Word: weis
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Wei was released briefly in 1993, before his speeches and writings got him thrown into the slammer again. Only in recent years has he seemed less of a threat, obviously weakened and sometimes listless, wasting away in a cold cell...
...Clinton Administration has quietly lobbied for Wei's freedom, especially in the past two years, and stepped up the pressure before and during President Jiang Zemin's visit to the U.S. last month. Jiang made no promises concerning Wei at the summit with Clinton; to let him go too close to the meeting would have resulted in a loss of face for the Chinese leadership. Earlier this month James Sasser, the U.S. Ambassador to China, said he was "personally disappointed" that Jiang's tour across America had not brought the release of political prisoners, but in the same week...
...around 6 p.m. on Nov. 15, Wei was sitting in his cell at the Nanpu New Life Salt Works Prison north of Beijing, when a prison official came in and ordered him to pack up immediately. He was given a down jacket and a suitcase but had to leave behind most of his books and letters. Meanwhile, security officers picked up Wei's closest relatives--his father, stepmother, elder sister, younger brother and a niece--and drove them to a People's Liberation Army border guards' hostel that was a stone's throw from Beijing International Airport...
...Wei arrived at the hostel in a Jeep Cherokee at 4:30 a.m. on Nov. 16, giving him less than six hours to see his family before he would board the Northwest flight and go into exile, perhaps forever. There was picture taking and excited chatter about family news. Some of the group were worried about how Wei's father, Wei Zilin, 79, would react, since he was once sternly critical of his son's activism. But, says younger son Xiaotao, "the old man controlled himself quite well...
...soon, it was time to go. At the airport, Wei met briefly with Sasser, who asked the dissident if he was leaving voluntarily and explained that he might never be able to come back. Just before the 10:30 a.m. departure time, Woo Chan Lee, a U.S. embassy employee, strode to the gate not with his wife but with a tired-looking man in a down jacket. Only then was the Northwest crew told about the important passenger they would have on board the flight...