Nancy Pelosi: “I rise in great sadness this evening to report to our colleagues in the House of Representatives that, since the…”

“I rise in great sadness this evening to report to our colleagues in the House of Representatives that, since the activity on this floor earlier this week regarding sending a signal to China about our seriousness about human rights, there are reports out of Beijing, both Reuters and AP, that veteran dissident Wei Jingsheng has been severely beaten by other prison inmates who were told they could get reduced prison sentences if they attacked him. Mr. Speaker, Wei Jingsheng is known as the Sakharov of China. He is the leading pro-democracy dissident there and has been in prison for 14 years. He has been in prison since the Democracy Wall demonstrations in 1979. He was released for a couple of months when China wanted to get the Olympics, and then rearrested after a meeting with Assistant Secretary of State John Shattuck, Secretary for Human Rights and Democracy. Mr. Speaker, Wei has been there and he will not be contrite. He will not apologize for his pro-democratic statements and he is sentenced to another 14-year sentence for speaking out peacefully for pro-democratic change. He is being beaten by the other inmates, as I said, and they are getting reduced sentences if they strike him. His health is not good, it has not been good, and he is not receiving appropriate medical attention.”