Hu Jia’s trip to Hong Kong

Here is the direct transcript of an interview with Hu Jia broadcast recently by the Cantonese service. You can read more about Hu in English here. He did in fact return to China on March 31:

Mandarin: Interview with Hu Jia (03/22/07)

Reporter: Christie

Christie (C): During an interview with our station’s Cantonese Service on Thursday, (March 22, 2007), Hu Jia stated that after over 200 days of house arrest, he was both mentally and physically exhausted. His wife Zeng Jinyan worried that he would not be able to endure if the situation continued, so she conceived the idea of sending him abroad to recuperate. They chose Hong Kong as their first leg. He was surprised that he did not meet with any obstruction when applying for the pass to Hong Kong.

They booked the air tickets to Hong Kong for February 26. On February 16, the state security officers who had been stationed downstairs at his house for 214 days suddenly disappeared. Coincidentally, the ban on Dr. Gao Yaojie from Henan was also lifted on the same day. He was only certain that he could leave the country until the moment the plane took off. He believed that the authorities decided to let him go only after assessing the gains and losses.

Hu Jia stated that during his house arrest, he and his wife were monitored 24 hours a day. They endured huge psychological pressure. It was especially true for his wife who was closely followed by unknown males. Their close-to-gangster-like tricks really taxed people’s patience.

Hu Jia disclosed that during his stay in Hong Kong, apart from recuperating, he also visited several human rights organizations including Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch to learn about their work and discussed ways to cooperate with them to advance the human rights course in China.

Hu Jia (HJ): I saw all the friends who worked with me when I was in China but whom I had never met before. We could talk face to face freely about the future, especially the cooperation in rights protection during the Olympic Games 2008. I believe that it is a very rewarding trip.

C: This is the second time Hu Jia visited Hong Kong. The last time was in 2001 when he came to Hong Kong to observe in the capacity of an environmentalist and only stayed for a few days. This time, he revisits Hong Kong and said that he felt good to be able to breathe the democratic air and felt the importance of the freedom of speech and of the press.

Hu Jia stated that they originally planned to go to Europe. However, since they encountered problems in applying for visas, they will cancel the itinerary and are prepared to return to Beijing early next month. He claimed that some friends worried that the authorities will use the chance of him going abroad to force him into exile. Nonetheless, he stated that he insists on returning to his country. He also believed that he will be under strict surveillance after he returns to Beijing, but it will not sway his work in continuing to advance the development of China’s democracy and human rights at the front.

HJ: I never intended to not return to Beijing. Especially when I experienced the relatively free atmosphere in Hong Kong and the absolute restriction there, I feel more strongly that they need us to continue the push. I must stand at the front during this crucial moment of the democratic process.

C: Hu Jia, 33, has been committed to AIDS prevention and AIDS patient relief effort. On February 16 of last year, he was forcibly taken away and secretly detained for 41 days by the authorities when he was about to attend a non-governmental meeting on AIDS. During his detention, Hu Jia went on a 30-day hunger strike as protest. From mid-July of last year to mid-February of this year, he had been under house arrest by the authorities due to his support for Chen Guangcheng, the blind Shandong activist who was under arrest.