Wang Bingzhang is a former surgeon and researcher who wrote pro-democracy literature. He was charged with espionage and with planning an embassy bombing. After being kidnapped abroad and transported to China in 2002, Bingzhang was sentenced to life imprisonment in solitary confinement. He has been sick and alone in prison for 22 years.
Schiff letter, Ambassador Fu Cong, Human Rights Commission(Lantos), Amnesty International
President Xi Jinping
President of the People’s Republic of China
Zhongnanhai
Xichangan’jie
Xichengqu, Beijing Shi 100017
November 26, 2024
Dear President Xi Jinping:
The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers, and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the world.
We are writing to you regarding Dr. Wang Bingzhang, a thoracic surgeon and researcher who was kidnapped from Vietnam and forcibly taken into China in 2002. He was officially arrested five long months afterwards. His charges were severe, including the formulation of plans to bomb an embassy and espionage, yet his entire trial lasted less than half a day. An appeal to his guilty verdict was rejected a few weeks later. After an unlawful kidnapping and an absurdly short trial, Bingzhang was sentenced to life imprisonment. It is obvious to us that his arrest and imprisonment were prompted by his pro-democracy writings.
The conditions of Bingzhang’s imprisonment are deeply concerning to us. He has been under strict solitary confinement. At first, he would receive visits from family members once per month, lasting forty minutes each. This anemic visitation pattern lessened over time. His family has been restricted to the point where he possibly receives one or two visits per year.
Bingzhang’s mental and physical health have both deteriorated severely. He has been in solitary confinement for almost 22 years. The 77-year-old man has been reported to have had multiple strokes. He is missing several teeth. At this stage, Bingzhang cannot be considered a danger to society. We strongly urge his release, allowing him to spend his remaining time outside these torturous conditions. If an immediate release is not possible, Wang Bingzhang must receive intensive medical and psychological care.
The Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations, Fu Cong, has spoken very strongly on a wide variety of human rights issues, often urging “peace and stability,” as well as “calm and restraint.” These words were applied in very broad-brush strokes about entire nations. However, it is morally imperative to apply such compassionate principles to individual people, beginning with Wang Bingzhang.
Sincerely,
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists
CC:
Anthony Blinken
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520