천안문 사태 희생자 아버지의 자살
석탄일이었던 5월28일 회사에 출근해 이메일을열자, 국제적인 인권단체인 Human Rights in China에서 보낸 메일이 와 있었다. 내용은 천안문 사건의 희생자 중 한명인 야아이궈(轧愛国)의 아버지 야웨이린(轧伟林.73세)이 5월25일 자살했다는 슬픈 소식이었다. 그는 23년전인 1989년 6월3일 저녁10시 둘째 아들을 잃었다. 당시 22살이었던 아들 야아이궈는 여자 친구의 신발을 사러 천안문쪽으로 나갔다가 公主坟(공주분) 부근에서 계엄군의 총에 맞아 사망했다. 공무원(핵공업부) 출신이었던 아버지 야웨이린은 50세에 둘째 아들을 잃고 이듬해부터 천안문 희생자 복권운동에 주저없이가담했다. 그리고경찰의 협박과 감시에 조금도 굴하지 않고 복권운동을 지속했다고 한다. 그런그가 왜 천안문 사건 23주년을 며칠 앞두고 자살을 택했을까.필자의 추측으로는지난 23년간 공산당 지도부에 대해 걸었던실낱같던 기대와 희망마저도 마침내 접었기 때문이 아닐까 싶다.젊은 시절 제국주의 열강의 반식민지였던 중국을 해방시키고 부패한 국민당군을 몰아내어 지금의 중국을세운 공산당에 대한 그의 신뢰와 충성심은 대단했을 것이다.특히 핵공업부의 공무원으로서 미국 소련에 대항하는 핵전력을 구축하는데 힘을 보탰다는 자부심도 강했을 것이다. 그가 둘째 아들 이름을 ‘애국(愛國.아이궈)’이라고 지은 것만봐도 알수 있다. 그렇게 신뢰하고 존경했던 공산당이자신의 아들에게 씌워진 ‘반혁명분자’라는 억울한누명을 언젠가는 벗겨주리라고 기다리고 또 기다렸건만 그럴 희망이 더이상 보이지 않자,마지막 결단을 한것으로 보인다. 그는자신의 죽음을 통해 공산당 지도부에아들에 대한 처분의 부당함을알리려 한 것 같다.그의 자살은 ‘공산당의 미래’에도 암운을 드리운다. 폭발하는 중국 국민들의 자유(自由)와 민주(民主), 공정(公正)에 대한 열망을 공산당이 어떻게 감당하고 조정할 수 있을까? 현체제로 그것이 가능할까? 20여년을 버텨온 한 ‘천안문 아버지’의 자살 소식을 듣고, 죽음을 택할 수 밖에 없었던 아버지의 심정이 어떠했을지,한 충성스런 공산당원의 간절한 소망마저 외면한공산당의 미래가어떨지,여러가지로생각이 복잡한하루였다./지해범
<생전의 야웨이린과 부인 장쩐샤(張振霞), 사진속은 1989년 사망한 아들 야아이궈>
[다음은 Human Rights in China의 메일내용]
An Obituary by the Tiananmen Mothers
May 27, 2012
[Translation by Human Rights in China]
Today, we announce with immense sorrow that Mr. Ya Weilin (轧伟林), father of Ya Aiguo (轧爱国), a victim of June Fourth government crackdown on the 1989 protests, and a key member of the Tiananmen Mothers, committed suicide by hanging himself on May 25. He was 73 years old.
Ya Weilin and his wife, Ms. Zhang Zhenxia (张振霞), an affectionate couple, have two sons. The younger son, Ya Aiguo was shot in the head by martial law troops in the vicinity of Gongzhufen (公主坟) in Beijing around 10 p.m. in the evening of June 3, 1989, and later died in the No. 301 Hospital. He was 22 years old. His family members were not able to locate his body until June 5. They buried him in Tianjin, their hometown.
Mr. Ya Weilin was a retired employee of the Food Department of the Second Institute of the Nuclear Industry Ministry. Since the Tiananmen Mothers contacted them in the 1990s, Mr. Ya and his wife had actively participated in the group’s protest activities without hesitation. Despite police intimidation and surveillance for many times, they never wavered.
Mr. Ya was usually in good health. He was introverted, honest and conscientious in his work. Every year, he joined the open letter signature campaign to demand a just resolution on the issue of June Fourth and also closely monitored the response from the government. He endured the passage of time for more than twenty years. His prolonged grief and depression finally led to despair.
According to his wife and his older son, they found a piece of paper on Ya recently, with the following written on it: his name, work unit, and, more importantly, information on his son’s death in the 1989 Tiananmen, that this grievance had not been redressed for more than 20 years, and that he would fight to his death. At that time, he was dissuaded by his family members from taking any action.
In the end, at 10 a.m. on May 24, 2012, on the eve of the 23rd anniversary of June Fourth, Mr. Ya left home. Family members and relatives looked everywhere but could not find him. After 24 hours, they reported to the local police, seeking help to find him but to no avail. In the afternoon of May 25, three family members found Mr. Ya body in a newly-constructed, un-used underground parking garage of the building where the couple lived, which belongs to the Second Institute of the Nuclear Industry Ministry.
The police immediately sent personnel and vehicles to cordon off the area, and moved Mr. Ya’s body away. His remains were cremated this morning, May 27.
The death of Mr. Ya—an ordinary citizen who, having given up hope in his long-term demand, ended his life in such a resolute way to protest the government’s brutality—is a new sin that has been added to old un-redressed grievances.
<23년전 천안문사태 때 사망한 轧愛国>
The death of Ya Weilin and his son are tragedies directly wrought by the Chinese government. The news of Mr. Ya’s death shocked us, the Tiananmen Mothers, like a sword piercing through our hearts. We want to cry but have no more tears; want to tell the world but have no more words.
Ms. Zhang Zhenxia, suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis, has lost a good husband who helped her through the hard times and took good care of her. We, the Tiananmen Mothers, have, once again, lost a good brother and partner.
We strongly condemn the Chinese Communist authorities’ cold-blooded behavior against humanity and demand an immediate return of Mr. Ya’s suicide note to his family members.
We are closely monitoring developments of the situation and call on all Chinese people globally and in China as well as the international community to coordinate their efforts to urge the Chinese government to justly resolve the June Fourth issue and not let the tragedy like Mr. Ya Weilin happen again.
[조선일보 기사]
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