2013-09-16 17:15 (GMT+8)
Wang Bingzhang. (Photo/China Times)
Renowned activist Wang Bingzhang was on the verge of being released from prison last year by Chinese authorities until strong opposition from retired political heavyweight Zhou Yongkang, reports Boxun, a citizen journalism website that offers an alternative source of news on China.
Wang, 65, is a political activist who founded two pro-democracy movements in China in the 1980s and 1990s. Widely regarded as a political prisoner for his stance against one-party rule in China, he was sentenced to life in prison on charges of espionage and terrorism in 2003.
Now, according to a mysterious sound recording supposedly obtained by Boxun — allegedly between judicial authorities and a member of Wang’s family — Wang was set for release from prison following the death of his mother in 2011, though the idea was vetoed at the last minute by Communist Party leaders.
The source who gave the material to Boxun claims that the audio, said to record four conversations between December 2011 and October 2012, has only been edited to take out “sensitive” content. Based on a transcription of the audio made by Boxun, a judicial official told a member of Wang’s family that Wang’s worsening mental state was considered serious and that they were planning to release him to receive medical treatment.
In response, according to the transcipt, the family member said they intend to keep Wang away from political activities upon his release, adding that at Wang’s age and given his health it was best for him to keep a low profile. The family member also said they would not have any problem with any of the arrangements suggested by the party as long as Wang would be able to return home.
In the final meeting, however, Wang’s relative was told that the plan to release Wang had been canceled. The judicial official explained that following the Wang Lijun incident last February — in which the former Chongqing police chief fled to the US consulate in Chengdu and sparked China’s biggest political scandal in decades — and the high profile escape from illegal house arrest of blind activist lawyer Chen Guangchen, party leaders felt there was too much political pressure to release Wang at this time.
Towards the end of the transcript, Wang’s relative asked the official whether the decision to veto the release was made by the Central Politics and Law Commission, China’s highest body in charge of political and legal affairs, though the official refused to confirm and simply asked for understanding.
The source who handed the alleged audio recording to Boxun claims that the veto indeed came from the head of the Central Politics and Law Commission at the time, retired Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang. Boxun has been publishing speculative pieces predicting Zhou’s downfall since the Wang Lijun incident last February and has recently ramped up the allegations against him as a number of high-ranking executives from China National Petroleum Corp, where Zhou was once chief, were detained on suspicion of corruption.
The source also told Boxun that he is in possession of an even more explosive recording which he will release at an opportune time in the future.
