HONG KONG — Zhao Ziyang, China’s former premier and former Chinese Communist Party general secretary, has been under house arrest since he was removed from his position 15 years ago, when the pro-democracy movement was violently suppressed in Tiananmen Square.

He celebrated his 85th birthday in the quiet of his home in the Fuqiang Hutong district of Beijing on Oct 17. Veteran party members and former CCP officials have pleaded for Zhao’s freedom. They claim that Zhao has been deprived of his rights as an ordinary citizen, rights which should be protected by China’s Constitution.

Li Rui

Li Rui was once Mao Zedong’s secretary and the vice minister of the Central Party Organization Department. In an interview by China Weekly, he said that he is allowed to see Zhao and that he recently visited him. “Zhao doesn’t feel bad, but his heath is frail. Despite his age and condition, he is still not free. It’s even difficult for many close friends to visit him. Two months ago I wrote to CCP leaders requesting that Zhao’s living environment be improved and that he see more visitors. His fundamental civil rights shall not be deprived.” Li said he received this indirect response: “The Central Committee is quite concerned about Zhao’s case.”

Another one of Zhao’s advocates, Hu Jiwei, was once the chief editor of People’s Daily and a member of the Standing Committee of the Peoples’ Congress. He was removed when the pro-democracy movement was suppressed with the Tiananmen Square massacre. He said, “I can’t remember how many times I’ve spoken out for Zhao. Limiting his freedom now doesn’t make any sense at all. Hu Jintao (the current Party General Secretary) emphasizes the importance of China’s constitution, and he is right. But he is facing two challenges. First, he must unconditionally comply with China’s constitution and protect peoples’ human rights, and secondly, he must firmly stop any unconstitutional acts, which include Zhao’s case.”

Hu Jiwei further reasoned that if the CCP can only talk about the importance of its constitution but does not protect it, then the laws will be worthless and its credibility will be jeopardized. He maintains that restoring Zhao’s freedom will naturally enhance the CCP’s credibility.

He Jiadong, former president of Worker Publishing House, said Zhao is worthy of being remembered. He added, “When Zhao was working as the CCP general secretary, everyone was critical of him; however, since he has been deprived of his power, everyone understands his situation. When I ran Economics Weekly, I used to criticize him. But he could tolerate criticism and responded to us well.”

He also feels that Zhao should be free. He said, “Limiting Zhao’s freedom is entirely against the rules of the Communist Party. Zhao, who is still a member of the CCP, should be treated equally as other members because the rules never classify the members as anti-revolutionary or revolutionary. I wish they could follow the party rules.”

The former vice director of Xinhua News Agency, Li Pu, composed a poem for Zhao’s birthday: “Though we are neighbors, we are thousands of mountains and rivers apart. Brooks are everywhere and this heart is light. Puti’s [Puti is the name of a Buddha] mind is so broad and endless that the secular noise never interferes with him.”

Mao Yushi, a veteran economist in charge of the Tianze Economic Center, referred to Zhao’s importance in the China Weekly by stating, “People will never forget those who made contributions to China’s reformation.”

A reporter for China Weekly, Ren Bumei, knows these former party officials well. He added, “When I was in my homeland, [these officials] often spoke out for Zhao. The petitions for Mr. Zhao's freedom have been posted by many people for a long time. Especially Hu Jiwei has also showed his interest in this matter. Hu, in the face of other local officials, repeatedly stressed to his colleagues, ‘Why don’t you appeal for Zhao Ziyang?’”

Ren claims that both within China and abroad, there are dozens of intellectuals who are appealing for Zhao’s release through a joint statement.