The leaders of the United States and Japan met in Washington on Friday, signaling another step forward in the international coalition against the Chinese Communist Party. Lithuania, a small European country, also stands with those who oppose human rights violations by the Chinese Communist Party. The Lithuanian parliament will hold a hearing on April 22, and if nothing else, is expected to pass a resolution condemning the Chinese Communist Party for the genocide committed against the Uighurs. An important driving force behind this bill is Lithuanian MP Sakaliane. She has been the target of Chinese Communist Party sanctions because of her concern about Xinjiang and Hong Kong, but she takes the sanctions as an honor. In an interview with our correspondent Zheng Chongsheng on Friday, she discussed why she is so determined to speak out for human rights in China.
Dovilė Šakalienė, a member of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party and re-elected to the Lithuanian Parliament in 2020, has worked as a journalist, a radio show host, and in human rights, and she is also a registered psychological counselor. On March 22, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced sanctions against ten European politicians and four entities that Beijing claimed were spreading false information about Xinjiang, and Sakalienė was among them, becoming the first Lithuanian politician to be sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party on the Xinjiang issue, but she says being sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party is like a badge of honor.
Lithuanian MP Sakaliane
Reporter: How are you, Congresswoman Sakaliane? Thank you very much for taking the time to give us an exclusive interview. As a member of the Lithuanian Parliament who was re-elected for the second time, why are you active in speaking out on the issue of human rights in China and democracy in Hong Kong? Why is this important for Lithuania?
Sakaliane: There is a saying on the Lithuanian side that says, “A human rights volunteer for a day is a human rights volunteer for a lifetime. That’s me. As a human rights worker, I feel that I should stand up for human rights no matter where the persecution is happening, far or near, and these backgrounds have also influenced me, as a parliamentarian, to keep defending human rights.
When we are talking about the Chinese Communist Party, what I find most frightening of course is that those persecutions and violations of human rights still continue, and yet, for so many years, we in the West have failed to respond appropriately and strongly enough. If we, as democracies, believe in the universal values of equality and human rights, we should speak out when we see injustice and injustice.
Lithuania, which was ravaged by the communist regime, shares the suffering of the Chinese people
Reporter: Lithuania was the first country to declare independence when the former Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s. Lithuania also has a bloody and tearful history before the establishment of democracy, having been invaded by Germany, Poland and the former Soviet Union. What kind of influence does your family background and the history of Lithuania’s development as a country have on your understanding of China’s problems? What motivated you to push for a resolution in the Lithuanian parliament condemning the CCP’s practices in Xinjiang and the human rights extermination of the Uyghurs?
Sakaliane: Lithuania is a very small country, both in terms of population and land area, and we are not a major player in the geopolitical landscape, but we were ruled by the former Soviet Union for 50 years, and both of my grandparents became political prisoners for opposing the dictatorship during the Soviet rule.
I would like to share with you a book about the Communist labor camps. I fondly remember that the first time I read this book I was shocked to realize that it was not the same as the Gulag labor camps that were established when the former Soviet Union ruled Lithuania. We Lithuanians also suffered from it for many years, so I can especially relate to it. In my opinion, what is happening now in Xinjiang is the same thing. And my personal family background has taught me that I know very well that with this kind of oppression by communist dictatorships, it’s very difficult to collect evidence of them, especially in terms of getting public information (it’s difficult), that’s the nature of communist regimes, they have always been like that, they hide their crimes, so that makes it even more important for those of us who can afford it to actively speak out and collect evidence of their crimes.
Reporter: You are on the Communist Party’s sanctions list, and the Communist Ambassador to Lithuania, Shen Zhifei, has sent you a warning letter, are you afraid?
Sakaliane: They sent a letter not only to me, but also to the deputy speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, accusing us of the upcoming hearings. I find it funny that they didn’t know that I come from a family that was persecuted by the communist regime? Their threats and warnings don’t affect me at all. This old trick of the communist regime, to intimidate and threaten people at every turn, especially those who defend human rights, means that we are saying and doing the right thing! But what I want to say is that it doesn’t scare me, oppression and intimidation will only bring more resistance, which will make us more mobilized and united together.
Reporter: There are actually a lot of people in mainland China who still resist before and after, what do you think the history of Lithuania’s resistance can teach the dissidents in mainland China?
Sakaliane: On the national level, I think Lithuania is a small country, but we should be an example for the emerging democracies, and as a sovereign and independent country, we refuse to be interfered by other countries. I know that China’s economic pie is a big one, but it has its own agenda behind it.
On a personal level, I would say that totalitarian governments use all kinds of tactics to torture you physically and psychologically. My grandparents’ generation also suffered from the oppression of the Soviet Union at that time, but I would like to say that “they can destroy our bodies, but not our minds”, and only by persevering and thinking that these perseverances are not for ourselves, but for our next generation, we can be firm. Don’t give up the resistance, and one day you will be free.
We can’t let Taiwan become Hong Kong
Reporter: I know you also spoke out for Hong Kong in the National Assembly last year and are concerned about the development of democracy in Taiwan. Lithuania’s relationship with Russia is also similar to Taiwan’s situation in that both have a very large but bad neighbor. As a member of Congress, what are your thoughts on promoting a deeper bilateral relationship between Lithuania and Taiwan?
Sakaliane: What happened to Hong Kong is really sad, so we should not see Taiwan become the next Hong Kong, and I am really worried that the Chinese Communist Party will turn Taiwan into Hong Kong. I will do everything possible to interact with Taiwan, like I will meet with Taiwan’s representative in the Baltic States next Monday (note: Taiwan does not have an office in Lithuania, it is managed by the representative office in Latvia), and I am very supportive of Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Organization.
Also as a democratic country, we must unite to defend and support Taiwan. What Lithuania’s history can also serve as a reference is that Taiwan must be prepared to defend itself, not only in terms of maintaining its defense capabilities, but also in proactively bringing together allies who support you, which I think is very important.
Reporter: The Chinese Communist Embassy may send you another letter when they hear you are going to meet with Taiwan’s representatives.
Sakaliane: Lithuania is a sovereign and independent country, and as a member of the Lithuanian parliament, I can meet with whomever I want. The Chinese Communist authorities have no right to intimidate me or dictate what I can and cannot do, and I think Taiwan and Lithuania can also strengthen bilateral economic and cultural exchanges, and I look forward to meeting with Taiwan’s representatives.
Reporter: Thank you for accepting my interview.
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