Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 18, 1993 TAG: 9302180019
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BEIJING LENGTH: Medium
CHINA FREES TOP DISSIDENT, 2 OTHERS
China released the most prominent student leader of China's 1989 democracy movement and two other dissidents Wednesday in what appeared to be a gesture to President Clinton and the Olympics movement.Wang Dan, who was No. 1 on the wanted list issued by police after the crushing of the democracy movement, was freed along with another student leader, Guo Haifeng. Zhu Hongsheng, a 76-year-old Catholic priest from Shanghai, also was released.
The early releases came just two weeks before a high-level delegation from the International Olympic Committee is to visit Beijing, whose leaders have made clear their strong desire to be host of the Summer Olympic Games in 2000.
The three paroles also might be intended as a goodwill gesture to the new Clinton administration, which has promised to focus on human rights in foreign policy.
The official Xinhua News Agency said Wang and Guo were released a few months early for good behavior. It said that with their release, all students "who violated the criminal law" during the democracy protests had been freed.
However, the government has not announced the release of many other students who are known to have been arrested after the democracy demonstrations in Beijing and other major cities.
Western human-rights groups estimate more than 10,000 people were arrested after the 1989 protests and thousands are believed still jailed. China never has disclosed any figures.
"I've no regrets," Wang told reporters at his family home just hours after being released from Beijing No. 2 Prison. "My personal ambition is to do all I can to promote democracy."
Wang, 23, was arrested in July 1989 and was due to be released this July. He said no conditions or restrictions were attached to his release.
Guo, 27, also was arrested in 1989 and would have finished his four-year term in June.
Xinhua said Zhu was released before his 15-year term expired but did not say how long he had been jailed or why.