Democracy Activists Wang Xizhe and Ye-Ning, China Democratic Party's Dr. Wang Ring Zhang and GW's Constantine Menges Among Speakers

EVENT: Press Conference, sponsored by the Free China Movement and The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs' Program on Transitions to Democracy.

Speakers: Wang Xizhe, president of the FCM and a leading democracy activist who was imprisoned for 15 years; Wang Ring Zhang, U.S. Representative of the China Democratic Party; Ye-Ning, former political prisoner in the People's Republic of China, attorney and FCM board member; Shengde Lian, FCM executive director and leader in Tianamen Square; Richard Long, editor, VJP Reference Magazine and FCM board member; and Professor Constantine Menges, director of GW's Program on Transitions to Democracy.

DATE: Wednesday, December 16, 1998
10:00 to 11:00a.m.

PLACE: National Press Club
East Room
14th and F Streets, NW
Washington, D.C.

BACKGROUND:
Recently, the Communist regime in China has intensified political repression by arresting a number of leaders of the China Democratic Party (including Xu Wenli) and has also arrested, convicted, but not yet sentenced Lin Hai, on the charge of providing Chinese e-mail addresses to the pro-democracy VIP Reference Magazine.

The above story was released by the Office of University Relations on December 15, 1998.

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