A letter-prayer from Wang Bingzhang, pioneer of democracy, in prison for 15 years
The dissident was a protégé of the Party, one of the first Chinese students sent abroad after Mao Zedong’s death. After he returned home, he abandoned his medical career and founded a movement for democracy. Released in 1998, he was abducted in Vietnam in 2002 and taken to China where he was sentenced to life in prison. "I know that everything of mine was given by you, and that all glory belongs to you. I will absolutely not fail in the mission you gave me.”
Hong Kong (AsiaNews/China Change) – Last Friday, Dr. Wang Bingzhang’s family – his wife, children and siblings in Canada and the United States – received a letter from him in Shaoguan Prison, Guangdong. He shared “a special prayer” with them on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of his kidnapping and arrest.
Wang Bingzhang (1947- ) was among the first Chinese students sent overseas to study after the Cultural Revolution and Deng Xiaoping’s rise to power. He studied medicine at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, from 1979 to 1982. He was the pride of the Chinese Communist Party and founded a journal, China Spring, starting a movement to transform China into a democracy.
He sought the abolition of one-party rule; the separation of the party from the government, military and judiciary; the separation of the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary; the direct election of national leaders; and federalism. He also laid out five goals for economic reform: the establishment of a market economy; the co-existence of multiple economic systems; the protection of private property; independent unions; and farmers’ land ownership and usage rights. Most of these demands can be found in the stated goals of other dissidents and pro-democracy groups in China, like Liu Xiaobo‘s Charter 08 .
The establishment of a Democratic Party in 1998 led to his arrest and expulsion from the country. In 2002, during a trip to Vietnam to meet with other activists, Wang was kidnapped and brought back to China. After he was beaten and left in front of a Buddhist temple, he was arrested. After six months of silence and a trial lasting one day, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for espionage and terrorism.
My loved ones, June 27, 2017 is the 15th anniversary of when I was abducted and imprisoned. On this special day, I’ve made a special prayer that I’d like to share with all of you:
To my Holy Creator, my Lord in Heaven, God, Heavenly Father, Holy Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit:
Your servant Wang Bingzhang prays to you. On June 27, 2002, 15 years ago now, I was abducted and from that day on have been imprisoned in solitary confinement.
I thank you for staying by my side for these 15 years, offering me support and guidance. I thank you for making use of me, and for giving me a special mission: from the time you created humankind, setting out that it was my mission to help promulgate the natural laws, norms, standards, and truths you established for man to live by, as shown in ancient civilization, the classic texts of the world, and in the works of our ancestors. I have come to realize that you have a grand plan for the salvation of the world and humankind; to make this mad world return once more to norms you established, and to help the lost world of man return to your embrace. I feel greatly honored that I can make a small contribution to the grand plan you have laid out. I know that everything of mine was given by you, and that all glory belongs to you.
I will absolutely not fail in the mission you gave me. I’ll continue to cherish myself, I’ll keep my mind and body in good order, and live the years you allotted me. Under your teaching, inspiration, and guidance, I do your work every day. I guarantee that your selection of me, your deep love, your accompaniment, your divine inspiration, and your grace encourages me to be braver and work without fear, even if I have to spend another 15 years in jail. I will redouble my efforts and leave behind a record that renders glory to your sacred name.
Amen.
I love you all,
Wang Bingzhang
From solitary confinement in Shaoguan Prison
June 27, 2017
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20/02/2018 12:55
06/02/2018 12:09
