U.S.

China Dissident In Good Health

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

April 19, 1998 / 7:44 PM EDT / CBS

Chinese dissident Wang Dan, released from prison for what Beijing said were medical reasons, got a clean bill of health Monday from U.S. doctors, who said he suffers from nothing more than weak vision and slight asthma.

Wang, a leader of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests who spent nearly 6-1/2 years in Chinese prisons, had complained of chronic headaches and a throat infection. His family had speculated that the 29-year-old Wang had a brain tumor, but doctors said the headaches were caused by bad vision.

He was fitted for contact lenses and will be released from Henry Ford Hospital on Tuesday.

Wang, the second major Chinese dissident to be released since November, was freed just two months before President Clinton's scheduled trip to Beijing.

In the past, China has tried to use such releases to improve the atmosphere before high-level contacts, prompting human rights groups to accuse it of playing "hostage politics."

"The release is directly linked to President Clinton's visit to China," said Shen Tong, a friend of Wang's now with the Democracy for China Fund Inc. "This is another form of punishment, to put him into exile. He's still not a free man in China and he should be."

"I'm free now, but I do not feel relaxed," Wang said in a statement. "China is in my heart. I hope I can go back to my country soon."

Wang plans to speak publicly for the first time Thursday at the New York Academy of Science.

As a student, Wang led marches and gave speeches during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. After the army crushed the protests, Wang's name topped the government most-wanted list.

He was arrested and served 3-1/2 years in prison, emerging unrepentant in 1993. Wang continued to criticize the Communist Party in essays published abroad, met with other activists and petitioned for democracy.

In 1995, Wang was convicted of plotting to subvert the government and was sentenced to 11 years in jail.

Wang's release follows that of Wei Jingsheng, the most prominent government critic, who was sent to the United States in November. Wei said China released Wang as a "pawn" in a strategy to ease criticism of its human rights record.