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ÂŒÀ» Charter 08

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ÂŒÀ» Charter 08 ÂÀ» ÖY¯Â»{ÕY]Ö¿YÂyY§ ¾Ìq{ Charter 08 Calling for Democracy in China Vision and Motivation ÃÌ´¿YÁÀÌ] Having witnessed the political liberalization that Mikhail Gorbachev yYÁY { į ÖZÌ Z] ÕZ§ Ã|ÅZ» Z] undertook in the Soviet Union in the late ÕÁ ÌÅZ¼m {ZveY { Õ{ÔÌ» {ZfÅ ÄÅ{ 1980s, many Chinese were hoping for Ã|»M{YmYĸu»Ä]¦qZ]³¶WZzÌ»Âe similar reforms at home. After the Soviet Ä]į|¿{Zf§Y°§¾ËYÄ]ZÅÖÀÌqYÕZÌ],{Â] Union collapsed with the fall of the ¶¼ Ä»Zm {Ây ¯ { ½M Ì¿ ÖeZuÔY Berlin Wall in 1989, the Chinese became µZ^»Y¿ÃZ»{¾Ì·]YÂË{ÖZaÁ§Z] |À¿ZÂb] even more eager for change. When the ÕËÁ§ Ä]Zj» Ä] į Õ{Y|ËÁ ,Õ{ÔÌ» Communist leadership in Beijing failed to deliver any reforms, over 100,000 Chinese «ÁÄ]ZÅÖÀÌq|Ì»Y,{Â]ÕÁÂ{ZveYÕÂeYb»Y citizens gathered in protest at Tiananmen Z],{Ây¯{¾Ë{ZÌÀ]Á¥ÕZÅֿ³³{ Square in 1989, in what became known ÄWYY¹|Öa{ |ÕÌ´Ìa¦Z»ÕYÃÌ´¿Y as the June 4th Incident. After being ÕÂY|¿{Â]Zf¿Y{ZÅÖÀÌqįÖeZuÔY repressively silenced by the regime's YÅ|YÌ],¯¾ËYd̿¼¯Õ^Å military power, the Chinese opposition {¾»½M½ZÌe½Y|Ì»{ÖËZ¼Å{³Z]½ZÌÀÌqY¨¿ VSHQW D VLJQL¿FDQW SRUWLRQ RI WKH V º£YÕ{Y|ËÁ,¾WÁ{,¾ÌqdzfËZa and 2000s developing new strategies through which to address their grievances Ã|¥Á »¾WÁ¹ZÆqÄ «YÁÄ]į|¿{ to the state and organize for democratic ¹Z¿Ä¯½MYaÁ{Y|ËÁ¾ËYÖa{ dY change. ÖfÌÀ»Y Á Ö»Z¿ ÕZÅÁÌ¿ Ä] Z°eY Z] ¾Ìq ÖZÌ Understanding that they need not be ¶Âf» cZZ¼fmY ¾ËY ½{¯ »Zy Ä] {Ây ]©Â¬uÁÖY¯Â»{ ZÅÄ]ne www.tavaana.org limited by their Marxist philosophies, ÕZÅÄÅ{ Y ÕYÃ|¼ z] ÖÀÌq ½Z¨·Zz» ,| members of the Tiananmen protests \ZÀ»ÕZÅ{^ÅY¾f§ZËÄ]YÕ{ÔÌ»Á reframed their idea of democracy in a post- Cold War world. In the spring of 2008, ¾ËY ÖZÌ ¹Z¿ Ä] {Ây YfY ¹ÔY ÕY] Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo, alongside ÖÅ|¿Z»ZÁÂnfmÄ]ÁÃ{Y{ZfyY¯ fellow Chinese opposition members, |ÀfyY{a®ÌeY¯Â»{ֿ³³{ÕZÅZ°ÅY began working on a political document ¾Ìe ½Y|Ì» ÖYfY ÕZÅÖËZ¼Å{³ ½Y^Å modeled after the Czech Charter 77, a ºÌ¯Z» Õ¿ ÕZÅÖfZ¯ ­{ Z] ,¾» ½M declaration by Vaclav Havel and the Czech Y ½Z¿M ÕY] ZÅÄË¿ Ŀ´ÀËY į ÖËZÅZÀ´Àe Á opposition that called on the Communist ÕZZ]Ä],{¯Ö»{ZnËYÖZÌÁÕ°§ÃZ³|Ë{ government to accept all prior United Nations human rights conventions. Like ÁÕÓZ¹{»Z]Ä]Y{{ÂyÕ¿ÕZÅ\·Z« the original Charter 77, whose signatories |ÀfZy]{²ÀmYaÖ¿ZÆm¾Ë¿f]{ included an array of civil society µZZÆ]{į{Â]Õ|ÀËM§¾ÌÀqÈ»Y{Y{ members, the authors behind Charter µZ § ,Ä·Z °¨ÀÁ , Â^ËY³ ÂÌ· ,Õ{ÔÌ» 08 demand that the regime ratify the |·Âf»Á¾Ìqº¸«¶¬f»¾¼n¿YÂÁ]©Â¬u United Nations International Convention ,{Ây½Y°¨¼ÅYÖÅÁ³ÃY¼ÅÄ],µZ on Civil and Political Rights. 1 Going ºÆ¸»Ä¯{ÕÂÀ»¾ËÁ|eÁÄÌÆeZ¯Ä]d{ above and beyond Charter 77’s mission, Charter 08 does want to work within the ÃZ»{į©Â§ÂÀ» {Â]®qÂÀ»Y boundaries of the Chinese Constitution in ª¸yÖfÌ·ZËÂÕÂƼm{,µZÄË¿Y RUGHUWRIDFLOLWDWHDQXPEHURIVLJQL¿FDQW ,Ã|ÀË¿ , µÁZÅ ÁÔYÁ Õ Y Ö¯Y¸°q reforms. YÖÅÁ³Á¯¾ËY°¨ÀÁÁÖZ̵Z § On December 10, 2008, on the 60th {Â]ÕZ°f]Y,{Â]Ã|»M{ËveÄfÄ]ÁY½YZË anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Ä]Y{,®q]©Â¬u½Y´À¯Ä¯,Ö¿|» Human Rights, a coalition of 300 prominent ½MÖa{,Z°Ë»M{ ÕÓZ¹{»Ö¸»{ZÌÀ]Z] Chinese citizens published the Charter 08 manifesto in response to the Chinese ÕÂƼmd̿¼¯½Z¼¯ZuYÂÀ»¾ËY |¿{Â] government’s human rights violations, Ö»Z¼eÄ]ZedYÂyÖ»½Z»½M{Ö¯Y¸°q calling for multiparty democracy, a free ©Â¬uÖ¸¸¼·Y¾Ì]cY|ÅZ »Ä̸¯{k|À»¾ËY» press, and an independent judiciary in ÄÀÌ»¾ËY{|vf»¶¸»½Z»ZcZ]»Á] China. 2 į,Ä]¥Á »ÄÌ·ÁYÂÀ»|À¿Z¼Å |ÀÆ¿½{³ LZ»YÄ]®qÖ¿|»½Y´À¯YÕZÌ]¥Y Goals and Objectives ½ZÅYÂy, ÂÀ»Z˽MÖÀÌqµ{Z »,{Â]Ã|Ì Charter 08 was a bold call for political and economic reform by Chinese ¯d̿¼¯¹Z¿Ö¼cZ»Z¬»Ä¯{Â]½M dissidents, many of whom had been ©Â¬uÖ¸¸¼·Y¾Ì]©ZjÌ»\ËÂeÁµÂ^«Ä]Y{Ây imprisoned after the 1989 Tiananmen ÂÀ»,µZu¾ËYZ] {ZY{YÁ, ÖZÌÁÖ¿|» www.tavaana.org ¾Ìq{ÖY¯Â»{ÕY]Ö¿YÂyY§-ÂÀ» Square massacre. The authors strategically dY{½M]Ôe,®qµ{Z »¥Ôy],ÖÀÌq timed their announcement of the document [ÂqZÆqÄ]Y{ÂyÕZÅdYÂyÁZÅdÌ·Z §Ze on the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in December ÃY|¿YÂf]ZeÄfyZ{Á|v»Â¯½MÖZY½Â¿Z« 2008. It was a time of great anticipation for {ZY¼žÌq{Y{ÖÀ »cZuÔYÕY]Y political change in China, coinciding with µZ ^»Z{ ÃZ» ºÅ{ { ,¹Zn¿Y other important anniversaries such as the ÄÌ»ÔY {´·Z ¾Ì¼f Z] ½Z»¼Å Á Õ{ÔÌ» 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square |¿ÁÆY\¯»Ö§ÔfWY,]©Â¬uÖ¿ZÆm protest on June 4, the 50th anniversary of ©Â¬u¾ËY»½|µZ¼ËZaÄ]xZa{,ÖÀÌq¹ZÀ] the exile of the Dalai Lama on March 10, ÖaÕZÅÁZneÄ]YfY{Á¯½M{] and the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on fÀ»YÖÀf»,ÄÀÌ»¾ËY{½Y³d»Â°uÖa{ October 1. 3 Ö{ÁÃ|¥Á »ÂÀ»Ä]į|ÀÀ¯Ö» The overarching goal of the movement ÕZÅÄ¿Z ,Ö]u|Àq ¹Z¿ ÕY«] ½ZÅYÂy ½M is to secure constitutional amendments |¿{³Ö»¾Ìq{ÄÌWZ«Ã«µÔ¬fYÁ{YM that guarantee universal human rights, basic freedoms, and a more democratic |Z¬»Á¥Y|ÅY and accountable government in China. As the Charter states, “Guaranteeing human įdÌ «YÁ¾ËYÄ]ÄmÂeZ]ÃËÁÄ],ÂÀ» rights is both the most important objective {,{¾ÌqÖZ̹Z¿½Z¨·Zz»YÕZÌ] of a government and the foundation of d{YY{Ây½Zm¾»½M¾Ìe½Y|Ì»Zf¯Ö the legitimacy of its public authority; Y{Â]ÕYÄ¿Z¯Z]Ö]dYÂy{Á¹Z³,|¿{Â]Ã{Y{ it is also the intrinsic requirement of ¾f§ZË d{ ÕY] ½Z¿M ÃY ½Z³|ÀÅ{Ä»Y{Y Õ WKH SROLF\ RI µSXWWLQJ SHRSOH ¿UVW¶´ The Charter calls for separation of xËZe Õ{Zf«YÁÖZÌY{ÄÀ»Y{cZuÔYÄ] powers, legislative democracy, judicial ÖnÀÄf°¿Ád̼ÅYYÖ·ZyÌ¿ÂÀ»¾ËYZf¿Y independence, elections for government Ö¿Z»¼ÅÄ°ÀËYÄ]º¸Z]½M½Z³|ÀÀ¯¾ËÁ|e dÌ¿ positions, and civic education in the Á ] ©Â¬u Ö¿ZÆm ÄÌ»ÔY {´·Z ¾Ì¼f 4 country. ¹ZÆq { ,¾» ½M ¾Ìe Zf¯ Á·Z ¾Ì¼fÌ] Two of the Charter's demands deal |Ì ^e{´·Z¾Ì¼ÅZnÀaZ],®ËY¾WÁÃZ» PRUHVSHFL¿FDOO\ZLWKPDWWHUVUHODWLQJWR the Tiananmen Square massacre, though ºÅ{ { Öf^e½ZÌWY{Â] Ö^Å~» ^Å,Z»Ó ÖËÓY{ there is no direct reference to the 1989 ÕÂƼm ÖËZa] Á·Z ¾Ì¼f Á Z» ÃZ» crackdown on human rights. The more ,´Ë{ÕÂY,µZ½M^f¯Yº°Ë{¾Ìqª¸y immediate demand calls on the state to ÕZÅֿ³³{ÕY]YÖ^ZÀ»dÌ «Â»Zed§Ö» provide compensation to individuals, ÃZ»,{ÁMºÅY§Â¯¾ËY{ÖZÌY{ÖÀ » as well as their families, who suffered {,{ÂyÂÀ»Zf¿YÕY]YµZ^»Z{ political persecution; release all political |¿{Y{Y«¥|Å,Õ{^ÅYּ̼eÁ[Zzf¿Y ]©Â¬uÁÖY¯Â»{ ZÅÄ]ne www.tavaana.org prisoners and prisoners of conscience; , ÂÀ» Y h ^À» ^Àm Ö¸¯ ¥|Å and establish a Commission for Truth dËZ]ÖÀ^»ÖZY½Â¿Z«ÕZÅÄÌ«Zv·Y¾Ì¼e ,QYHVWLJDWLRQ WR ¿QG RXW WKH WUXWK DERXW historical events, determine responsibility, Á ¾Ë{ZÌÀ] ÕZÅÕ{YM Á ] ©Â¬u ¾ËY» and uphold justice. 5 The Charter also calls dY ¾Ìq { ´zZa Á ÓZ¹{» Öf»Â°u for increased state control of armed forces ¾Ì¼e,dYÃ|»M¯~»ÂÀ»{į½ZÀr¼Å and political neutrality of all military and Yd»Â°u®Ë¥Y|ÅYºÅYZÆÀeÄ¿,]©Â¬u police members. 6 Y|f«YdÌÁ» ZYÁÄËZaį|Å{Ö»¶Ì°e 'HPDQGV IRU HFRQRPLF ¿VFDO DQG ,Äf~³¾ËYY-{ÁÖ»Z¼Ä]Ì¿½Mֻ¼ environmental reform were also included dZÌÕÂÅZ»ÖËZÅÄfËZ]Y]©Â¬u¾Ì¼e in the Charter. Some demands were more civic-minded, such as the call to establish dË·ÁY½MÕZÀ^»]įÖfZÌ,dY¹{»µÁY a social security system, taxpayers' rights, ]d»Â°uÕÂYÖ»Y|«YÅ{ÁZ¯Å{ protection of the ecological environment, ,¾ÌÀr¼Å dYÃ|ZÀ]¹{»§ZÀ»Á©Â¬uÄËZa and promotion of sustainable development. ÖÀf^»ÕÓZ¹{»,Y«ºÌ¬e½ZÅYÂyÂÀ» At the same time, the Charter’s authors ÕY] cZ]Zzf¿Y ,ÄÌWZ« ë µÔ¬fY ,½Â¿Z« ] called for a complete economic |¯{Öf»Â°uÕZÅd¼À˳ overhaul to move toward a free market Ä] ּ̬f» ÃZY Ŀ³pÌÅ Ä°ÀËY {ÂmÁ Z] economy. 7 ¾ËY{½M¾Ì¿Ây[¯Á¾WÁËZ«Á Leadership ,½M{k|À»µÂYY¶YÁ{,{Â]Ã|¿ÂÀ» Though the Charter 08 Group has µZ¼ËZaZ]Ä]Y{ÖËZÅdYÂyÄ]ZyÂÄ] not released the names of the document's ºÌ»e {Â]¾»½M½ZÌe{Y|ËÁÁ]©Â¬u½| authors (possibly both in the spirit {ZÆ¿MÕZÅÃ{Y¿ZyÁ¦¸fz»{Y§YįÖËZŽZË of it being a large-scale civil society d·Á{ÕÂYÖZÌÕZÅ[¯Á\̬ eÖa movement and for the protection of the ¾ËY{į{Â]ÖfYÂy¾Ëe¶mZ,|¿{Â]Ã|Ë{ signatories), Liu Xiaobo, a university professor and human rights activist, is ,¾ËY]ÃÁÔ {Â]Ã|k{ÂÀ»{Ä]Y popularly speculated to be a leading Zy Ä] į Ö¿Z¯ Á ÖZÌ ½ZÌ¿Y|¿ Õ{YM author.
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