ICYMI: WSJ Op-Ed: "How Congress Can Help a Chinese Dissident"

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz released the following statement in the wake of an op-ed in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal that highlights the plight of Chinese political prisoner, Dr. Liu Xiaobo. The op-ed outlines how Congress can once and for all stand up to China on human rights and champion Dr. Liu’s cause for political freedom.

“It is far past time to honor Dr. Liu Xiaobo and stand up to his Communist oppressors in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). This Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been imprisoned for eight years – the entirety of Barack Obama’s presidency – yet his fate remains unchanged. As I argued on the Senate floor last year, we must be willing to stand up to China on human rights and reevaluate our priorities. Courageous human rights activists in China like Dr. Liu are willing to risk everything to secure freedom, and we should craft a foreign policy that supports them instead of their oppressors. Just as Reagan stood up and renamed the street in front of the Soviet embassy ‘Sakharov Plaza’ – after another wrongly imprisoned Nobel laureate – we should show the same resolve with the PRC.

“In February, the Senate unanimously passed my bill to rename the street in front of the Chinese embassy in Washington after Dr. Liu to force the issue with the PRC. It unfortunately, yet unsurprisingly, received a veto threat from President Obama. Now is the time for the House of Representatives to act. This is our last chance to force President Obama to do the right thing and stand with Dr. Liu, his fellow Nobel laureate, in championing the cause for political freedom in China. I urge all my colleagues in the House to support and pass S.2451, and for human rights in the PRC.” 

Read the op-ed in its entirety here and excerpts below: 

How Congress Can Help a Chinese Dissident
The Wall Street Journal
By: Jared Genser
November 29, 2016

In the waning days of the current Congress, House Speaker Paul Ryan has an opportunity to send a message to Beijing about the value Americans place on human rights. He can bring to the floor for a vote a bill adopted unanimously in the Senate to rename the street in front of the Chinese Embassy for Liu Xiaobo, China’s jailed Nobel Peace Prize laureate. 

Mr. Liu was arrested in December 2008 after penning a series of essays and participating in the drafting of a pro-democracy manifesto known as Charter 08. The government held him in solitary confinement without charge or access to legal counsel before ultimately sentencing him to 11 years in prison for “inciting subversion.”

…

When Chinese dissidents organize and challenge the one-party system, Beijing responds with an iron fist, imprisoning and torturing those who dare to speak out. Chinese authorities highlight Liu Xiaobo’s case to many of these troublemakers, pointing out that the world won’t help even Nobelist Liu Xiaobo. 

… 

If Mr. Obama has made any private efforts on behalf of the Lius, they have had no discernible effect.

In February the Senate adopted a bill to rename the street in front of the Chinese Embassy. This legislation followed the bipartisan tradition of a bill adopted by Congress in 1984 and signed into law by President Reagan renaming the street in front of the Soviet Embassy for dissident Andrei Sakharov, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975.

Speaking after the Senate action, State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner indicated that the president would veto the bill if it reaches his desk.

…

Surely the United States should celebrate the courage of individuals who stand up to authoritarian regimes. If Mr. Obama wants to veto this bill and stand with China against his fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, then let that be his legacy on human rights.

###