to uphold the rule of law are themes detained and tortured and had their leans -- licenses revoked? they appear safe for the moment, who knows whether the chinas

communist party is going to retaliate against them. they call upon the united states congress and the department of state to raise the issue of safety who are here within the own rights. thank you. little john, thank you for the testimony. i'd like to ask chai link if she would present her information. >> thank you for the persistence of thirty plus year to defend the victims of in china. and uphold the victims in china. thank you for giving me the opportunity to share today. by now, grow have heard much about the escape as the media fire storm surrounded him last week. he read details about the journey to bay chicago. you learn about the twists and turns and the diplomatic saga that followed. u.s. officials fretted about the timing of the arrival at the

ambassador. as he left, they down played his concern for his family safety. several days ago, a u.s. official told the nighttimes. -- the relationship with china over single guy are over. maybe they refer to the days of, you know, [inaudible] seeking protections for chen and his family to hardly have blown up the relationship. and more to the point, it grieves know hear that chen dismissively referred to the single guy. he's one man, it's true, but the assemble, the hero in the eyes of women, children, and the poor in china. why? because he defend them. and when no one else in china would. he live missing from last week's

news stwoirs call that defined chen's word. and let it explained why he's a hero to so many in china today. i want to highlight this cause. s if a one that we share be chen throughout our work. the policy formally sanctions violence against women, chen knew this. chinese authorities jailed him in 2006 as he filed a class action lawsuit and had a woman who had undergone four afforded air abortions and sterile lie decision because of the policies. i'd like to share some stories and images that will show you what is happening in china right

now as i speak. i should warn you, the stories are disturbing. they are give you a personal glimpse at the gender side or somatic elimination of girls taken place in china. where men outnumber women by 40 million. they show the brutality of forced abortions. they show why chinese women face a climate so oppressive that a woman takes her life every three seconds in china. the first story illustrates how severely the policy can effect a single family. this is [inaudible conversations] you see the picture on the screen who lives in the province. he's the second daughter of two parents who violated the one-child policy because they celebrately wanted a boy. after the birth, so in her family, they had three girls. but after the birth, officials

demoll herbed the family home and cons if i candidated their belongings. two years later. the mother gave birth to a girl and disappeared three days later. her father fled and left the three girls in the care of her grandmother. they detained the girl's grandmother and 2002 and left without without a guardian. during the night a man broke into the room and raped the 12-year-old girl. her sisters managed to obtain the release of the grandmother after this. but the elder woman died months after she returned home. the rapist was sentenced to a mere five days in detention. within three years, she was sold as a child bride to a man twice her age. her sister were also sold by

traffickers and have not been found as of today. when a german reporter and chinas volunteers found the father, he told them that the husband had turned her into a prostitute to earn income for him. he beats her frequently and sold her body to bachelors in that area. then was -- she will roam the mown teenages for over weeks sometimes before return together house. remember, all of this was set into motion by the enforcement of the one-child policy for the family and the lack of value assigned to girls and women in china. a second story is -- last october, official dragged her into a van this is the picture of her. she was heavily pregnanted with the third child. she died during a forth abortion

procedure. that's the picture, it's kind of gruesome. the family did not know until hours afterwards. they have no real resource to take. the third picture is -- yeah, that's her family. and it make under $2 day as a farmer. a final story came out less than two months ago. a chinese or begin of twitter. it is just the image but chilling one. a 9 month old baby is dropped into a bucket of water following a full-term forced abortion. according to the source, the infant's parents did not have a permit for the second child. you can see in the image in the water bucket, that's the baby's body. i wish i could tell you these stories were rare. they are not. they are mere glimpse into the dark environment that one-child

policy created for women. this is a darkness in to which chen tried to shine a light. i want to challenge you honorable members of congress to view your callings as servants of people in light of these words from isaiah. if you do away with the repression with the pointing of fingers and malicious, and if you spend yourself on behalf on of the hungry and -- and the need of the press, then your light will raise in the darkness and your night will become like the -- this challenge also applies to the president obama and sec secretary clinton. it is my prayer that your light relies in the presence darkness that consumes many. at the very moment in china. please don't press for the freedom and assurance of safety for his family and supporters.

their freedom is not secure yet. and you are in a position to act. i urge yo tow compel china to honor the word and the own laws. if you're concerned that such a cause is not realistic or pragmatic enough, i know your present here because you're not thinking that way. we know people's leading are thinking that way who are not present here. i humbly ask you to do what is right. it was not economic pragmatic for william to seek an end to the british slave trade. it was not expee dent for martin luther king to speak out against injustice, and landed in birmingham jail. ronaldronald reagan was not acted with calculated dip low my sei when he said mr. gorbachev, tear down the wall. i can think of many

inassistances where men and women -- for higher prince. somehow they always end up on the right side of history. i hope america would stand on the right side of history in confronting this largest injust nice your time. god will honor your courage. finally, though we are sitting here in the hall power, he take heart in the fact that our power is a weakness when compared to the strength ever our god. we can face injustice with that fear. we serve a god who is just, hears our prayers and can overcome any power. jesus said, you may ask me for anything by name and do it. we have long prayed for these injusts in china we know that god is faithful. the only reason why the injusts still happen is that he choose to -- among us to end them.

and he is patient with us. god can and will end this injustice and forced abortion and one-child policy. we know, we know that. and may it be our generation of privilege to carry out his task. here is a final story that gives hope. it shows that god does answer prayers. last year, -- for being pregnant without permit. our teen prayed for the release nowing that a fourth abortion was imminent. but family planning officials, you know, decided not to go through the procedure and the last minute and she was released. she gave birth to a baby girl five months later. that's her baby girl. on the night of december 5, 2011, we learned she was air forced again, this time for

petitioning the government about the property which officials had confiscated. she, her 70-year-old mother and 3 month old baby was in the illegal jail. the guards were hardly feeding her and her baby was crying from hunger because she could not produce enough milk. the guard told her that she would be there for another six months at least. christmas, you all probably remember that there was a hearing the next day on december 6, on behalf of her. [inaudible] may you all join us in the prayer. thank you brother, sister, for all of your prayers. this is what happened twenty hours later at midnight on the next day in china. because they were watching us at 4:00 a.m. their time.

she was blindfolded together with her mom, and of drove off and dropped off outside of bay beijing. it was a dramatic answer to our prayers and chen's despite the fact chen has not obtained the full freedom but the ability to escape from a massive prison was no less a miracle either. your word is so important media attention is important and prayers are important. as we speak publicly as little littlejohn reminded us. the world watches us and acts in response to our convictions. so, with your permission, i'd like to end the testimony with another prayer. heavenly father, you lord,

[inaudible] and you encourager them and listen to their cry. you hear the cries of people in china call growrg justice and mercy. you hear our cries, as we too, plead fur your justice. today we live chen and his family is supporters of up into your care. for we know you will finish what you have started and you will surely one day bring them to complete freedom. we left up to you the leaders here, ther is vent of the people. i praise you from raise them up and brining them here today, i ask you to move their hearts and inspire them to assist the families and friends of a brave friends in china. lord, please protect us all from being indifferent when we're suffering. you see that, you say that if a single fire falls you notice. how much more do you notice the

quiet of your daughters? [inaudible] and the millions of other women and the babies, the oppressed by the one-child policy. please inspire the men and women here today to use their authority in a way that serves the least of these in the world you have created. now to him, who is able to do more than all we can ask imagine according to his power that work within us to the glory and church and in christ see this throughout all generations forever and ever. amen. thank you. >> thank thank you very much for your extraordinary testimony, and the importance of prayer. because they certainly need it. and we will do. thank you. >> i'd like to ask mrs. mae if you would proceed. >> yes. >> yes.

[speaking in chinese] >> translator: mr. chairman and honorable members of congress i'm grateful for the opportunity to testify today before congress to expose america and the world how the one-child policy destroys lives and women. my name is -- i was born in 1958, in china aarrive in the united states in the 1999. [speaking in chinese]

> translator: before coming to america, i worked in the state own textile fact pry in

china. the majority of the workers in the factory were young women. so that family planning policy was implemented strictly. only one of these many women who live lived live was destroyed by the policy. i got married in 1981 and give birth to a son two years later. a according to policy at that time, women who gave birth are required to have a iud implanted. or one of these required to be sterilized and at that time intelling in the right kidney from undiagnosed reasons. so doctors refused implement iud in me. without -- [inaudible] okay without iud. i became the prime target for civilians by the family planning commission. [speaking in chinese]

>> translator: without iud i became pregnant. from 1983 to 1990 because of the one-child policy, i have to five abortions on the forced abortions on the following dates september -- may 5, 1989 and december 14, 1990. all operations were recorded in my medical history. i suffer greatly because of the one-child policy.

[speaking in chinese] >> translator: due to the time constrains i'll hand it to link to read the rest of my testimony. there were civilians and punishment to prevent unplanned pregnancies and birth. my family planning commission used three levels of control at the factory level in the fact ray clinic, and in the on the factory floor. if one worker violates the rules, all women will be punished. workers, monitor one another. of age, accounted for 60% of the factory floor. colleagues were suspicious and hostile to each other because of the one-child policy.

two of my pregnancies were reported on my colleagues to the family planning commission. when discovered, pregnant women would be dragged to undergo forced abortions. there was no other choice. we had no dignity as potential child barriers. by order of the factories of family planning commission. every month during the mean central period, women had to undress in front of the birth planning doctors for examination. if anyone skipped exams, she should be forced to take a pregnant test at the hospital. we were allowed to collect a salary only after it was confirmed that we were not pregnant. the day of my fifth and last abortion, december 14, 1990, when the -- of my life because i was unable to prove that i wasn't pregnant within ten to fifteen days

period. the birth planning doctor in the factory clinic found out about my pregnancy, that day, officials from the factory family planning commissions drove to city police hospital and forced know have an abortion in the birth planning department. it was any first operation in that hospital. all my previous abortions happened in the central city hospital. after the abortion, the doctors without my knowledge, implemented an metal iud in my yiewt rise. why i learned of the procedure, i protested that i had a kidney disease and could not keep the iud. they completely ignored me want doctors gave the bill to my husband, and told him to pay. while my husband argued with the doctors, i was recoverying in the hospital bed. why left, the room, i could not find my husband. i was told that he had been arrestedded.

i collapsed crying in the physical toll. a kind nurse tried to comfort me but she was pushed away by a man who threatened to have me arrested by the police. i felt alone, sick, and weak. afterwards, i learned that my husband had been sentenced to criminal detenges without a trial for violating on strucking the one-child policy. disturbing the normal operations of the hospital, and disturbing the peace. my husband was released fifty days later. i was in great pain from the iud and the weakness of the abortion and did not want to lift. -- my young son did not know what was happening and kept crying for his father. i did not what to do but hold my son and cry with him. even now why think of all this,

my heart sleds and the pain throbs. it's painful fifteen -- became the event yule failed major. my body suffered great damage from all of the force abortions. i grew afraid of family life with my husband. i tried to find excuses to demand any in-- i blamed my suffering on his unwillingness to be surgelier is loys -- my factory gave me a warning and fined me six months wages. afterwards, i had to go to the factory clinic every month for exams to make sure they had not privately taken out of the iud or became pregnant. i carried it for over a decade

before i came to america. my husband accelerated the demise of the marriage. he was suspended from his job and sensorred. and then lost his job in 1990, our family's immediately suffering financial difficulty. we argued frequently. i was laid off at the end of 1995. i was still considered of reproductive age. the family planning commission of my neighbor commission took up a job of monitoring me. in early 1997, i spent 40 days taking care 77 my termly ill mother and missed a monthly pregnancy check. agents from the family planning commission waited at home to drag me to the exam. when they pushed me to the ground, i felt and hurt my neck vertebrae. my spirit completely collapsed after this. i templed suicide but was

stopped by my family from jumping out of the of building. the help of olds friends in 1999, i escape to the country -- i escaped that china, that nearly destroyed me and came to america. my husband came too the u.s. a year later. we were able to amend our past agrievance and divorce in 2001. i became extremely depressed after the divorce. as a suggestion, i started attending church where i felt the warmth of christ's families and lord jesus lead me to forgive the bittererness in. we joined together again, my husband and i after i was baptize. we live the great family of christ in the family land of america.

i feel happiness but know back in china there are millions of women who are suffering like i did every day. thousands of young lives were being destroyed. i beg everyone to save them and wish everyone to join me in prayer for them. let the love our heavenly father, the grace of jesus christ fill their hearts and release us from the hellish suffering. >> thank you. mrs. mae, thank you for your courage and bringing every woman's story in china to the attention of this sub committee, and my -- i'm grateful that c-span is here. that i men and women will hear what every woman in is going through in china and has been going through when the one-child policy was substituted. brothers and sisters are illegal. women are treated as criminals

if they have a child without explicit government permission. your story, and i know chai link herself has suffered the gross exploitation of being forcibly aborted and so many women have suffered this degrading and horrific abuse of women. that's what chen's mission was. that's what his cause was. for that, he has been brutally mistreated. i want to thank you for you. i'd like to turn to my distinguished colleague buerkle. she is aers in if the state of new york. she chairs the sub committee on the health for the veterans affairs committee. i understand -- bob is going to join us in a moment. we have chen and we'll go to

buerkle. again, he joins us on may 3rd and provided very useful insights to say the least. we'll yield to him momentarily. so he can speak from his hospital bed, again in china. emily i are, if you wanted to say a few words. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i want to thank the chairman for his steadfast pursuit of human rights throughout the world. as you mentioned, thirty years, he has been vigilant for all human rights. i want to thank you for being here. for your per suit of justice in human rights in china. future generations with you talked about some of the past with martin luther king and ronald reagan. future generations are going to look at you for your devotion for creating a free china.

thank you for your courage and willingness to testify before us. we appreciate all that you do. and we just want to work with you to shed a light on the terrible injustice that exist in china. >> we will go to questions momentarily. mrs. mae mentioned how her husband was detained. again, i think for the purposes of understanding the deprafty, i invited with the help of harry, a woman who a program in guangzhou province. when she came her, she said you don't understand, america, the rest of the world what a priority it is to the government to impose to one-child per couple policy and to use and employ forced abortion and forced sterile lie decision. she self-described before this committee in this room, just

several years ago, at the hearing they chaired. she said by day i was a monster, by might i was a wife and mother of one child. and she said that they used detention against family members, the way mrs. mae talked a moment ago. to hold family members to put them in prison as they looked to find a woman who was trying to escape the family planning. that is the real they goes on every day in china. that is so grossly underappreciated by so many of us in policy making positions. again, when you talk about that kind of abuse of women, that sun precedented in world history, where an entire couple of generations now of chinese women have made to suffer that cruelty, be with barely a peep of dissent from the obama administration from many of our friends in the european union and elsewhere. when you get groups like the

unfpa, who say repeatedly that the program in china is totally voluntary when it is totally involuntary, it is a whitewash that has not comparison either. so thank you for sharing that detail that is so extremely important. that wasn't enough, the mother herself, the woman herself who was so hunted and degrade by the chinese dictatorship. they look at the rest of the family in the way that parallels what's going on with chen. it's not him and his family, it is the rest of his family, the extended family, without objection,ly put in the record a list of ten members of his family including five friends who were deeply concerned about. that's about -- that's not the engs tend it. we know the government has arrested, detained or beaten. and friends reggie spoke

passionately about. that was a few weeks ago that he lost his hearing. we do now have chen on the line. i would like to -- or do we? mr. chen, you are on. [sheikspeaking in chinese] [speaking in chinese] [speaking in chinese]

>> translator: i just want to talk about what had happened to my ore family members after i escaped from my own home. and april 26, around midnight, a group of chinese government local government lead by the local country leader, and raided my elder brother's home at midnight. [speaking in chinese] >> translator: around midnight on the news group of thugs by

the local authorities just broke into my elder brother's home and started beating them violently. [speaking in chinese] >> translator: any elder brother was taken away by this

thug without any reasoning and then he came back and started beating up my nephew, and for the use the stakes and violently and beaten up him and then for three hours, he is bleeding on his head and face was not stop. and so this is so violent that -- to my knowledge had to defend himself. [speaking in chinese] >> translator: had is against

my nephew for so-called intentional homicide is totally trumped up charge. and for himself, at his own home to be accused of committing this crime of intentional homicide for the intruders, and is a totally absurd and irrational,er reasonable. [speaking in chinese] >> translator: this guy, the township leader had lead from forty to sometimes eighty

officials, guards raided my home in past year, and beat me and my family seriously, and so this is a pattern already. it's not the first time he harmed against my family. [speaking in chinese] >> translator: and after my nephew was beaten up and he actually was waiting and waiting to surrender himself and the police come back again and

violently beat up my sisters-in-law, and -- [speaking in chinese] >> translator: my brother, of course, was taken away without any reasoning by the authorities, and then all of my

-- the lawyer and attorneys of him has already gone to the commission paper signed by my nephew's wife, went to the county and even though he had the signature by his wife, the detention center and the public security offices refused for him to meet with the chen and by calling that document a fake document. although they know it is true, and also, they just want to have my nephew's wife to come and to surrender herself. [speaking in chinese]

>> translator: what had been done by the chinese -- by this public security officers is a total violation against the chinese, unconstitution, and the chinese own criminal law. of course, those charges against my nephew for simply for self-defense is the contradiction of chinese own law as well. [speaking in chinese]

>> translator: the same tactic of the county that was used against me in 2006, when they tried to prevent -- they tried every way to prevent my attorneys to defend for my trial is now being used again against my nephew. [speaking in chinese] >> translator: i think the charges are trumped up -- trumped-up charges and the county has been on the wrong side, the opposite side of the rule of law in china. [speaking in chinese]

>> translator: and this is so for a what i have learned about my extended family members in the county. and so right now i am not able to communicate with them anywhere because all of their communications tools were confiscated already. [speaking in chinese] . ..