The night of February 6, 2020, saw the death of Dr. Li Wenliang, a Wuhan physician who alerted others about novel coronavirus a month ago. He then contracted the virus when working on the front-line treating patients. There was an outcry among intellectuals within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) establishment. They cried out for freedom of speech.
Citizen News, a social diversity advocate news outlet based in Hong Kong, published an open letter signed by leading Chinese intellectuals with five demands:
- The Designation of February 6 as National Freedom of Speech Day (Dr. Li Wenliang Day).
- Starting now, fully implement the Chinese people’s right to freedom of speech granted by Article 35 of the Constitution.
- Starting now, no political forces or state machine should infringe on the Chinese people when they form associations or communicate among each other. The state organs must immediately stop censoring or blocking the content of social media.
- Grant equal rights to citizens in Wuhan city and Hubei province, the epicenter of the coronavirus. All coronavirus patients should be able to receive timely, proper, and effective treatment.
- Call for the National People’s Congress to convene an emergency assembly to discuss how to protect citizens’ freedom of speech and do not allow any police force to stop the planned meeting (China holds the National People’s Congress in early March every year).
Scholars associated with China’s leading universities, including Renmin University, Peking University, and Tsinghua University, have signed the open letter. South China Morning Post reported on February 12 that hundreds of Chinese, led by academics, have signed the petition.
China’s Human Rights Attorney Association also called for designating February 6 as “National Truth Day.”
On February 7, a “Notice to All Chinese” was sent out from “a group of Tsinghua University Alumni” with five appeals:
- Resolutely oppose putting political security above all else; that is the goal of an extremely selfish group.
- Resolutely oppose blocking discussion groups and individual accounts on social media.
- Resolutely oppose the current maintenance of the stability mentality and practice; oppose treating the people as the enemy.
- Resolutely oppose making this disaster a grand party to praise the party; going after the accountability of the officials and the system is a must.
- Resolutely oppose going backward; adhere to the abolition of the lifelong term of leaders that Deng Xiaoping started.
Related postings on Chinascope:
- Public Opinion: Mourning for Dr. Li Wenliang
- Public Opinion: Outpouring of Grief and Anger upon Death of Chinese Doctor Who Warned Others About Coronavirus
1. Excerpt in Chinese:
北京大學教授張千帆、清華大學教授許章潤、獨立學者笑蜀等多人簽署的《致全國人民代表大會及常務委員會》公開信在網上流傳，要求把2月6日定為「國家言論自由日」（李文亮日），指出「沒有言論自由便沒有安全」。
公開信如下：
這一切該結束了，沒有言論自由便沒有安全！以公民的名義，我們提出五大訴求：
一、我們要求，把2月6日定為國家言論自由日（李文亮日）。
二、我們要求，從今天開始落實中國人民享有憲法第35條賦予的言論自由權利。
三、我們主張，從今天開始，中國人不應再因言論而受到任何國家機器和政治組織的威脅，公民的結社和通信自由等權利不受任何政治力量和國家機器的侵害，國家機關應立即停止對社交媒體的審查和封禁。
四、我們希望，武漢和湖北籍公民應得到平等的公民權利，所有武漢肺炎患者都應得到及時、妥善、有效的醫療救助。
五、我們呼籲，全國人民代表大會應立即召開緊急會議，避免被任何政治勢力非法中止今年的預定會期，並且討論如何立即保障公民的言論自由問題。從言論自由起，從今日開始行憲！
聯署人：
人大校友 魯難、吳小軍、秦渭、田仲勛
北京大學教授 張千帆
清華大學教授 許章潤
獨立學者 笑蜀、郭飛雄
地質大學校友 王西川
另外，中國人權律師團也發起設立2月6日為「全民真話日」，倡議書指出，即使已經有首批8名醫生吹哨人被當作造謠者的惡例，但據統計，已有超過300人因對本次疫情發表言論被抓捕，例如武漢市民方斌，他冒着被感染風險實地調查並公開疫情，卻多次遭到騷擾威脅。
周五，一份以「清華大學部分校友」名義發出的《告全國同胞書》也提出五點訴求：
一、堅決反對把政治安全放在首位，那是極端自私的小團體目標；
二、堅決反對（社群平台）封群封號；
三、堅決反對現行的維穩思維和模式，反對與民為敵；
四、堅決反對變災難為歌功頌德的盛會，一定要追究瀆職官員的責，要追體制的責；
五、堅決反對倒退，堅持鄧小平開創的廢除領導幹部終身制。
Source: Citizen News, February 9, 2020
https://www.hkcnews.com/article/26754/我們要言論自由-許章潤-五大訴求-26754/【武漢肺炎大爆發】內地團體五大訴求要求言論自由-譴責警暴對言論自由淫威
2. Source: South China Morning Post, February 12, 2020
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3050086/coronavirus-hundreds-chinese-sign-petition-calling-freedom