Wei Jingsheng Foundation News and Article Release Issue: A802-W512

魏京生基金会新闻与文章发布号： A802-W512

Release Date: January 16, 2014

发布日：2014年1月16日

Topic: The Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Sakharov Prize in the US Congress (reported by: Voice of America)

标题：美国会山庆祝萨哈罗夫奖25周年(美国之音)

Original Language Version: Chinese (Chinese version at the end)

此号以中文为准（英文在前，中文在后）

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The Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Sakharov Prize in the US Congress

-- Yang Chen & Chang Xiao, Voice of America

01.14.2014

Capitol Hill - The European Parliament Liaison Office with the US Congress and the Thomas Lantos Human Rights Commission of the US Congress organized a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Sakharov Prize in the US Congress.

Antoine Ripoll, the director of the European Parliament Liaison Office said they hope the commemoration "to make publicity about human rights and the work European Parliament has done in the field of human rights."

Many of the world's leading human rights activists have won the Sakharov Prize in the past 25 years. The 2013 prize was awarded to Malala, the 16-year-old girl from Pakistan who was attacked by an extremist group due to her striving for the right of education of women.

Wei Jingsheng, who the organizers of the commemoration called the "Father of Chinese democracy", won this award in 1996 while he was in prison. He said: "Of course, I was certainly very happy and also was very encouraged. This prize illustrates that the whole world cares about Chinese human rights."

Many U.S. lawmakers attended the celebration.

Senator Chris Murphy (D, Connecticut) said the democratic movement is rising in the whole world now: "The Sakharov Prize is among the most prestigious awards to those activists who fight for freedom and human rights. As we now live in an era when many countries are attempting a democratic system, it is very important for us to organize this commemoration."

Several laureates who are currently living in the United States attended the event and talked about their experiences.

The European Parliament established the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1988. It was named after the Russian dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner Andrei Sakharov. It is to award individuals and organizations that are defending human rights.

Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng said: "All the autocratic regimes want to control people's thought. The freedom of thought is the most important freedom. Without freedom of thought, people could only live in a daze. Now China faces change, because the thought of the Chinese people has changed."

Another Chinese dissident Hu Jia was awarded the Sakharov Prize in 2008. Currently, Chinese dissidents are still suppressed.

Congressman Chris Smith (R, New Jersey) criticized the Obama administration for ignoring the human rights issue while dealing with China. He said, the administration should play a leading role on human rights issues: "Unfortunately, for the case of President Obama, even if the role of human rights is not completely diminished, it has been greatly reduced."

Not long ago, Congressman Smith held a hearing where five daughters of prisoners of conscience present in the hearing called on the government to release their fathers. Congressman Smith said he wrote a letter to President Obama asking him to meet with the five girls, but the White House has not yet responded.

The purpose of the Sakharov Prize is to reward individuals and organizations striving for freedom and human rights. However, just as Antoine Ripoll, the director of the European Parliament Liaison Office with the US Congress said: "What we would like to see is the day when we do not need to award the Sakharov Prize to anyone."

(Translated by: the Wei Jingsheng Foundation)

Related photo by VOA:

http://www.weijingsheng.org/pic/newsletters/newsletters2014/newsletters2014-1/SakharovPrize25inUScongress140114VOAreport.jpg

Original link of this report with video:

http://www.voachinese.com/content/twenty-five-years-of-sakharov-20140114/1830312.html

The video is also available at:

http://www.weijingsheng.org/interviews/interviews2014/SakharovPrize25celebration140114inUScongress.mp4

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中文版

Wei Jingsheng Foundation News and Article Release Issue: A802-W512

魏京生基金会新闻与文章发布号： A802-W512

Release Date: January 16, 2014

发布日：2014年1月16日

Topic: The Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Sakharov Prize in the US Congress (reported by: Voice of America)

标题：美国会山庆祝萨哈罗夫奖25周年(美国之音)

Original Language Version: Chinese (Chinese version at the end)

此号以中文为准（英文在前，中文在后）

如有中文乱码问题，请与我们联系或访问:

http://www.weijingsheng.org/report/report2014/report2014-01/SakharovPrize25celebration140116VOAreportA802-W512.htm

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美国会山庆祝萨哈罗夫奖25周年

-- 美国之音杨晨,常晓报道

01.14.2014

国会山 — 这次活动由欧洲议会驻美国办事处与美国国会兰托斯人权委员会主办。

欧洲议会美国国会联络处主任安托恩.瑞珀利说，他们希望纪念活动："能够引发人们对人权更多的关注以及欧洲议会在人权领域所作的工作。"

25年来许多世界著名的人权活动人士获得过萨哈罗夫奖，2013年授予巴基斯坦争取妇女教育权而遭到极端组织袭击的16岁少女马拉拉。

纪念活动组织者称为“中国民主之父”的中国异议人士魏京生1996年在狱中服刑的时候获奖："(当时)当然很高兴也很受鼓励。说明全世界都在关注中国人权。"

多位美国国会议员参加了纪念活动。

民主党参议员墨菲说现在民主运动在全世界兴起：“ 萨哈罗夫奖这一享有很高声望的奖项授予那些争取自由与人权的活动人士，在我们现在所处的很多国家在尝试民主制度的时代，我们举办这样的纪念活动非常重要。"

目前生活在美国的几位得奖者参加纪念活动并且讲述了自己的经历。

萨哈罗夫思想自由奖由欧洲议会1988年设立，以俄罗斯异议人士、诺贝尔和平奖获得者萨哈罗夫命名，奖励捍卫人权的个人和组织。

中国异议人士魏京生说：“所有的专制政权都要控制人民的思想。思想自由是最重要的，没有思想自由人们只能生活在迷迷糊糊之中。现在中国面临着变革，因为中国人的思想变了。”

中国另一位异议人士胡佳2008年获得萨哈罗夫奖。

中国异议人士目前继续被打压。

美国国会共和党众议员史密斯批评奥巴马政府在与中国打交道的时候忽略人权问题，他说行政当局在人权问题上应该起带头作用：“不幸地是奥巴马政府把人权的地位如果没有彻底消除也是大大降低了。”

史密斯议员不久前举行听证，五位良心犯的女儿在听证上呼吁政府释放她们的父亲。

史密斯议员说，他写信给奥巴马总统要求他会见这五个女孩儿，但是白宫至今没有答复。

萨哈罗夫奖的宗旨是奖励争取人权自由的个人和组织。不过，正像欧洲议会美国国会联络处主任瑞珀利说的那样：“我们当然希望有一天我们不需要再向任何人颁发萨哈罗夫奖。”