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 刘晓波和妻子刘霞
Washington Post, 4/16/2009
An Appeal for a Chinese Dissident
By Xia Liu
Thursday, April 16, 2009
BEIJING -- My husband, Liu Xiaobo, was one of the primary drafters of a document known as Charter 08. Modeled after the Charter 77 petition created in the former Czechoslovakia, Charter 08 calls for comprehensive political reforms in China, including the establishment of a democratic government and the protection of universally recognized human rights. It was signed and issued by more than 300 Chinese citizens on Dec. 10, 2008, the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and to date it has been signed online by more than 8,000 others.
Charter 08 has clearly resonated with everyday Chinese people. Perhaps this is why my husband, who was arrested on Dec. 8 by Chinese police without an arrest warrant, was seen as such a threat to the regime that he remains in police custody today, even though no charges have been brought against him.
Despite the hardship that his involvement in the Charter 08 movement has caused him, I am sure that Xiaobo has no regrets. He is deeply committed to promoting and protecting the rights of all people, particularly those who do not enjoy the advantages that he has as an intellectual. Indeed, this was the fourth time that I have had to witness my husband being dragged from our home by Chinese police. He previously served half a year in prison for his participation in the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations at Tiananmen Square. In 1996, he was taken away and sent to prison for three more years for promoting freedom and democracy in his writings. Then, in 2006, he was once again taken into custody and was interrogated for 12 hours before being released.
Although my husband and I were fully aware of the possible retaliation that his advocacy might inspire, his detention is still very painful for us both. We agreed long ago that we would not have a child, as it would be too cruel to subject him or her to the absence of an imprisoned father. Thus, we are both alone now. We write to each other constantly, knowing our letters will never reach each other. In the nearly four months since his abduction, authorities have allowed me only two visits with him. After being taken to an undisclosed location, I was permitted to talk with him as we shared a meal under the unremitting surveillance of prison guards. During our conversations, I learned that he has been confined alone to a small room lit by a single light bulb and that most of the more than 60 books I had brought him were confiscated by prison officials. It is difficult for me to bear the extent of his isolation.
Now I fear that the government is preparing to stage a show trial and convict my husband of "inciting the subversion of state power," a charge frequently leveled against political dissidents and one that typically carries a lengthy prison sentence. Police have summoned and investigated nearly all of the original signatories of Charter 08, as they gather "evidence" of my husband's "crime." In doing so, they are sending a clear signal to others in the democratic movement that dissent will not be tolerated.
I implore President Obama to intervene on my husband's behalf and to express to the Chinese government his wish that my husband be freed. My husband has done nothing wrong, and his imprisonment is a great tragedy not only for me but also for the countless people of my country who lack a voice but share his desire to see China become a free, democratic nation. Please, President Obama, stand in solidarity with Liu Xiaobo, and help me to be reunited with my husband.
The writer lives in Beijing. Her column was translated by the Laogai Research Foundation, a Washington group working to expose human rights violations in China.
刊载于4/16/2009 《华盛顿邮报》
呼吁释放我的丈夫刘晓波
我的丈夫刘晓波是08宪章的主要起草人之一。08宪章以前捷克斯洛伐克的77宪章为蓝本，呼吁在中国进行全面的政治改革，包括建立民主政府，以普世公认的标准保障人权。2008年12月10日是世界人权宣言签署60周年，这一天08宪章由300多中国公民签署发布，截至今天联署者已超过8000人。
很明显，08宪章在全体华人中引起了共鸣。也许正是因为这个原因，当局认为我的丈夫对国家政权构成了危险。2008年12月8日，中国警方在未出示逮捕证的情况下逮捕了我的丈夫，并被拘押至今，尽管他们从未对他提出任何控罪。
尽管由于参与起草08宪章，我的丈夫陷入了困境，但我相信晓波没有后悔。他一向坚定地致力于促进并保障中国人的人权，特别是那些弱势群体的人权。事实上，这已经是我第四次亲眼目睹他被警察从家中拖走。在此之前，他曾因参加1989年天安门广场的民主运动而被监禁半年。 1996年，由于他撰写文章呼吁民主自由，再次被判入狱三年。2006年，他又一次被北京警方拘押，持续审问12个小时后才被释放。
虽然我和丈夫深知起草并签署08宪章可能带来的后果，但丈夫被拘留仍然给我们两人带来了巨大的痛苦。很早以前，我们俩人就商定不生孩子，不论是男孩女孩，父亲被投入监狱对于他们来说总是件十分残酷的事儿。所以，我们现在还是独身。丈夫被拘押后，我们只能靠书信联系，俩人不断地给对方写信，虽然我们知道这样的信件也许对方永远不会收到。在他被绑架的近4个月来，当局只允许我们见了两次面。我被带到一个秘密地点，我和丈夫一边吃饭一边谈话，狱警一刻不停地在旁边监视着我们。谈话中我了解到，他一直被单独关押在一个小房间里，里面只有一盏灯泡。我带给他的60多本书，多数都被监狱官员没收。想到他在监狱里孤苦伶仃的生活，我赶到难以忍受。
现在我担心，政府正在准备对他进行审判，试图以“煽动颠覆国家政权罪”来判决他。当局经常用这个罪名来惩处持不同政见者，一旦按这个罪名判决刑期通常十分漫长。警方已经传唤、调查了几乎所有的原始签署者，这是在搜集“证据”以便给我丈夫“定罪”。他们这样做，也是在向所有的民主运动参与者发出明确的信号，告诉他们当局不会容忍持不同政见者。
我恳求奥巴马总统能够过问我丈夫的案子，向中国政府表达让我的丈夫重获自由的希望。我的丈夫没有做错任何事，他被监禁不仅是我个人的大不幸，也是无数和他一样渴望国家自由民主，却又没有正常表达渠道的中国人的巨大悲剧。请奥巴马总统站在刘晓波一边，帮助我实现与丈夫团圆的梦想。
作者为刘晓波之妻，居北京。英文由华盛顿的人权组织劳改研究基金会翻译。
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