A Letter from Lee Ching-yu, wife of Lee Ming-che, to Taiwanese People (Please refer to the buttom for English version)

李明哲被逮捕到今天已經23天了，縱然我強忍悲痛，縱然有這麼多人權團體和NGO朋友來協助我，縱然我已經對中國惡劣的法治狀況做了最壞的心理準備，縱然我對被拒絕登機和被拒絕入境北京已經做了沙盤演練，但是，今天早上在機場遇到中國這樣赤裸裸不堪入目的小手段，我確實崩潰了。

不只因為中國政府果真像掮客所說的綁匪集團一樣，也因為我國海陸兩會及國安單位在對岸的眼中竟然連一個掮客的份量都不如。如果我繞過政府去接受一個掮客的條件，我就是出賣了台灣的尊嚴。

我承認，我虛脫了。

我的先生李明哲在被失蹤狀態中，我的母親剛剛完成乳癌割除手術正在休養中，我的公公婆婆已經年邁也在驚慌中。我承認我真的非常孤單，非常孤立，非常孱弱。

請外界給我一兩天的休息時間，恢復體力。 我向各位報告，我會再站起來，絕不跟強權哀求，就像我曾經在台灣歷史中見識過的先賢先烈那樣，我必須戰鬥下去，我不會讓我先生為獲得自由而失去尊嚴，像狗一樣活未來的一生。中國再強大，也只能剝奪我們的生命與自由，但絕對粉碎不了我們的尊嚴。

只求苟活想要羞辱我們的人，請你們免了吧！

李明哲妻 李凈瑜 20170410

A Letter from Lee Ching-yu, wife of Lee Ming-che, to the people of Taiwan

As of today (4/10) Lee Ming-che has been detained for twenty-three days. Even though I have struggled to bear my grief, even though many friends among human rights groups and NGOs have come to support me, even though I have prepared myself for the worst when it comes to the Chinese government’s abominable legal system, even though I had already planned for my refusal to board a plane to Beijing, yet despite all this, I was completely broken when I encountered the Chinese government’s flagrant and disgusting tactics.

I am shocked, not just by the fact that the Chinese government resembles a group of kidnappers, like the broker said, but also by my country’s Cross-Strait Exchange Foundation and Chinese security agencies lack of any measure to serve as brokers in each other’s eyes. If I bypass the government’s conditions to accept a broker, I am selling out Taiwan’s dignity.

I recognize this, and I am exhausted.

My husband Mr. Lee Ming-che is missing. My mother is recuperating from breast cancer surgery, and my aged parents-in-law are panicking. I recognize that I am alone, so very alone, and weak.

I ask the outside world to permit me a day or two of rest to recover my strength. I am telling you that I will take to my feet again. I will not implore aid from strong forces. I must continue to fight just like the sages and martyrs from Taiwan’s history. I will not allow my husband to lose his honor in exchange for freedom to live like a dog. China is powerful. It can take our lives and freedom, but it will never crush our dignity.

To those wanting to humiliate us by only asking to live on in degradation, I ask you to stop it!