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China activist's wife hopes to set up foundation
By AUDRA ANG,Associated Press Writer AP - Friday, December 19
BEIJING - The wife of an imprisoned Chinese dissident who was awarded the European Parliament's top human rights award hopes to use the prize money to start a foundation to support the families of other activists.
Zeng Jinyan said the idea had been a longtime wish of her husband, Hu Jia, who meticulously chronicled the harassment of activists and their loved ones by authorities in China before being sentenced in April to a 3 1/2-year prison term for sedition.
"He has often said he would like to set up a support network ... to provide moral support for the families, to ease their mental and life pressures so that they can be strong enough to face the pressure from authorities," Zeng said in a video message played during Wednesday's award ceremony for the 50,000 euro ($72,000) Sakharov Prize in Strasbourg, France.
It was one of the rare occasions she has been publicly seen since Hu's arrest.
Because Hu, 35, is in prison, his name was placed in front of an empty seat. He received a minute-long standing ovation from the parliament.
It's not immediately clear how Zeng will go about setting up the support group. She has been under strict surveillance since Hu was whisked away by security agents who swarmed the couple's apartment on Dec. 27, 2007.
Her phone is monitored and often disconnected. Plainclothes security agents dog her movements.
Last month, a member of the European Parliament who wanted to pay an unofficial visit to Zeng and the couple's year-old daughter, was blocked by about a half-dozen security guards from entering her apartment complex.
Zeng, a waiflike 25-year-old with a heart condition, has herself become a fierce human rights advocate, using her blog to bring attention to abuses. In 2007, she was named by Time magazine as one of the world's 100 most influential people.
Zeng's video runs a little over 14 minutes and was posted on the European Parliament's Web site. She chokes up a few times while speaking, trying to hold back tears.
"The situation of freedom of opinion is still absolutely appalling and there is no reason for optimism," she said. "But even in these circumstances, there are now a great many exceptional people and people of goodwill in Chinese society who are going to great lengths to find ways to make the real situation in China known."
Zeng talks about how the relatives of China's outspoken dissidents have been subject to "cruel revenge-taking" by authorities, with some losing their jobs or being put under house arrest. Others have been tried and convicted.
Initially an advocate for the rights of HIV/AIDS patients, Hu expanded his focus to cover other human rights issues, using the Internet and telephone to publicize the harassment and arrests of other dissidents.
Hu's charge of sedition stems from police accusations that he had planned to work with foreigners to disturb the Olympic Games in August.
___
European Parliament's news page: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/default_en.htm
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