|
 The Chinese dissident artist spoke while
inaugurating an exhibit in the Swiss city of Lausanne that
includes some of his political works symbolizing repression.
"They are not accepting what we call common values such as
democracy and freedom of speech and the freedom of religious
practice and independence of the press or independence of a
judicial system or people having the right to vote," Ai told a
news conference.
"China has been booming and become very powerful in the economic
sense but at the same time it doesn't trust its own people," he
said. "After 60 or 70 years in power, still its own people are
not trusted to have a chance to vote."
Asked about the five-yearly leadership reshuffle of the ruling
Communist Party set to begin on Oct. 18, Ai said: "You have a
party that functions more like a family. It doesn't matter how
many meetings they have, it's always closed-door.
"So there's no trust remaining in society."
Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday that China has launched
more rigorous investigations into rights lawyers and law firms
that take on politically sensitive issues.
Ai, who lives in Berlin but returns to China regularly, voiced
concern about two friends who are human rights lawyers
"ruthlessly put in jail" for five and 10 years, respectively.
"So the danger is there but I have no fear for myself because I
have been through everything and what I have done is not for
myself. It's for my father's generation and my son's
generation," the 60-year-old said.
[to top of second column] |
 The exhibit entitled "It's Always the Others",
on view at the Cantonal Fine Arts Museum in Lausanne until Jan.
28, brings together 46 works made in wood, jade, porcelain,
bamboo, and silk, along with photographs and videos.
"Dragon in Progress", a 50-metre-long bamboo and
silk kite hung from the ceiling, transforms a traditional symbol of
Chinese imperial power with quotes from imprisoned or exiled
activists including Nelson Mandela, Edward Snowden and Ai.
A marble sculpture, "Surveillance Camera with Plinth", depicts a
camera set up outside his Beijing studio.
"I'm a free man, that means I can go and come back. Which is fine.
They kept their promise, they didn't touch me.
"But of course when a state is not really ruled by law you can see
that anything still can happen at any moment because it's
unpredictable, you're not protected by law."
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
