WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed Congressman David Wu’s resolution in support of two Chinese human rights activists, Mr. Huang Qi and Mr. Tan Zuoren by a vote of 426 to 1.  Both men have been arrested and tried in China for attempting to give voice to the parents of the thousands of children who were killed in the numerous school building collapses that occurred during the May 12, 2008, earthquake in Sichuan province.

Congressman Wu’s resolution, H.Res. 877, was cosponsored by 176 bipartisan members of Congress, including nine House committee chairmen.  The full text of the resolution can be found here.

“As a parent, my heart goes out to the parents whose children were killed in the Sichuan earthquake when their school buildings crumbled around them,” Congressman Wu said.  “Instead of getting answers, these parents have been harassed; instead of being guaranteed their constitutional rights to free speech, Huang Qi and Tan Zuoren have been put in prison for trying to help.  The passage of my resolution today sends a clear message that no one who has suffered the loss of a child, or who has spoken out on behalf of those who have, deserves to be abandoned or persecuted by his or her own government.”

Huang Qi and Tan Zuoren were each put on trial in Chengdu, China, in August 2009 on charges of endangering national security.  Mr. Huang had publicized the parents’ demands on his human rights website, and Mr. Tan had called for an independent investigation into the school building collapses and had urged volunteers to compile lists of students killed in the quake.  Their trials were both fraught with procedural violations, and to date, judgments have not been issued for either case.

On October 30, 2009, one day after introducing the House resolution, Congressman Wu sent a letter to President Obama, asking him to discuss the cases of Huang Qi and Tan Zuoren during his visit to China this month.  That letter was also signed by Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA), Frank Wolf (R-VA), and Chris Smith (R-NJ).
 

The full text of Congressman Wu’s statement on the House floor follows:

“Mr. Speaker, it is a tragedy when any child is killed.  It is an abomination when the act of asking questions about one’s child’s death leads to harassment or persecution by one’s own government.

“We all remember when a major earthquake struck Sichuan province, China, on May 12, 2008.  It was the most devastating natural disaster to hit China in more than three decades.

“That day, I was the first personally to present condolences to the Chinese people for their loss.

“Particularly heartbreaking were the stories of the children who were killed as their school buildings collapsed around them, and the images of parents overwhelmed with grief.  In the aftermath of the earthquake, these parents started questioning why school buildings collapsed at a much higher rate than other types of buildings.  They allege that poor construction and corruption among local officials and builders contributed to the school building collapses.

“These allegations have been stonewalled, or worse, resulted in the harassment of the complainants.  Chinese courts have refused to hear lawsuits brought by the parents.  Local officials have even kept some complaining parents in arbitrary detention.

“As a parent myself, I find it a tragic failure of justice to have these grievances go unaddressed—especially if a society chooses to enforce a one child policy.

“Two human rights activists from Sichuan’s capital city of Chengdu attempted to stand up for these grieving parents and give voice to their concerns.

“Soon after the earthquake struck, Mr. Huang Qi posted articles on his website, the Tianwang Human Rights Center, about the parents’ demands for an investigation into the school building collapses.

“Separately, in February of this year, Mr. Tan Zuoren issued a proposal on the Internet calling for volunteers to travel to Sichuan to compile lists of students killed in the quake, to document the parents’ treatment, and to conduct an investigation of the quality of school building construction.  Mr. Tan’s report criticized officials for failing to follow through on commitments to fully investigate the role that inferior construction played in the school building collapses and for failure to deal with the parents’ demands.  

“For these actions, the local Chengdu municipal government charged both Mr. Huang and Mr. Tan with endangering national security.  Mr. Huang was charged with illegally possessing state secrets and Mr. Tan was charged with inciting subversion of state power.

“After months of being held in prison—Mr. Huang for over a year—both of these men were put on trial in August of this year.  There are allegations that both trials were fraught with numerous substantive and procedural violations.

“In the case of Mr. Tan, the parents of the earthquake victims said they were detained to prevent them from attending his trial.  The court reportedly rejected requests from Mr. Tan’s lawyers to call three witnesses, including the noted architectural designer Ai Weiwei, who helped design the Beijing Olympics’ Bird’s Nest Stadium and who was also investigating student deaths in the Sichuan earthquake.  According to Mr. Ai, police came to his hotel and used force to prevent him and 10 others from leaving the premises until after the trial ended.  

“Mr. Huang’s trial was allegedly fraught with similar violations, including the detention of a volunteer from the Tianwang Human Rights Center to prevent him from testifying on Mr. Huang’s behalf.  

“To date, judgments have not issued in either Mr. Huang’s or Mr. Tan’s trial.  The trials have been suspended or held open.  Both men continue to be held in prison.

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to pass House Resolution 877 to express their support for Mr. Huang and Mr. Tan’s peaceful request for answers and justice on behalf of the parents whose children were killed in the Sichuan earthquake.

“This bipartisan resolution, with 176 cosponsors, calls on the Chinese government to adhere to its own constitutional guarantees, its own criminal procedure laws, and its own recently issued National Human Rights Action Plan to ensure that Mr. Huang, Mr. Tan, and all Chinese citizens are accorded the right to free speech and the right to criticize and make suggestions to the government, as guaranteed by their own constitution.

“Mr. Speaker, no one who suffers the loss of a child deserves abandonment by or punishment from his or her own government.

“Let us pass this resolution today for the thousands of parents in Sichuan who remain without answers about the death of their son or daughter, and for the two men who have courageously spoken out on their behalf.”