Chinese Rights Activist Xu Released and Sent to U.S.

Xu Wenli, a prominent pro-democracy activist in China known as `God father of dissidents,` was released and sent to the U.S. on the eve of Christmas. The release of the 59-year-old human rights advocate is considered the biggest move the Chinese government made on its dissidents after the exile of Wang Dan, a pro-democracy activist leading the Tiananmen Square protests.

˝The Chinese government decided to grant him medical parole given the failing health of Xu, who has been suffering from hepatitis B,˝ said John Kamm, spokesman for U.S.-based Chinese human rights group Dui Hua.

Right after the release, Xu was sent to the U.S. with his wife. They arrived at O`hare Airport in Chicago on Dec. 24 and reunited with their daughter who is working as a schoolteacher. Xu declined interview requests and just said ˝Thank you so much for your concern,˝ reported the Associated Press.

Dui Hua says that Xu will stay in the U.S leading Chinese pro-democracy movement there.

The announcement came a week after a U.S. delegation comprising high-ranking officials like Lorne Craner, the assistant secretary of state for human rights, called for Xu`s release during a bilateral human rights meeting.

˝This was directly related to the Chinese government`s desire to improve relations with the U.S.," said Kamm. American officials and human rights groups abroad have repeatedly sought Mr. Xu`s release since late 1998.

Xu has been like a thorn in the back to the Chinese government for years. He was imprisoned in 1982 after the `Democracy Wall` movement in 1979, in which he explicitly criticized the government. Then, he spent 16 years in prison for the last 20 years of his life.

He became a prominent figure in 1998 after attempting to form independent China Democracy Party. He received 13 years sentence as the government banned the party and rounded up leaders of the movement including Wang Yucai and Qin Yongmin.

Xu, however, has feuded with another democracy wall activist, Wei Jingsheng, who was also arrested at the time of the movement and later sent into exile in the U.S. in 1997. While Wei is well known abroad for his eloquent calls for democracy, Xu has been leading democracy movements within the country.

˝We are pleased with the Chinese government`s decision to release Xu,˝ said spokesman for U.S. State Department Philip Liker.

Human rights organization Human Rights Watch also welcomed Xu`s release but pointed out, “The Chinese government is trying to making a makeshift measure to avoid international criticism rather than improving human rights conditions in the country.˝

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