作者：王希清
我为什么要加入中国民主党？
最主要的原因，就是我要勇敢站出来，反抗中共暴政。我不愿再接受一个剥夺人民自由、践踏人民权利，又不允许人民提出批评的政权。我希望与有共同信念的人站在一起，为中国人的自由、人权和尊严而抗争。
这个选择，来自我亲身经历的不公，来自我被拘留、被恐吓以后无法忘记的痛苦，也来自一个越来越清楚的认识：如果权力可以随意侵害普通人的利益，却不受监督和追究，那么任何人的安稳生活，都可能在某一天被打破。我们要争取的，是让每一个人都能够有尊严地生活，让任何掌握权力的人都不能任意欺压百姓。
对我来说，加入中国民主党，就是把这种认识变成行动，与更多人一起，公开反对专制，持续争取民主。
我曾经只想讨一个公道。
我出生在山东，曾经只想靠自己的劳动，把家里的日子过好。土地、果树、工作和家人，就是我生活中最重要的事情。那时，自由、人权、民主这些词，似乎离我的日常生活很远。
直到自己的权益受到侵害，我才明白，它们与一个普通人的生活有多么密切。
2018年，因为承包土地被征用、补偿不合理，我去信访部门反映情况。我想知道，多年付出的劳动应当怎样得到补偿，自己的合法利益应当怎样得到保障。我希望有关部门听一听普通人的意见，给我一个合理的答复。
然而，等待我的却是拘留。在我的经历中，提出问题没有换来解决问题的机会，反而招来了殴打和恐吓。那种无助，让我至今难忘：你明明觉得自己受了委屈，却找不到能够公平说理的地方；你希望依法维护权利，却发现权力可以先让你失去自由。
后来，我把有关土地征用的视频发到网上，希望有人看到，有人关注。警方又要求我删除，并警告我后果自负。
我最终删除了视频。我承认，那时我害怕。
一个普通人需要考虑家人，需要考虑今后的生活。面对威胁，很难毫无顾虑。但被迫删除视频，并不意味着我接受了这一切。相反，它让我看得更加清楚：当一个人连讲述自身遭遇的自由都没有，所谓的权利就难以得到真正保障。
没有自由、没有人权，普通人就难以保护自己。有人可能觉得，只要不关心政治，安心工作，就能避开这些问题。我也曾经只想过自己的日子。可土地被征用时，政治已经进入我的生活；上访被拘留时，权力已经决定了我的处境；发布视频受到威胁时，言论自由已经成为我切身需要的东西。
这些经历让我明白，自由和人权关乎最具体的生活。
言论自由，关系到一个人受了委屈能不能说出来。
人身自由，关系到一个人会不会因为提出意见而被关押。
获得公正救济的权利，关系到普通人面对政府时，能不能有一个公平讲理的地方。监督权力的权利，关系到官员侵害百姓利益以后，究竟需不需要承担责任。
在中共的专制统治下，这些本应受到保障的权利，往往在人民真正需要它们的时候被剥夺。权力要求人们服从，却不愿接受质疑；要求人们相信制度，却可能堵住申诉的道路；要求社会保持安静，却不解决造成愤怒和痛苦的问题。
我反对这样的统治，是因为我知道被压迫是什么滋味。我不希望更多普通人经历同样的恐惧，也不希望我们的下一代仍然需要靠沉默换取暂时的平安。
离开中国以后，我要站出来，不再让恐惧决定我的选择。我有了公开表达意见的机会，也开始参与抗议行动。
在加州，我用自己的驾驶经验，帮助自由雕塑公园运送柜体、布置抗议横幅。车陷进沙地，就想办法把车开出来；物资需要送到指定地点，就努力把事情完成。我能够做的事情很具体，但我知道，这些劳动是在帮助反对专制的声音被更多人看见。
后来，我前往华盛顿，站到抗议习近平的人群中，举起政治犯和维权人士的照片，表达自己的反对。
对我而言，走到那里有着很深的意义。曾经，我因为恐惧删除了自己的视频；如今，我希望能够公开讲述自己的经历，也为那些仍然无法自由表达的人发声。
站出来并不意味着从此没有恐惧。面对现场冲突、跟踪拍摄和威胁，我仍然会紧张。当威胁涉及国内家人时，那种担忧尤其沉重。
但正是这些经历，让我更清楚地意识到，恐惧如何限制一个人的选择。它让人反复衡量一句话能不能说、一张照片能不能举、一次活动能不能参加。专制权力希望人们在开口之前，就先把自己压住。
我不愿让这种恐惧永远支配我的生活。我希望学会在恐惧中坚持表达，也希望和其他人一起，让受到威胁的人得到支持。
加入民主党，是为了共同反抗中共暴政。
这就是我希望加入中国民主党的最主要原因。
我需要把反对中共暴政的立场，落实为长期的参与和责任。我希望找到愿意共同争取民主、自由和人权的人，彼此支持，一起行动。
一个人可以参加一次抗议，可以举起一块标语，可以讲述自己的遭遇。但争取改变需要持续的努力：有人受到迫害时，需要有人声援；事实遭到掩盖时，需要有人记录；恐惧让人退缩时，需要有人陪伴；公众不了解中国人权状况时，需要有人耐心解释。
我希望通过加入民主党，参与这些具体的工作。把自己知道的事情说清楚，把能够承担的事情做好，与其他人共同维护公开表达和和平抗争的空间。
我也愿意从中学习，理解民主所要求的责任。既然我们反对专制，就应当尊重不同意见；既然我们主张人权，就应当尊重每一个人的尊严；既然我们要求权力受到监督，就应当接受公开讨论和批评。
我期待参与的民主运动，能够让这些原则体现在日常行动中。只有这样，我们所争取的自由，才有真实的内容。
反对中共暴政，源于我对普通人处境的关切。我希望中国人能够有尊严地生活。
我希望中国的农民在土地被征用时，能够获得公平补偿；希望劳动者受到不公对待时，能够依法维权；希望记者能够报道事实，律师能够维护当事人的权利，普通人能够批评政府而不受报复。
我希望一个人是否平安，不再取决于他是否沉默；一个家庭是否安稳，不再取决于它是否愿意忍受不公。
中国属于生活在这片土地上的人民。任何政党都应当接受人民的监督，任何领导人都不应拥有不受约束的权力。人民有权决定自己的生活，也有权决定国家的未来。
我所追求的民主，就是让这些权利得到制度上的保障，让人们能够通过和平、公开的方式表达意见、参与公共事务、监督和更换执政者。
我仍然是一个普通人，需要工作，需要养家，也有自己的担忧和局限。我知道，个人的力量有限，争取民主更不会因为参加几次活动就轻易完成。
但我可以决定，自己是否继续沉默。从我自己开始，承担一份责任。
我可以在力所能及的范围内参与抗议，为政治犯和受迫害者发声，记录和讲述真实的遭遇，支持同样追求自由的人。我也可以通过加入中国民主党，把这些行动坚持下去。
过去，我因为维护自己的权益而受到打压；今天，我希望为更多人的权利站出来。过去，我因恐惧而被迫闭嘴；今天，我愿意和志同道合的人一起，公开反抗中共暴政。
这就是我为什么要加入中国民主党，也是我最主要、最坚定的理由：争取自由，维护人权，结束专制给普通人带来的压迫。
我期待有一天，中国人不必为了说真话而流亡，不必为了维护权益而坐牢，不必因为参与政治而担心家人受到牵连。
为了这一天，我愿意站出来，承担属于自己的那一份责任，与更多人一起坚持和平抗争。
编辑：李聪铃 校对：程筱筱 翻译：周敏
Stand Up Bravely to Resist the CCP’s Tyranny
Author: Wang Xiqing
Why Do I Want to Join the China Democracy Party?
The main reason is that I want to stand up bravely to resist the CCP’s tyranny. I am no longer willing to accept a regime that deprives people of their freedom, tramples upon people’s rights, and does not allow people to raise criticism. I hope to stand together with people who share common convictions to fight for the freedom, human rights, and dignity of Chinese people.
This choice comes from the injustice I experienced personally, from the pain I cannot forget after being detained and intimidated, and also from an increasingly clear realization: if power can arbitrarily infringe upon the interests of ordinary people without being subject to supervision and accountability, then anyone’s peaceful life could be shattered on a given day. What we need to strive for is to enable every single person to live with dignity, and to ensure that no one possessing power can arbitrarily bully and oppress the common people.
To me, joining the China Democracy Party means turning this realization into action, joining together with more people to publicly oppose autocracy and continuously strive for democracy.
I Once Only Wanted to Seek Justice.
I was born in Shandong, and once only wanted to rely on my own labor to make a good living for my family. Land, fruit trees, work, and family were the most important things in my life. At that time, words like freedom, human rights, and democracy seemed very far away from my daily life.
It was not until my own rights and interests were infringed upon that I understood how closely connected they are to an ordinary person’s life.
In 2018, because my contracted land was expropriated and the compensation was unreasonable, I went to the letters and visits department to report the situation. I wanted to know how the labor I devoted for many years should be compensated, and how my legitimate interests should be safeguarded. I hoped the relevant departments would listen to the opinions of ordinary people and give me a reasonable response.
However, what awaited me was detention. In my experience, raising questions did not bring an opportunity to solve the problems; instead, it brought beatings and intimidation. That kind of helplessness remains unforgettable to me to this day: you clearly feel you have suffered a grievance, yet you cannot find a place where you can reason fairly; you hope to safeguard your rights according to law, only to discover that power can first make you lose your freedom.
Later, I posted videos regarding the land expropriation on the internet, hoping someone would see them and pay attention. The police demanded that I delete them again and warned me that I would bear the consequences myself.
I ultimately deleted the videos. I admit that at that time, I was afraid.
An ordinary person needs to consider their family and needs to consider their future life. Facing threats, it is difficult to be without any worries. But being forced to delete the videos did not mean I accepted all of this. On the contrary, it made me see even more clearly: when a person does not even have the freedom to recount their own encounter, so-called rights can hardly receive genuine protection.
Without freedom and human rights, it is difficult for ordinary people to protect themselves. Some people might feel that as long as they do not care about politics and work peacefully, they can avoid these problems. I also once only wanted to live my own life. But when my land was expropriated, politics had already entered my life; when I was detained for petitioning, power had already decided my situation; when I received threats for posting videos, freedom of speech had already become something I personally needed.
These experiences made me understand that freedom and human rights concern the most concrete aspects of life.
Freedom of speech relates to whether a person can speak out when they suffer a grievance.
Personal freedom relates to whether a person will be detained because they raise opinions.
The right to obtain fair relief relates to whether ordinary people can have a place to reason fairly when facing the government.
The right to supervise power relates to whether officials actually need to bear responsibility after infringing upon the interests of the common people.
Under the CCP’s autocratic rule, these rights that should be guaranteed are often deprived right when the people genuinely need them. Power demands people to obey, yet is unwilling to accept questioning; demands people to believe in the system, yet may block the path of appeal; demands society to remain quiet, yet does not solve the problems that cause anger and pain.
I oppose such rule because I know what it feels like to be oppressed. I do not hope more ordinary people experience the same fear, nor do I hope our next generation still needs to rely on silence in exchange for temporary peace.
After Leaving China, I Want to Stand Up and No Longer Let Fear Decide My Choices.
I obtained the opportunity to publicly express my opinions and also began to participate in protest actions.
In California, I used my own driving experience to help the Liberty Sculpture Park transport container bodies and set up protest banners. If the vehicle got stuck in the sand, I found ways to drive it out; if supplies needed to be delivered to designated locations, I strived to accomplish the tasks. What I am able to do is very concrete, but I know these labors are helping the voices opposing autocracy be seen by more people.
Later, I traveled to Washington, stood among the crowd protesting Xi Jinping, raised photos of political prisoners and human rights activists, and expressed my opposition.
For me, walking over there held a very deep meaning. Once, I deleted my own videos out of fear; today, I hope to publicly recount my own experiences and also speak for those who still cannot express themselves freely.
Standing up does not mean being without fear from then on. Facing on-site conflicts, trailing photography, and threats, I still get nervous. When threats involve family members inside China, that kind of worry is especially heavy.
Yet it is precisely these experiences that make me realize more clearly how fear restricts a person’s choices. It makes a person repeatedly weigh whether a sentence can be spoken, whether a photo can be held up, or whether an activity can be attended. Autocratic power hopes people will suppress themselves first before opening their mouths.
I am unwilling to let this kind of fear dominate my life forever. I hope to learn to persist in expressing amid fear, and also hope to join together with others so that those under threat receive support.
Joining the Democracy Party Is to Jointly Resist the CCP’s Tyranny.
This is the main reason why I hope to join the China Democracy Party.
I need to implement my stance of opposing the CCP’s tyranny into long-term participation and responsibility. I hope to find people willing to jointly fight for democracy, freedom, and human rights, supporting each other and acting together.
A person can attend a protest, hold up a placard, or recount their own encounters. But striving for change requires continuous efforts: when someone suffers persecution, someone needs to voice support; when facts are covered up, someone needs to record them; when fear makes people retreat, someone needs to accompany them; when the public does not understand China’s human rights situation, someone needs to explain patiently.
I hope that by joining the Democracy Party, I can participate in these concrete tasks. Explaining clearly the things I know, doing well the things I can undertake, and jointly maintaining spaces for public expression and peaceful struggle with others.
I am also willing to learn from it and understand the responsibilities required by democracy. Since we oppose autocracy, we should respect different opinions; since we advocate human rights, we should respect every person’s dignity; since we demand power to be supervised, we should accept public discussion and criticism.
I look forward to participating in a democracy movement that can embody these principles in daily actions. Only in this way can the freedom we fight for have genuine substance.
Opposing the CCP’s Tyranny Stems from My Concern for Ordinary People’s Situation. I Hope Chinese People Can Live with Dignity.
I hope Chinese farmers can obtain fair compensation when their land is expropriated; I hope workers can safeguard their rights according to law when treated unfairly; I hope journalists can report facts, lawyers can defend clients’ rights, and ordinary people can criticize the government without suffering retaliation.
I hope whether a person is safe no longer depends on whether they remain silent; whether a family is secure no longer depends on whether it is willing to endure injustice.
China belongs to the people living on this land. Any political party should accept the supervision of the people, and no leader should possess unrestrained power. The people have the right to decide their own lives and also have the right to decide the future of the nation.
The democracy I pursue is to let these rights receive institutional guarantees, enabling people to express opinions, participate in public affairs, and supervise and replace rulers through peaceful and open means.
I Am Still an Ordinary Person, Needing to Work, Needing to Support a Family, and Having My Own Worries and Limitations.
I know an individual’s power is limited, and striving for democracy will certainly not be easily accomplished merely by attending a few activities.
But I can decide whether I continue to remain silent. Starting from myself, I undertake a share of responsibility.
I can participate in protests within my capabilities, speak out for political prisoners and the persecuted, record and recount true encounters, and support people who likewise pursue freedom. I can also persist in these actions by joining the China Democracy Party.
In the past, I was suppressed for safeguarding my own rights and interests; today, I hope to stand up for more people’s rights. In the past, I was forced to shut my mouth due to fear; today, I am willing to publicly resist the CCP’s tyranny together with like-minded people.
This is why I want to join the China Democracy Party, and it is also my primary and most firm reason: to strive for freedom, safeguard human rights, and end the oppression brought to ordinary people by autocracy.
I look forward to the day when Chinese people do not have to go into exile to tell the truth, do not have to go to prison to safeguard their rights, and do not have to worry about family members being implicated for participating in politics.
For this day, I am willing to stand up, undertake my own share of responsibility, and persist in peaceful struggle together with more people.
Editor: Li Congling Proofreader: Cheng Xiaoxiao Translator: Zhou Min
